WEDNESDAY JUNE 6

Dishwasher

Counterculture meets dishwashing fun in Pete Jordan's memoir of his cross-country journey to wash dishes in every state. Borders, 708 SW 3rd Ave., 220-5911. 7 pm. Free.

Stephen Most

Feuding farmers, nearly extinct wild salmon and a 10-million-acre bioregion collide to make the drama that is the Klamath Basin in River of Renewal: Myth and History in the Klamath Basin. Stephen Most's nonfiction investigation takes a deep look at what all the fuss is over some water. Twenty-third Avenue Books, 1015 NW 23rd Ave., 224-5097. 7:30 pm. Free.

Ro Deezy

Portland slam poet and Powell's protester Rochell D. Hart, a.k.a. Ro Deezy, publishes her sixth book of poetry, What Else Did You Think I Would Say?, a collection about politics, passion, resistance and love. In Other Words, 8b NE Killingsworth St., 232-6003. 6:30 pm. Free.

"At Home in the World: Iranian Cosmopolitan Culture"

Who needs history lessons when you have Columbia University professor Hamid Dabashi? His lecture looks at Iranian cultural and political history, the subject of his recent book, Iran: A People Interrupted. Portland State University, Smith Student Union 338, Vanport Room, 1825 SW Broadway, 523-7368. 7:30 pm. Free.

THURSDAY JUNE 7

Periscope Studios

A slew of comic-book artists and writers invade the Pearl for First Thursday to show off their work. Floating World Comics, 20 NW 5th Ave., #101, 241-0227. 6 pm. Free.

Carol Berg

In Berg's new fantasy work, Flesh and Spirit, Valen is a wizard with three burdens on his shoulders: a drug addiction he is trying to kick, a magical book of maps whose secrets he must unlock and the task of saving the realm of Navronne from impending doom. Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., 228-4651. 7 pm. Free.

FRIDAY JUNE 8

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

"Yarn harlot" Pearl-McPhee (At Knit's End and Knitting Rules!) returns with Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Casts Off, a quasi-travel guide that aims to observe and dissect knitting culture. It just might knock your socks off, and then knit them back on again. Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St., 228-4651. 7:30 pm. Free.

SATURDAY JUNE 9

Kasey Goltra

These fanatics are weighing their trash for an entire year. Food waste. Recyclables. All of it. Come listen to Goltra and her household gang explain their experience. The Waypost, 3120 N Williams St., 367-3182. 2 pm. Free.

"Grassroots Defiance of Toxic Waste in North-Northeast Portland Neighborhoods"

Sylvia Evans calls for the community to discuss the causes of and solutions to pollution in low-income communities. Bread and Roses Center, 819 N Killingsworth St., 240-4462. 7 pm. $8 suggested donation, includes Thai buffet.

TUESDAY JUNE 12

Male of the Species

Fathers, unite! It's no coincidence that this new collection of stories from Pushcart Prize-winning author Alex Mindt just happens to align with Father's Day. Mindt's book is filled with beautiful, striking stories that reconfigure the notion of 21st-century fatherhood. Annie Bloom's Books, 7834 SW Capitol Highway, 246-0053. 7:30 pm. Free.

Dan Raphael and Jim Shugrue

Locals Dan Raphael (Breath Test) and Jim Shugrue (Hubbub) are old buddies (and old poets) who will read from their work. Broadway Books, 1714 NE Broadway St., 284-1726. 7 pm. Free.

Single State of the Union

Forget Carrie Bradshaw and Bridget Jones. Diane Mapes' (How to Date in a Post-Dating World) new collection of essays challenges the stereotypes of what it's really like to be a single woman today. In Other Words, 8b NE Killingsworth St., 232-6003. 6:30 pm. Free.

Khaled Hosseini

See review. Bagdad Theater, 3702 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 236-9234. 7 pm. $18.50, includes admission and a copy of A Thousand Splendid Suns.