Wednesday JULY 11

Diana Abu-Jaber

See Q&A, this page. Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St., 228-4651. 7:30 pm. Free.

Erec Toso

Near-death experiences pretty much trump everybody else's cocktail banter: Oh, you were once a finalist on Jeopardy!? OK. You lost your job? Huh. I was bitten by a rattlesnake, injected with an assload of venom, suffered cellular damage, hallucinations and agonizing emotional and physical pain, pain, PAIN. Luckily, in Zero at the Bone: Rewriting Life After a Snakebite, University of Arizona professor Erec Toso's brush with a fork-tongued hellion also led to an unlikely "profound spiritual awakening." Twenty-Third Avenue Books, 1015 NW 23rd Ave., 224-5097. 7:30 pm. Free.

DIY Stories

Why are you still listening to all these other "writers" yap? Share your own scintillating tales at this open-mic storytelling event. This installment's theme: "It Happened on the Street." (Possible secondary theme: "Don't worry, penicillin will clear that right up.") Check out diystories.com for details. Camellia Lounge (inside TeaZone), 510 NW 11th Ave., 221-2130. 8 pm. Free.

FRIDAY JULY 13

Gabe Kaplan

The creator and star of Welcome Back, Kotter, the '70s sitcom about a class of high-school misfits and their Groucho Marx-loving teacher, goes on a field trip to pimp Kotter's Back, a collection of Kaplan's prank emails. Up your nose with a rubber hose, Celebrity Boxing! Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St., 228-4651. 7:30 pm. Free.

SUNDAY JULY 15

Andrew Ferguson

Evidently, there is something called a "contemporary Lincoln nation," and Andrew Ferguson has penetrated it. In, Land of Lincoln: Adventures in Abe's America, the Weekly Standard senior editor investigates the impact—be it serious, goofy or sublime—of our 16th president­. Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St., 228-4651. 7:30 pm. Free.

Christina Henry de Tessan & Lara Triback

Some women still go to the bathroom in pairs. Others strike out solo and tango in Buenos Aires, brave the jungles of Borneo or invade Uzbekistan. Editor Henry de Tessan and Portlander Triback share stories from Go Your Own Way: Women Travel the World Solo—23 essays from ladies who kick ass, on a global scale. Powell's on Hawthorne, 3723 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 228-4651. 7:30 pm. Free.

Joshua Tickell

What does Portland want? Biodiesel! When do we want it? Yesterday! In Biodiesel America, author and energy know-it-all Tickell explains how our wicked little oil habit has historically screwed us and what our country can do get all energy proactive. Psst: Tickell, preaching...choir. Nevermind. Powell's Technical Books, 33 NW Park Ave., 228-3906. 7:30 pm. Free.

MONDAY JULY 16

The Back Room

The ever-evolving arts meet 'n' greet says farewell to creator Matthew Stadler and hello to audience-run interviews. See preview on wweek.com. Podkrepa Hall, 2116 N Killingsworth St., 705-9450. 6:30 pm. $8, $16 with a copy of The Back Room Anthology.

Robin Romm

Eugene residents, rejoice. Finally, people can praise you for something other than your Oregon Country Fair and your anarchists. Now you can proudly point to Eugene-born Robin Romm, whose stellar debut collection of short stories, The Mother Garden, is packed with enough terrified would-be dads, lost mothers and beautiful, death-filled moments to make any city of weirdos proud. Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St., 228-4651. 7:30 pm. Free.

TUESDAY JULY 17

The Piece Process

A traveling group of artists—Arab and Jewish, Israeli and Palestinian—hell-bent on exhibiting together in the name of peaceful progress invade Hillsboro. Artist Doris Bittar hosts a talk about the project Tuesday. Glenn & Viola Waters Cultural Arts Center, 527 E Main St., Hillsboro. 7 pm. Free.