Join our monthly native plants group for a discussion on natives & non-natives, usually with plant swapping or identification! This is a casual group and open to all community members. FREE!

Register by emailing hello@secondshapesbookstore.com

CANCELLED FOR JANUARY! Danielle is sick and can’t host. Feel free to drop by the shop from 4-6pm if you’d still like to make things in the community room. Bookstore Helper Extraordinaire Sarah will be there running the shop!

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A free monthly meet-up! No experience required. This is a friendly crew of 10-15 folks all working on their zines, collages, comics, or other art / hand crafts. Light snacks and drinks are usually provided! Feel free to bring whatever you need to be cozy.

Register by emailing hello@secondshapesbookstore.com

Learn more here: https://www.greenflamecommunity.com/circles

This month, the group will gather to explore winter's wisdom: rage as catalyst and rest as transformation. Through reflection and conversation, we'll alchemize anger into clarity, boundaries, and reclaimed power. What looks dormant is changing at the root. Bring it all.

Everyone's favorite baker August and their lovely partner Riley will be back for their monthly bakery pop-up! Cookies, scones, muffins, bread...each item is lovingly made and so, so tasty. Menu posted soon HERE. 

Join us for stories and fun with children's book expert, Madeline! Best for ages 3-6 but open to all. We are a very flexible bunch, with lots of space and support for movement, noise, and getting wiggles out. Every child who attends gets to pick out a free children's book this month! Register by emailing hello@secondshapesbookstore.com.

This month's plants are oaxlis and sedges and folks are encouraged to bring seeds to swap so you can kickstart your 2026 garden planning. Hosted by your neighbors and free and open to all. Register by emailing hello@secondshapesbookstore.com. 

Get a jump start on your 2026 vision board, finish that zine you've been meaning to make, or bring your holiday crafts to finish up...we're not picky! Light snacks and drinks provided. Free and open to all skill levels. Register by emailing hello@secondshapesbookstore.com.

Shop small on Denver Ave this holiday season! All your favorite small businesses will be participating in an after-hours sip & shop. Second Shapes Bookstore will have N/A and family friendly sipping options!

Join us for an all-ages, all-skill levels creative workshop with Sandra from Carrot Flower Creative! She'll have Sculpey and all kinds of fun materials for you to get crafty with in community. $15-$35 sliding scale / free for community members of Pacific Refugee Support Group.

This month's read is A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers. Finishing the book is not necessary to attending, just a love for queer writing and good company. Learn more about North Portland Queer Book Club HERE.

Join us for #SmallBusinessSaturday on November 29! We’ll be open 11am-6pm.

11am: Story & Play Time with Madeline

12pm - sold out: Bisl Bakery Babka Pop-Up

All day: $5 and under book cart! Stocked free cart! $1 book boxes!

We’re closed on Thanksgiving Day! Join us instead on Small Business Saturday, 11/29 from 11am-6pm. We’ll be donating a portion of sales that day to local native-owned businesses and organizations in Kenton.

Join us on Tuesday, 11/25 from 10am-12pm for a comic workshop for youth ages 8-12! Edie (they/them) is an incredible facilitator for all skill levels.

All supplies included. Capped at 10 participants.

No one turned away! Please email hello@secondshapesbookstore.com if you'd like to register for less than $25.

Join us on Sun. 11/23 at 11am for an autumnal dried flower arranging workshop with Eva from Backyard Bannan!

Every participant will leave with their own decorated pumpkin centerpiece.

Sliding scale, $35-$55.

New reoccurring time alert! Our Monthly Zine & Collage Night is now the third Thursday of each month from 6-8pm.

Free to attend, register to come by emailing hello@secondshapesbookstore.com

Many supplies provided! The vibe is 15-20 folks chatting, laughing, making zines, trading materials, and eating snacks together.

Masks encouraged, HVAC with MERV 12 filtration system running on high.

Like a book club for native plants! Come discuss the plants of the month, look at specimens, and make some native plant-loving friends. Free and open to everyone. Register by emailing hello@secondshapesbookstore.com

This is a class for people who don't know how to draw but want to! Ages 21+ only, all supplies included. Your instructor will be Mahma Jaguar (she/her).

There are 9 spaces, with 3 reserved for BIPOC. Free tuition is available for folks who are low-income and BIPOC. To register for free, please email hello@secondshapesbookstore.com (no proof of income required).

Join us for the annual Trick-or-Treat on Denver Ave! Small businesses will hand out treats and trinkets for kids (and sometimes the grown ups too). Second Shapes will have some special gifts to give away to anyone in a literary costume!

Please email hello@secondshapesbookstore.com to RSVP! Please note the time change for this month. We’ll be meeting from 4-6pm.

We’re debuting a new poetry reading and open mic night! This one will be hosted by local poets Diane Corson, Bruce Parker, and John Miller.

Bring three poems or read for three minutes. Sign ups begin at 3:30pm. All genres welcome!

August is back! The best bread, cookies, scones, and treats around! 12pm until sold out.

For October, we’re reading Boo Stew and making potions. Come prepared to get messy!

This event is sold out! Join our email list for updates on when Eva’s next workshop will be.

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Join us for an autumnal dried flower arranging workshop with Eva from Backyard Bannan! Every participant will leave with a pumpkin bouquet. Sliding scale, $35-$55.

This collaborative writing workshop invites members of the queer community to come together to share writing and build an affinity space. We'll meet weekly to share writing that draws (directly or indirectly) from the queer experience, raise questions about our work, offer feedback, and discuss writing we admire. Creative nonfiction and fiction are both welcome.

When: Wednesdays, 6-7:30pm, October 22-December 3 (6 weeks, skipping Nov 26)

Cost: $200 for six-week session; sliding scale down to $50. Please reach out to the workshop facilitator (elizabeth.weinberg@gmail.com) if $50 poses a barrier to your participation.

About the workshop facilitator: Elizabeth Weinberg is an essayist, science communicator, and nature nerd. They are the author of Unsettling: Surviving Extinction Together, and their essays have appeared in Identity Theory, The Rumpus, The Toast, Buckman Journal, and elsewhere. She lives in Kenton with their partner Leslie and their two dogs. Weinberg is currently at work on a book about urban animals.

Accessibility details: Second Shapes Bookstore is wheelchair accessible. Masks are encouraged for this workshop, and may be required. The workshop facilitator will contact participants prior to the start of the workshop about other accessibility needs.