Martha Gies, a Portland-based writer, teacher and activist, is set to read from her memoir in essays, Broken Open, on Saturday, April 26, at 2 pm at Tsunami Books, followed by a conversation with her memoir coach, Valerie Ihsan. Geis says, “I took a couple of essays and laid them out on the rug and noticed I had a narrative.” Gies began her career in the 1970s writing profiles of musicians and filmmakers, but after studying with Raymond Carver, an American poet and short story writer, she turned to essays and short fiction, publishing in Gettysburg Review, The Sun, The Onion and Notre Dame Review. Geis says she “mostly does short form,” but feels her experiences in a longer form will help others. Her 2004 book Up All Night, an oral history of Portland’s night-shift workers, received critical acclaim from Publisher’s Weekly and Booklist, and was named a top regional book by The Oregonian. In addition to her literary work, Gies taught writing at Marylhurst University, Lewis & Clark College and Antioch University, and for 20 years led writing workshops in countries including Cuba, Denmark and India. Her activism has run parallel with her writing life, as she has often publicly spoken out against the gentrification of Portland neighborhoods and worked on behalf of wrongfully imprisoned journalists. After retiring from teaching in 2023, Gies has returned with her newest collection of essays, Broken Open, a memoir that reflects on creativity, aging and advocacy, offering insight for readers interested in women’s voices or solidarity for female readers.

Martha Gies reads 2 pm Saturday, April 26, at Tsunami Books, 2585 Willamette Street. FREE.