Upcoming events
September book swap
Welcome to another book swap at Prismatic Pages. Do you have some books that you won't be reading again and need a new home? Bring them us on September 24 and swap them for something new with the others at the swap.
Books in all languages are welcome!
You receive a voucher for each book you bring -- the more you bring the more you can take.
When: 24 September, 17.00-18.30
Where: Prismatic Pages, Rathkes gate 7b
The Learning (book) Club
A book club where the only requirement is that the book makes you learn something.
Our book for October is "This is Not Propaganda" by Peter Pomerantsev.
When: 9 October, 17.00-18.30
Where: Prismatic Pages, Rathkes gate 7b
Halloween collaging
After the success of our first workshop making zines, Prismatic Pages with Marta Crosta will host a Halloween-themed collage evening!
Collaging is the art of mixing various media to form new works. That can include cut outs from magazines, old books, scraps of paper found, but also larger objects or knick knacks.
Artist and educator Marta will guide you through collage techniques before we have time for collaging together. No previous experience necessary!
This workshop costs 250 NOK, which includes the cost of instruction and materials.
When: 15 October, 17.00-19.00
Where: Prismatic Pages, Rathkes gate 7b
The workshop will be led by Marta Crosta:
I'm an artist and art therapist, I completed my education in Italy and brought my creativity to Norway in the middle of the pandemic. I write poetry and produce mostly collage and mixed media art. I work at Barnekunstmuseet here in Oslo, where I organise workshops and courses. I spend most of my free time reading, that's why Prismatic Pages is the perfect place for this course!
Book chat: Bicycle City by Dan Piatkowski
It took an oil crisis in the 1970s for the Dutch to realize that they simply couldn´t afford to live without bicycles, and today the Dutch lead the world in urban cycling. Fifty years later, another crisis, the pandemic, has led to a boom in bicycling and a radical rethinking of the future of urban mobility, demonstrating the possibility of a car-free urban future. The pandemic “bikeboom” is one of the very few bright spots in an otherwise terrible time – and an opportunity we cannot waste. The climate crisis is all too real, the inequities in our cities too severe, to allow the US to backslide to the status quo of car-dependence.
In Bicycle City: Riding the Bike Boom to a Brighter Future cycling expert Daniel Piatkowski argues that the bicycle is the best tool that we have to improve our cities. The car-free urban future—where cities are vibrant, with access to everything we need close by—may be less bike-centric than we think. But bikes are a crucial first step to getting Americans out of cars. Bicycle City is about making cities better with bikes rather than for bikes.
When: 16 October, 17.00-18.30
Where: Prismatic Pages, Rathkes gate 7b
Dan will be interviewed by Anine Hartmann, who is responsible for walking, biking, and new mobility at Asplan Viak.
Dan Piatkowski is an American academic and urban planner based in Oslo, Norway where he is on the faculty at OsloMet - Oslo Metropolitan University. Before moving to Norway, Dan has worked in some area of urban planning (either academic or professional) in Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Nebraska, and Georgia. Dan got his start in the bike world in the early 2000s with a very brief stint as a bicycle messenger in New York City before finding his way to working at bike shops, riding all kinds of bikes, and getting active in bicycle advocacy. These days he spends more time writing about bicycles than riding them.
Halloween talk: Body horror and the work of E.M. Carroll
When: 23 October, 17.00-18.15
Where: Prismatic Pages, Rathkes gate 7b
E.M. Carroll is a prolific, acclaimed webcomic and print comic artist who writes and draws sensational, unsettling Gothic horror, including the fairy-tale-themed Through the Woods (2015), the queer vampiric sort-of-love-story When I Arrived at the Castle (2019), and the Bluebeard-esque A Guest in the House (2023). Carroll’s art is fascinated with body horror; in their work, the body is a haunted house you can’t leave, where there could be a jump-scare at any moment.
This Halloween talk by Erik Kvistad investigates the thrilling and skin-crawling possibilities of the body in Carroll’s work.
Erika Kvistad is a literature and media scholar who works on horror, romance, and the internet, and teaches at the University of South-Eastern Norway.
Tickets available at the link below. The ticket price of 100 NOK may be used on the day as credit toward any book purchase.
October book swap
Welcome to another book swap at Prismatic Pages. Do you have some books that you won't be reading again and need a new home? Bring them us on October 29 and swap them for something new with the others at the swap.
Books in all languages are welcome!
You receive a voucher for each book you bring -- the more you bring the more you can take.
When: 29 October, 17.00-18.30
Where: Prismatic Pages, Rathkes gate 7b
The Rise of the Vulva Monster
The Petrifying Pussies, Voracious Vaginas, and Othered Orifices of Screen Media
When: 30 October, 17.15-18.15
Where: Prismatic Pages, Rathkes gate 7b
Have you ever seen a vulva monster? You know… that monster on your screen whose mouth looks a little too… familiar? Its teeth are surrounded by too much texture, too much ooze, too much…flesh.
For many pop-culture enthusiasts, this phenomenon in cinema, television, gaming, and other media is a trope that has existed for decades. Blogs and pop-culture sites like Buzzfeed have boasted articles like, “19 Movie Monsters that Look Like…Vaginas” and “Terrifying Twats: Vicious Vaginas in Sci-Fi Films”. And among these lists, one may recognize the labial appearance of the Facehugger from the Alien franchise, the hideous mandible jaw of the Predator of the Predator franchise or the flowering toothed maw of the Demogorgon from Stranger Things (2016).
But, while the trend of “vagina monsters” has been comedically discussed among fringe fans across the media sphere, the academic world has left this trope in film and television underexplored, often exclusively relying on psychoanalytic discussions of monstrous femininity to understand how gender plays a role in the monstrous body. But, other than the presence of the female vulva, what of these monsters are actually feminine? Often times, the alien, animalistic, and even masculine features of these creatures remain unexplored. In this talk, Carrie Russpatrick will discuss what more we can learn about our contemporary fears of gender, sexuality, race and more when we look at the queer, unearthly body of the vulva monster.
Come to Prismatic Pages and learn a bit more about your favorite fleshy monsters of science fiction, horror, and fantasy media!
Carrie Russpatrick is a doctoral researcher at the University of Oslo’s Department of Media and Communication. She currently studies the theoretical crossings of aesthetics, the body, and queer/feminist monster theory through the trope of the “vulva monster” in screen media. She is also a collaborative member of the Monster Network, which fosters international collaborations among those with interest in monsters and the monstrous. In her spare time, she is a lover of zines, plants, and all things cult classic.
The ticket price of 100 NOK may be used on the day as credit toward any book purchase.
Tickets cannot be refunded but you may resell or give away your ticket if the original purchaser cannot attend.
If you are in a tight financial spot and still want to attend, please email hello@prismaticpages.com :)
Zine workshop
First things first, what's a Zine?
Fanzine: fan + magazine, independent publication created by enthusiasts of particular forms of art and culture. Often shortened to "zine".
Zines are a great way to experiment with art and express yourself with no previous skills needed!
We will guide you through making your first zine in a sea of magazine pages, glue, paper and scissors and you'll leave with your finished project. The course will last from 17:00 to 19:00, we don't want to rush creativity.
The workshop will cost 250 NOK, which covers the cost of materials and instruction. Buy your ticket at the link below!
The workshop will be led by Marta Crosta:
I'm an artist and art therapist, I completed my education in Italy and brought my creativity to Norway in the middle of the pandemic. I write poetry and produce mostly collage and mixed media art. I work at Barnekunstmuseet here in Oslo, where I organise workshops and courses. I spend most of my free time reading, that's why Prismatic Pages is the perfect place for this course!
When: 6 November, 17.00-19.00
Where: Prismatic Pages, Rathkes gate 7b
Silent Reading Evening at Prismatic Pages with Angle Book Club
Prismatic Pages and Angle Book Club are excited to host another silent reading evening! Have you been wanting to read more but don't find the time? Join us for a cozy evening of reading with others, while surrounded by books.
When: 13 November, 17.00-18.30
Where: Prismatic Pages, Rathkes gate 7b
How does it work?
1. You arrive with your book of choice (or buy one at Prismatic Pages if you don't have anything currently)
2. Mingle for the first fifteen minutes and then settle in to your favorite spot
3. Read silently for 30 minutes
4. Break for fifteen minutes, stretch your legs and chat with fellow readers
5. Read silently for another 30 minutes
6. Have a great rest of the evening knowing you dove into a book!
Angle Book Club reads and promotes overlooked literature. It is a space for people to gather and read these lesser-known texts, to share experiences, and discuss, and are hosting this event. You do not have to be a member of Angle Book Club to join this reading evening however!
Instagram: @anglebookclub
Facebook: facebook.com/anglebookclub
Welcome to an evening of poetry and conversation with Elizabeth Clark Wessel and Alina Gregorian
Welcome to an evening of poetry with Elizabeth Clark Wessel, author of "None of It Belongs to Me", and Alina Gregorian.
When: 14 November, 18.00-19.00
Where: Prismatic Pages, Rathkes gate 7b
Elizabeth Clark Wessel’s debut full-length collection gathers poems that track the cadences of daily thought as they happen. In this book, Clark Wessel unspools layers of mythology—of places, people, historical and ahistorical time—and finds their entanglements with everyday life, revealing marvelous influences encoded in the ordinary.
This event is free, but please register to reserve a spot!
November book swap
Welcome to another book swap at Prismatic Pages. Do you have some books that you won't be reading again and need a new home? Bring them us on November 19 and swap them for something new with the others at the swap.
Books in all languages are welcome!
You receive a voucher for each book you bring -- the more you bring the more you can take.
When: 19 November, 17.00-18.30
Where: Prismatic Pages, Rathkes gate 7b
Blackout poetry workshop
Blackout poetry is found poetry, it's selecting and reshaping words to give them new meaning. It's a form of therapeutic art that allows us to play with words and express ourselves and what better place to do this than a bookstore?
When: 3 December, 17.00-19.00
Where: Prismatic Pages, Rathkes gate 7b
You'll have an overview of what blackout poetry is, what techniques can you use and plenty of time to experiment and create your own poem!
All materials necessary are included in the ticket price of 250 NOK. All you bring is an interest in being creative!
Silent Reading Evening at Prismatic Pages with Angle Book Club
Prismatic Pages and Angle Book Club are excited to host another silent reading evening! Have you been wanting to read more but don't find the time? Join us for a cozy evening of reading with others, while surrounded by books.
When: 4 December, 17.00-18.30
Where: Prismatic Pages, Rathkes gate 7b
How does it work?
1. You arrive with your book of choice (or buy one at Prismatic Pages if you don't have anything currently)
2. Mingle for the first fifteen minutes and then settle in to your favorite spot
3. Read silently for 30 minutes
4. Break for fifteen minutes, stretch your legs and chat with fellow readers
5. Read silently for another 30 minutes
6. Have a great rest of the evening knowing you dove into a book!
Angle Book Club reads and promotes overlooked literature. It is a space for people to gather and read these lesser-known texts, to share experiences, and discuss, and are hosting this event. You do not have to be a member of Angle Book Club to join this reading evening however!
Instagram: @anglebookclub
Facebook: facebook.com/anglebookclub
The Learning (book) Club
A book club where the only requirement is that the book makes you learn something.
Our book for December is "The Living Mountain" by Nan Shepherd.
When: 11 December, 17.00-18.30
Where: Prismatic Pages, Rathkes gate 7b
December book swap
Welcome to another book swap at Prismatic Pages. Do you have some books that you won't be reading again and need a new home? Bring them us on December 17 and swap them for something new with the others at the swap.
Books in all languages are welcome!
You receive a voucher for each book you bring -- the more you bring the more you can take.
When: 17 December, 17.00-18.30
Where: Prismatic Pages, Rathkes gate 7b