learning & events

portal holds workshops, classes, reading groups, musical performances, in-house events and more.

if you would like to host something at library portal, please email hellolibraryportal@gmail.com


Animist Talking Circle
July
26

Animist Talking Circle

A Singing Blackbird Enterprises event ~ We're creating a talking circle for anyone interested in or practising animism. It will be a chance to explore what animism means and share knowledge and practice with each other in a small group, with a focus on building connection and community.

IG: @singingblackbird_enterprises

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philosophy and literature reading club (ABC of Deluze)
July
26

philosophy and literature reading club (ABC of Deluze)

Each Sunday at 4pm, a short text is read and discussed. An introduction is given before the reading, so no prior knowledge or pre-reading is needed. This club is open to everybody regardless of "education" or "experience".

Email us at hellolibraryportal@gmail.com to receive weekly emails with the text.

Free for members. Register your attendance here.

Past weeks:

Thomas Moynihan: Spinal Catastrophism (2019)

Georges Bataille: The Accursed Share (1949)

David Graeber: Debt: The First 5000 Years (2011)

Byung Chul Han: The Expulsion of the Other (2016)

Frederic Jameson: Metacommentary (1971).

Simone Weil: Prerequisite to Dignity of Labour (1941).

Emily Hodges: ‘The Playfulness of Aesthetic Experience’ (2023).

Fred Moten, Stefano Harney: ‘The University and the Undercommons: Seven Theses’ (2004).

Sylvia Wynter's 'Unsettling the coloniality of being'. (2003).

Immanuel Kant’s ‘The Transcendental Doctrine of Elements, First Part: The Transcendental Aesthetic’ (1781).

Immanuel Kant’s ‘Introduction to the Critique of Pure Reason’ (1781).

Guyer & Wood’s Introduction to Immanuel Kant’s ‘Critique of Pure Reason’. (1998)

Yukio Mishima’s ‘Sun & Steel’. (1968).

Hito Steyerl's 'A Thing Like You and Me.' (2010).

Walter Benjamin’s ‘Romanticism: An Undelivered Address to Students’ (1913).

View Event →
kapital reading club
July
26

kapital reading club

read and contemplate karl marx’s ‘kapital’ volume 1, each sunday at 3pm.

entry by donation for library card holders. join to receive a library card here, register your attendance here.

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dream club
July
26

dream club

Dream Club occurs monthly, in the wake of a full moon.

Dream Club is, in essence, a study group to collectively record and share dreams, discuss interpretive practices and receive feedback on creative work.

Cost of entry is a dream (and a library card).  Join to receive a library card here.

Register your attendance here.

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psychology reading group
July
25

psychology reading group

a fortnightly reading group for anyone (with a library card, no experience necessary) interested in the history, theory, research, and experiences of how people think, feel and behave. a text will be read together, then discussed as a group. no prior reading needed.

fortnightly on saturdays at 3pm (1.5hrs). please email hellolibraryportal@gmail.com to be added to the mailing list.

join to receive a library card here.

Previous texts:

  • The Myth of Attachment Theory: A Critical Understanding for Multicultural Societies, Heidi Keller (2021)

  • When the Body Speaks: The Archetypes in the Body, Mara Sidoli (2000)

  • Searching for Memory: The Brain, the Mind and the Past, Daniel Schacter (1996)

  • On Photography, Susan Sontag (1997)

  • Staring at the Sun: Overcoming the Dread of Death, Irvin D Yalom (2008)

  • Dreams (chapter: The Practical Use of Dream Analysis), Carl Jung (1974)

  • Knots, r.d. laing (1970)

View Event →
improvised music
July
25

improvised music

improvised music performances, every saturday, at portal.

always free.

View Event →
philosophy and literature reading club (ABC of Deluze)
July
19

philosophy and literature reading club (ABC of Deluze)

Each Sunday at 4pm, a short text is read and discussed. An introduction is given before the reading, so no prior knowledge or pre-reading is needed. This club is open to everybody regardless of "education" or "experience".

Email us at hellolibraryportal@gmail.com to receive weekly emails with the text.

Free for members. Register your attendance here.

Past weeks:

Thomas Moynihan: Spinal Catastrophism (2019)

Georges Bataille: The Accursed Share (1949)

David Graeber: Debt: The First 5000 Years (2011)

Byung Chul Han: The Expulsion of the Other (2016)

Frederic Jameson: Metacommentary (1971).

Simone Weil: Prerequisite to Dignity of Labour (1941).

Emily Hodges: ‘The Playfulness of Aesthetic Experience’ (2023).

Fred Moten, Stefano Harney: ‘The University and the Undercommons: Seven Theses’ (2004).

Sylvia Wynter's 'Unsettling the coloniality of being'. (2003).

Immanuel Kant’s ‘The Transcendental Doctrine of Elements, First Part: The Transcendental Aesthetic’ (1781).

Immanuel Kant’s ‘Introduction to the Critique of Pure Reason’ (1781).

Guyer & Wood’s Introduction to Immanuel Kant’s ‘Critique of Pure Reason’. (1998)

Yukio Mishima’s ‘Sun & Steel’. (1968).

Hito Steyerl's 'A Thing Like You and Me.' (2010).

Walter Benjamin’s ‘Romanticism: An Undelivered Address to Students’ (1913).

View Event →
kapital reading club
July
19

kapital reading club

read and contemplate karl marx’s ‘kapital’ volume 1, each sunday at 3pm.

entry by donation for library card holders. join to receive a library card here, register your attendance here.

View Event →
improvised music
July
18

improvised music

improvised music performances, every saturday, at portal.

always free.

View Event →
Radio Laria Poetry with Shoshanna Rockman & Sarah St James (aka Sadie)
July
16

Radio Laria Poetry with Shoshanna Rockman & Sarah St James (aka Sadie)

Tickets here.

This July Radio Laria is proud and excited to be featuring two fantastic poets, Shoshanna Rockman and Sarah St James (aka Sadie). Shoshanna is an enthralling poet who is inspired by feminism, humanism, science, mythology and magic. Sarah/Sadie is a spoken word poet whose writing explores themes of identity, accountability, sobriety and survival through the lenses of gender, sexuality and familial dysfunction. We will also have ten open mic spots where you can perform in front of the magical, shining bookshelves at Library Portal (opposite no.11 Hawthorn Rd, Northcote). 

Everyone is welcome to share on the open mic, there's a five-minute limit, sign up on the night and arriving early is recommended for sign up. The audience is very supportive, and we welcome new readers. Men are welcome to share on the open mic, but please be mindful that this is a night to promote women and women-identifying poets, and we ask that you behave respectfully. If you have another form of art, writing or storytelling that could be shared in five minutes, then we’d love to hear it!

Library Portal is a grassroots community centre run by volunteers for passionate readers and art groups. You can help yourselves to free tea, but there is no licensed bar. We are allowed to BYO drink/food as long as we are mindful that it is not a party space. This space is also right next to an apartment block, so we need to please leave quietly at the end of the night.

Location: Library Portal is opposite no. 11 Hawthorn Road at the back of a large, brick orthodox church. It is easiest to find from Hawthorn Road rather than approaching the church from the front. If you approach from opposite no. 11, there is a gateway in the fence (which is a little hard to see in the dark until you are right opposite no. 11). Once you have entered this fence gap, you will walk up a driveway with apartments on your left and then cross a green lawn. You will then see some hills host washing lines to your right and the doorway to Library Portal is to the left of those up a ramp.

Accessibility: Front entrance and performance space are wheelchair accessible.

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philosophy and literature reading club (ABC of Deluze)
July
12

philosophy and literature reading club (ABC of Deluze)

Each Sunday at 4pm, a short text is read and discussed. An introduction is given before the reading, so no prior knowledge or pre-reading is needed. This club is open to everybody regardless of "education" or "experience".

Email us at hellolibraryportal@gmail.com to receive weekly emails with the text.

Free for members. Register your attendance here.

Past weeks:

Thomas Moynihan: Spinal Catastrophism (2019)

Georges Bataille: The Accursed Share (1949)

David Graeber: Debt: The First 5000 Years (2011)

Byung Chul Han: The Expulsion of the Other (2016)

Frederic Jameson: Metacommentary (1971).

Simone Weil: Prerequisite to Dignity of Labour (1941).

Emily Hodges: ‘The Playfulness of Aesthetic Experience’ (2023).

Fred Moten, Stefano Harney: ‘The University and the Undercommons: Seven Theses’ (2004).

Sylvia Wynter's 'Unsettling the coloniality of being'. (2003).

Immanuel Kant’s ‘The Transcendental Doctrine of Elements, First Part: The Transcendental Aesthetic’ (1781).

Immanuel Kant’s ‘Introduction to the Critique of Pure Reason’ (1781).

Guyer & Wood’s Introduction to Immanuel Kant’s ‘Critique of Pure Reason’. (1998)

Yukio Mishima’s ‘Sun & Steel’. (1968).

Hito Steyerl's 'A Thing Like You and Me.' (2010).

Walter Benjamin’s ‘Romanticism: An Undelivered Address to Students’ (1913).

View Event →
kapital reading club
July
12

kapital reading club

read and contemplate karl marx’s ‘kapital’ volume 1, each sunday at 3pm.

entry by donation for library card holders. join to receive a library card here, register your attendance here.

View Event →
psychology reading group
July
11

psychology reading group

a fortnightly reading group for anyone (with a library card, no experience necessary) interested in the history, theory, research, and experiences of how people think, feel and behave. a text will be read together, then discussed as a group. no prior reading needed.

fortnightly on saturdays at 3pm (1.5hrs). please email hellolibraryportal@gmail.com to be added to the mailing list.

join to receive a library card here.

Previous texts:

  • The Myth of Attachment Theory: A Critical Understanding for Multicultural Societies, Heidi Keller (2021)

  • When the Body Speaks: The Archetypes in the Body, Mara Sidoli (2000)

  • Searching for Memory: The Brain, the Mind and the Past, Daniel Schacter (1996)

  • On Photography, Susan Sontag (1997)

  • Staring at the Sun: Overcoming the Dread of Death, Irvin D Yalom (2008)

  • Dreams (chapter: The Practical Use of Dream Analysis), Carl Jung (1974)

  • Knots, r.d. laing (1970)

View Event →
improvised music
July
11

improvised music

improvised music performances, every saturday, at portal.

always free.

View Event →
music composition club
July
6

music composition club

bring the music you have composed or are working on and share it with others in a supportive environment. all people, experience level and music welcome. providing a space to connect, exchange ideas and learn from each other. please come along even if you wish only to listen :)

join to receive a library card here. register your attendance (and whether you’d like to share or listen/engage) here.

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philosophy and literature reading club (ABC of Deluze)
July
5

philosophy and literature reading club (ABC of Deluze)

Each Sunday at 4pm, a short text is read and discussed. An introduction is given before the reading, so no prior knowledge or pre-reading is needed. This club is open to everybody regardless of "education" or "experience".

Email us at hellolibraryportal@gmail.com to receive weekly emails with the text.

Free for members. Register your attendance here.

Past weeks:

Thomas Moynihan: Spinal Catastrophism (2019)

Georges Bataille: The Accursed Share (1949)

David Graeber: Debt: The First 5000 Years (2011)

Byung Chul Han: The Expulsion of the Other (2016)

Frederic Jameson: Metacommentary (1971).

Simone Weil: Prerequisite to Dignity of Labour (1941).

Emily Hodges: ‘The Playfulness of Aesthetic Experience’ (2023).

Fred Moten, Stefano Harney: ‘The University and the Undercommons: Seven Theses’ (2004).

Sylvia Wynter's 'Unsettling the coloniality of being'. (2003).

Immanuel Kant’s ‘The Transcendental Doctrine of Elements, First Part: The Transcendental Aesthetic’ (1781).

Immanuel Kant’s ‘Introduction to the Critique of Pure Reason’ (1781).

Guyer & Wood’s Introduction to Immanuel Kant’s ‘Critique of Pure Reason’. (1998)

Yukio Mishima’s ‘Sun & Steel’. (1968).

Hito Steyerl's 'A Thing Like You and Me.' (2010).

Walter Benjamin’s ‘Romanticism: An Undelivered Address to Students’ (1913).

View Event →
kapital reading club
July
5

kapital reading club

read and contemplate karl marx’s ‘kapital’ volume 1, each sunday at 3pm.

entry by donation for library card holders. join to receive a library card here, register your attendance here.

View Event →
improvised music
July
4

improvised music

improvised music performances, every saturday, at portal.

always free.

View Event →
Animist Talking Circle
June
28

Animist Talking Circle

A Singing Blackbird Enterprises event ~ We're creating a talking circle for anyone interested in or practising animism. It will be a chance to explore what animism means and share knowledge and practice with each other in a small group, with a focus on building connection and community.

IG: @singingblackbird_enterprises

View Event →
philosophy and literature reading club (ABC of Deluze)
June
28

philosophy and literature reading club (ABC of Deluze)

Each Sunday at 4pm, a short text is read and discussed. An introduction is given before the reading, so no prior knowledge or pre-reading is needed. This club is open to everybody regardless of "education" or "experience".

Email us at hellolibraryportal@gmail.com to receive weekly emails with the text.

Free for members. Register your attendance here.

Past weeks:

Thomas Moynihan: Spinal Catastrophism (2019)

Georges Bataille: The Accursed Share (1949)

David Graeber: Debt: The First 5000 Years (2011)

Byung Chul Han: The Expulsion of the Other (2016)

Frederic Jameson: Metacommentary (1971).

Simone Weil: Prerequisite to Dignity of Labour (1941).

Emily Hodges: ‘The Playfulness of Aesthetic Experience’ (2023).

Fred Moten, Stefano Harney: ‘The University and the Undercommons: Seven Theses’ (2004).

Sylvia Wynter's 'Unsettling the coloniality of being'. (2003).

Immanuel Kant’s ‘The Transcendental Doctrine of Elements, First Part: The Transcendental Aesthetic’ (1781).

Immanuel Kant’s ‘Introduction to the Critique of Pure Reason’ (1781).

Guyer & Wood’s Introduction to Immanuel Kant’s ‘Critique of Pure Reason’. (1998)

Yukio Mishima’s ‘Sun & Steel’. (1968).

Hito Steyerl's 'A Thing Like You and Me.' (2010).

Walter Benjamin’s ‘Romanticism: An Undelivered Address to Students’ (1913).

View Event →
kapital reading club
June
28

kapital reading club

read and contemplate karl marx’s ‘kapital’ volume 1, each sunday at 3pm.

entry by donation for library card holders. join to receive a library card here, register your attendance here.

View Event →
dream club
June
28

dream club

Dream Club occurs monthly, in the wake of a full moon.

Dream Club is, in essence, a study group to collectively record and share dreams, discuss interpretive practices and receive feedback on creative work.

Cost of entry is a dream (and a library card).  Join to receive a library card here.

Register your attendance here.

View Event →
psychology reading group
June
27

psychology reading group

a new, fortnightly reading group for anyone (with a library card, no experience necessary) interested in the history, theory, research, and experiences of how people think, feel and behave. a text will be read together, then discussed as a group. no prior reading needed.

fortnightly on saturdays at 2pm (1.5hrs).

join to receive a library card here. please register your attendance here.

Previous texts:

  • The Myth of Attachment Theory: A Critical Understanding for Multicultural Societies, Heidi Keller (2021)

  • When the Body Speaks: The Archetypes in the Body, Mara Sidoli (2000)

  • Searching for Memory: The Brain, the Mind and the Past, Daniel Schacter (1996)

  • On Photography, Susan Sontag (1997)

  • Staring at the Sun: Overcoming the Dread of Death, Irvin D Yalom (2008)

View Event →
psychology reading group
June
27

psychology reading group

a fortnightly reading group for anyone (with a library card, no experience necessary) interested in the history, theory, research, and experiences of how people think, feel and behave. a text will be read together, then discussed as a group. no prior reading needed.

fortnightly on saturdays at 3pm (1.5hrs). please email hellolibraryportal@gmail.com to be added to the mailing list.

join to receive a library card here.

Previous texts:

  • The Myth of Attachment Theory: A Critical Understanding for Multicultural Societies, Heidi Keller (2021)

  • When the Body Speaks: The Archetypes in the Body, Mara Sidoli (2000)

  • Searching for Memory: The Brain, the Mind and the Past, Daniel Schacter (1996)

  • On Photography, Susan Sontag (1997)

  • Staring at the Sun: Overcoming the Dread of Death, Irvin D Yalom (2008)

  • Dreams (chapter: The Practical Use of Dream Analysis), Carl Jung (1974)

  • Knots, r.d. laing (1970)

View Event →
improvised music
June
27

improvised music

improvised music performances, every saturday, at portal.

always free.

View Event →
philosophy and literature reading club (ABC of Deluze)
June
21

philosophy and literature reading club (ABC of Deluze)

Each Sunday at 4pm, a short text is read and discussed. An introduction is given before the reading, so no prior knowledge or pre-reading is needed. This club is open to everybody regardless of "education" or "experience".

Email us at hellolibraryportal@gmail.com to receive weekly emails with the text.

Free for members. Register your attendance here.

Past weeks:

Thomas Moynihan: Spinal Catastrophism (2019)

Georges Bataille: The Accursed Share (1949)

David Graeber: Debt: The First 5000 Years (2011)

Byung Chul Han: The Expulsion of the Other (2016)

Frederic Jameson: Metacommentary (1971).

Simone Weil: Prerequisite to Dignity of Labour (1941).

Emily Hodges: ‘The Playfulness of Aesthetic Experience’ (2023).

Fred Moten, Stefano Harney: ‘The University and the Undercommons: Seven Theses’ (2004).

Sylvia Wynter's 'Unsettling the coloniality of being'. (2003).

Immanuel Kant’s ‘The Transcendental Doctrine of Elements, First Part: The Transcendental Aesthetic’ (1781).

Immanuel Kant’s ‘Introduction to the Critique of Pure Reason’ (1781).

Guyer & Wood’s Introduction to Immanuel Kant’s ‘Critique of Pure Reason’. (1998)

Yukio Mishima’s ‘Sun & Steel’. (1968).

Hito Steyerl's 'A Thing Like You and Me.' (2010).

Walter Benjamin’s ‘Romanticism: An Undelivered Address to Students’ (1913).

View Event →
kapital reading club
June
21

kapital reading club

read and contemplate karl marx’s ‘kapital’ volume 1, each sunday at 3pm.

entry by donation for library card holders. join to receive a library card here, register your attendance here.

View Event →
Portal Solstice
June
21

Portal Solstice

As our hemisphere tilts furthest from solar warmth, we celebrate the cyclical.

Join us at Library Portal for a collective altar making experience, accompanied by live music, poetry and play readings, food & refreshments.

12-6pm. We hope to see you there! -`🕯´-
~~~
Library Portal is 100% volunteer-run and self-funded. 100% of ticket costs go to paying our monthly rent. We believe in the community having access to independent centres for learning, curiosity & magic, now & forever.

View Event →
improvised music
June
20

improvised music

improvised music performances, every saturday, at portal.

always free.

View Event →
philosophy and literature reading club (ABC of Deluze)
June
14

philosophy and literature reading club (ABC of Deluze)

Each Sunday at 4pm, a short text is read and discussed. An introduction is given before the reading, so no prior knowledge or pre-reading is needed. This club is open to everybody regardless of "education" or "experience".

Email us at hellolibraryportal@gmail.com to receive weekly emails with the text.

Free for members. Register your attendance here.

Past weeks:

Thomas Moynihan: Spinal Catastrophism (2019)

Georges Bataille: The Accursed Share (1949)

David Graeber: Debt: The First 5000 Years (2011)

Byung Chul Han: The Expulsion of the Other (2016)

Frederic Jameson: Metacommentary (1971).

Simone Weil: Prerequisite to Dignity of Labour (1941).

Emily Hodges: ‘The Playfulness of Aesthetic Experience’ (2023).

Fred Moten, Stefano Harney: ‘The University and the Undercommons: Seven Theses’ (2004).

Sylvia Wynter's 'Unsettling the coloniality of being'. (2003).

Immanuel Kant’s ‘The Transcendental Doctrine of Elements, First Part: The Transcendental Aesthetic’ (1781).

Immanuel Kant’s ‘Introduction to the Critique of Pure Reason’ (1781).

Guyer & Wood’s Introduction to Immanuel Kant’s ‘Critique of Pure Reason’. (1998)

Yukio Mishima’s ‘Sun & Steel’. (1968).

Hito Steyerl's 'A Thing Like You and Me.' (2010).

Walter Benjamin’s ‘Romanticism: An Undelivered Address to Students’ (1913).

View Event →