This festival promises to be a real page turner

Portland, Ore.

April 21-23: Wordstock brings Gore Vidal, Dave Eggers, Joyce Carol Oates, R.L. Stine and more than 200 other writers to 10 reading stages in the Oregon Convention Center. The Night of Literary Feasts on April 21 has writers participating in private dinner fundraisers. April 22, adults and kids can hear and meet their favorite authors and browse for their next favorite title at the book fair, while aspiring writers can learn from published authors during workshops. Afterward, 16 authors will participate in a cocktail reception and signing. At 7 p.m. on April 23, the festival presents “An Evening With Ira Glass” at the First Congregational Church.

Oregon Convention Center, 777 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Book fair: $3 adult, $2 student/senior. Reception: $10. Workshops: $60 each. Ira Glass appears at 1126 S.W. Park Ave.: $20-$25. Dinners at various locations. (503) 546-1013, www.wordstockfestival.com.

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Reno, Nev.

May 7: Cinco de Mayo Reno draws 100,000 revelers to 15 blocks downtown for music, crafts, food, singing and dancing cowboys and horses, a salsa contest and a parade. Tiempo Libra and Orchestra d’Sol are the musical headliners. There’s also a music marathon/5K/10K with a Latin music act at each mile.

Downtown Reno. (775) 826-1818, www.cincodemayoreno.com.

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Seattle

May 13-14: Celebrated affineur Herve Mons, honored by the French government as a meilleur ouvrier (master craftsman), will present his works at the cheesiest event in the Pacific Northwest, DeLaurenti’s Seattle Cheese Festival. More than 25,000 people are expected to partake along the Cheese Concourse with free tastings of more than 10,000 cumulative pounds of 250 artisanal cheeses from around the world. Wine tastings help wash it all down. Boutique farmstead producers will lure treasure hunters to Artisanal Alley. For cheese lovers with a DIY attitude, there will be seminars and chef demonstrations. There’s even a Cheese Maze Scavenger Hunt designed to show kids that there’s more to cheese than Kraft Singles.

Pike Place Market. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free except for wine garden and Artisanal Alley, $5 each. (206) 605-9924, www.seattlecheesefestival.com.

-- Blake Hennon