Arts and Letters

Mother Foucault’s, the Lifeblood of Portland Literary Bohemia

“Hey, this is a real way to live,” says owner Craig Florence, who’s formalizing the community around his bookshop as a nonprofit.

10/29/2025 By Jaydra Johnson Photography by Michael Novak

Bookshelf

Local Authors on the 2025 Portland Book Festival Lineup

Jonathan Hill, Emma Pattee, Leah Sottile, and Leni Zumas share who they’re looking forward to seeing at this year’s fest.

10/27/2025 By Matthew Trueherz

Reading Ahead

The Most Anticipated Book Events in Portland Fall 2024

Ta-Nehisi Coates is coming, the Portland Book Festival is almost here, and the city’s small presses are printing the next generation’s debuts.

10/15/2024 By Matthew Trueherz

Booktopia

With New HQ, the City’s Literary Heart (Finally) Finds a Permanent Physical Form

Literary Arts’ expansive Southeast building will house a bookstore, café and bar, and all-ages community resources.

09/18/2024 By Matthew Trueherz

Author Events

Portland Book Festival Announces 2024 Lineup

Richard Powers, Renée Watson, Ani DiFranco, and Danez Smith are among this year’s 80+ authors.

09/12/2024 By Matthew Trueherz

Awards Season

Erica Berry and Patrick deWitt Are among the 2024 Oregon Book Awards Winners

Kwame Alexander presented seven Oregon authors with new badges to add to their book covers at Monday’s ceremony.

04/10/2024 By Matthew Trueherz

Homegrown Lit

Required Reading for the 2023 Portland Book Festival

Your syllabus includes six Portland-written books, covering fermentation to poetry, wolves to tigers, geopolitics to a shut-in retired librarian.

10/26/2023 By Matthew Trueherz

It's Madness

Why Are Portland Fall Arts Festivals So Unusual This Year?

This year's programming looks very different—yet the city is slated for its biggest arts autumn ever. We dove in to untangle the chaos.

08/25/2023 By Matthew Trueherz

Profile

Oregon Poet Laureate Anis Mojgani Is Rewriting the Role

How do you promote poetry during a pandemic? Ask Oregon’s youngest-ever poet laureate (by decades), who is reinventing the dusty title.

07/19/2023 By Matthew Trueherz Illustrations by Lars Leetaru

Books

Reese Witherspoon Wasn’t at the Portland Book Festival, Per Se

From Election to Wild, the books behind some of Witherspoon’s most acclaimed roles were the talk of this year’s festival.

11/08/2022 By Matthew Trueherz

Books

The Best Way to Do the 2022 Portland Book Festival

Portland’s annual literary celebration can get overwhelming. Here’s how we’d tackle it if we were you.

10/31/2022 By Conner Reed and Matthew Trueherz

Books

Portland Book Festival Announces 2022 Lineup

More than 80 authors, including Selma Blair and George Saunders, will convene on the South Park Blocks for the first fully in-person festival since 2019.

09/15/2022 By Matthew Trueherz

Books

These Are the Winners of the 2022 Oregon Book Awards

Omar El Akkad, Dao Strom, Cynthia Whitcomb, and four others walked home with prizes on April 25.

04/26/2022 By Conner Reed

Books

Literary Arts Announces 2022 Oregon Book Award Finalists

The winners will be announced in a ceremony on April 25 at the Armory.

03/07/2022 By Conner Reed

Books

The Coolest In-Person Events at the 2021 Portland Book Festival

After a five-day virtual fest, PBF will gather downtown for the first time in two years on November 13. Expect nerdy bacchanalia.

11/11/2021 By Conner Reed

Books

Staying Home This Year? Check Out These Virtual Portland Book Festival Events

From Brandon Taylor to Maggie Nelson, these are the must-hit items you can stream from the comfort of your home.

11/08/2021 By Conner Reed

Books

The Portland Book Festival Announces Star-Studded 2021 Lineup

National names like Brandon Taylor and Maggie Nelson will join local heavy-hitters like Willy Vlautin and Emilly Prado for a hybrid virtual/in-person bonanza.

09/22/2021 By Conner Reed