FILE – A sign for the Portland Book Festival on Nov. 2, 2024. This year’s festival is Saturday, Nov. 8.
John Rudoff / Courtesy of Literary Arts
The Pacific Northwest’s largest celebration of books will take place this weekend in Portland, highlighting work by dozens of critically acclaimed local authors and select nationally recognized authors.
More than 100 authors and moderators will gather for the 21st Portland Book Festival on Saturday, an event featuring literary discussions, pop-up readings, a book fair and local food trucks.
And for the first time in the festival’s history, it’s completely sold out.
“Every ticket — from special author events to general admission passes — has been claimed. Because of this milestone, walk-up tickets will not be available at the box office on festival day,” Literary Arts leaders shared in a statement on Thursday.
“We know how many of you look forward to this celebration of books and ideas each year, and we’re deeply grateful for the extraordinary enthusiasm that brought us to this moment.”
The event was originally founded in 2005 as the Wordstock Festival until 2015, when the nonprofit organization Literary Arts acquired Wordstock and relaunched the event as the Portland Book Festival.
The festival covers all things literary — discussions about fiction, nonfiction, poetry, young adult, middle grade (typically for readers aged 8-12) and picture books, as well as writing workshops for youth and adults looking to work on their craft, in addition to other activities.
Notably, the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Yarros will discuss “Onyx Storm,” her latest installment of The Empyrean series, in a sold-out event.
Author Stacey Abrams, an entrepreneur and political leader who ran for governor of Georgia, will introduce her third novel in the Avery Keene thriller series, “Coded Justice,” in a special event. OPB’s Dave Miller will moderate the conversation with Abrams in a sold-out event at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.
Other staff from OPB will also make appearances as they host discussions with authors. They include “The Evergreen” host Jenn Chávez, “Think Out Loud” senior producer Allison Frost, “Morning Edition” host Jess Hazel, “All Things Considered” hosts Crystal Ligori and Geoff Norcross and Shayna Schlosberg, vice president of Community Connections at OPB and KMHD.
Disclosure: OPB is a media sponsor of the Portland Book Festival.
8 page-turning hours
The festival will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with events taking place at 10 stages across six venues in downtown Portland’s South Park Blocks.
Other event venues include the Portland Art Museum, which hosts pop-up events in the main building galleries and the book and exhibitor fair in their Mark Building; Portland’5 venues; The Judy Kafoury Center, The First Congregational United Church of Christ, The Old Church and Shemanski Park.
The literary lineup
FILE – Visitors head towards the 2024 Portland Book Festival.
Andie Petkus / OPB
This year, the Portland Book Festival will highlight more than 40 authors who call the Pacific Northwest home:
- Zoey Abbott will give a live reading of her latest picture books, “This Year, a Witch!” and “The Kite Collector.”
- Emily Arrow will host a sing-along event and read her latest picture book, “Dear Bookstore.”
- Olufunke Grace Bankole will speak on a panel discussing displacement from home in connection with her debut novel, “The Edge of Water.”
- Karleigh Frisbie Brogan will give a reading from her debut memoir “Holding: A Memoir About Mothers, Drugs, and Other Comforts.”
- Forrest Burdett most recently illustrated the middle-grade book “The Weirdies,” written by Michael Buckley. Donna Barba Higuera’s latest picture books are “The Unlikely Aventuras of Ramón and El Cucuy” and “Xolo.” She will join Burdett on a panel discussing unlikely friends and family in books for children.
- Michelle Jing Chan will give a live reading of her most recent picture book, “Weiwei’s Winter Solstice: A Dōngzhì Story.”
- Omar El Akkad’s latest book is “One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This.” Karen Russell’s latest book is “The Antidote.” El Akkad and Russell will discuss the ongoing American reckoning in connection with their new novels.
- Nora Ericson will give a live reading of her latest picture book, “The Bunny Ballet.”
- Courtney Gould will speak on a panel about monsters in connection with her new novel, “What the Woods Took.”
- Jonathan Hill will share his latest graphic novel, “Lizard Boy 2: The Most Perfect Summer Ever.”
- Tae Keller will take part in a panel about the creative process of making picture books and, at a separate event, share a live reading of her latest picture book, “We Carry the Sun.”
- Two Pacific Northwest culinary leaders will gather for a conversation about food writing: Tyler Malek, Salt & Straw Icecream co-founder and head ice cream-maker, and Joshua McFadden, a chef who advises on restaurant concepts across the nation and is reimagining a 50-acre farm where farming, food and design intersect.
- Marissa Meyer will discuss her most recent novel, “The House of Saphir,” on a panel focused on paranormal activities and young love.
- Shay Mirk’s latest book is “Making Nonfiction Comics,” and Craig Thompson’s latest work is his graphic memoir, “Ginseng Roots.” They both will be on a panel about the power of graphic storytelling.
- Julian Brave NoiseCat will discuss his debut novel, “We Survived the Night,” on a panel focused on connecting with Indigenous communities while navigating generational trauma.
- Emma Pattee’s debut novel is “Tilt.” Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.’s debut novel is “The El.” Pattee and Van Alst Jr. will discuss their new releases on a panel focused on books that take place within a single day.
- Jon Raymond will join a panel discussing love in stories in connection with his new book, “God and Sex.”
- Aron Nels Steinke will speak on a panel about the challenges of middle school, as illustrated by his latest graphic novel, “Speechless.”
- Shana Targosz will discuss her latest release, “River of Spirits,” on a panel focused on fantasy books.
- Carrie Tillotson will discuss the creative process behind making picture books and, at a separate event, give a live reading of her newest picture book, “Alpacas Here, Alpacas There!”
- Jess Walter will discuss his latest novel, “So Far Gone,” on a panel dedicated to comedic fiction.
- Renée Watson will discuss her exploration of friendship, loss and grief in her latest middle-grade book, “All the Blues in the Sky,” on a panel.
- Daniel H. Wilson will discuss his latest novel, “Hole in the Sky,” on a panel all about the supernatural.
- Lidia Yuknavitch will discuss her latest novel, “Reading the Waves,” on a panel about the impact creativity and art can have on one’s self.
- Leni Zumas will discuss her latest novel, “Wolf Bells,” on a panel focused on how physical spaces can interrupt or confirm existing power structures.
Other Northwest authors can be found at pop-up events during the festival, including: Eliot Feenstra, Justin Hocking, Sara Jaffe, Ever Jones, Michelle Kicherer, Kevin Maloney, Kristina McMorris, Henry Latourette Miller, Daniel Nieh, Jennifer Perrine, Keith Rosson, Leah Sottile, Laini Taylor, Kim Thompson, Grey Traynor and Lisa Wells.
Disclosure: Sottile is a contributing investigative journalist at OPB.
Bonus chapters and footnotes
Though the main festival takes place Saturday, the Portland Book Festival will also host Readers Night on Friday in the Portland Art Museum’s Mark Building. Tickets are sold out and give people access to special giveaways, craft beverage sampling, flash tattoos and a preview of the book fair.
For anyone who wasn’t able to get festival tickets (or simply needs more book-related activity), community partners will host special literary events, readings and gatherings through the “Cover to Cover” program until Sunday across the Portland metro region.
Most “Cover to Cover” events are free and available to the public, with just a couple of events like book launches or special shows requiring tickets.
All attendees, both paid and free, must pick up a wristband before entering any festival venue by having their festival pass scanned.
Wristbands can be picked up during Advance Box Office hours on Thursday between noon and 7 p.m., at Literary Arts, located at 716 SE Grand Ave., in Portland.
For anyone picking up wristbands on Saturday, festival organizers recommend arriving at least 30 minutes before the first event attendees plan to attend. The Box Office Tent located at 1219 SW Park Ave., Portland, will have wristbands for attendees from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Saturday. As tickets are sold out, walk-up tickets will not be available on the day of.
Find more details about Portland Book Festival events here.
OPB’s Meagan Cuthill contributed to this story.
