Portland Bookstores, Beyond Powell’s
Don’t stop with the largest independent bookstore in the world; these shops offer an abundance of literary riches.
Katelyn Best
There’s no better place to while away a rainy afternoon than in one of Portland’s many locally-owned bookstores. The essential and most obvious stop is Powell’s City of Books, which, with more than 1 million new and used volumes, is the largest independent bookstore in the world. But don’t stop there! Venture a little further afield, and you’ll find an abundance of literary riches at these Portland bookstores.
Favorite Portland Bookstores
Annie Bloom’s Books
A Multnomah Village staple since 1978, Annie Bloom’s is a friendly, independent shop packed with fiction, travel guides, cookbooks and kids’ books. Don’t miss the frequent author readings — or the friendly resident cat!
Broadway Books
This female-owned shop on Northeast Broadway has drawn in shoppers since 1992 with a wide array of new fiction and nonfiction titles. Brightly lit and welcoming, Broadway Books attracts families with its exceptional customer service and a vast selection, including sizeable travel and kids’ sections. The shop also hosts author events that have featured the likes of Floyd Skloot, Cheryl Strayed and Diana Abu-Jaber.
Daedalus Books
For the scholars in the group, don’t forget to stop by Daedalus Books in Northwest Portland. With a great selection of used art, philosophy, and music books, this independent seller has kept Portland’s bookshelves well-stocked since 1997.
Friends Library Store
Hidden away on the main floor of the Central Library, the Friends Library Store sells new and recent fiction and nonfiction, textbooks, vintage, signed, and occasionally rare titles and ephemera. Sales from the bookstore fund library programs and services for the local community.
Green Bean Books
The impossibly cozy Green Bean has the distinction of being the premier kids’ shop among Portland bookstores. Inside a little red house on Northeast Alberta Avenue, you’ll find shelf after shelf of new and used picture books, graphic novels, nonfiction for all ages and a small but eclectic foreign language section that includes books in Vietnamese, Spanish, Chinese and more. In addition to literary treasures for the whole family, Green Bean stocks a selection of whimsical toys. Shop for finger puppets, hand-painted dolls and fake facial hair (some of which are sold from vintage, coin-operated vending machines). Settle into a couch or armchair for story time or an author event; check their site for an up-to-date calendar.
Monograph Bookwerks
The petite Monograph isn’t a shop to get lost in, but it’s full of rare, unexpected finds. This tidy, stylish shop just off Northeast Alberta specializes in art books, retro posters and ephemera. The owners display $1 vintage postcards with the same care as antique opera posters and catalogs from Marcel Duchamp exhibits.
Mother Foucault’s Bookshop
As the name implies, Mother Foucault’s is a haven for lovers of philosophy, but they also stock fiction, poetry, nonfiction and foreign-language titles. This relatively young shop feels like it’s been at its Central Eastside location for decades. Revel in the well-trodden rugs, worn wooden shelves and piles of dusty, leather-bound tomes. Their event calendar features readings and performances by bands from Portland and around the globe.
Third Eye Books
With a focus on African-centered books, accessories and gifts, Third Eye Books has a great selection of Black writers and philosophers, writers from the African diaspora, and books for allies. Located on Division Street, this bookstore is more than a shop; they are a community center with readings and events.
More Portland Bookshops
Portland boasts an abundance of bookstores — build up your library at these local shops.
Bridge City Comics
Rose City Comics is a graphic novel paradise. Comics from a wide berth of publishers like Marvel, DC and smaller labels like Oni Press line the shelves, with new material arriving every Wednesday. Join like-minded comic enthusiasts on the second Thursday of every month for their Graphic Novel Reading Club, or peruse stacks of used comics for sale at a discount. Whether you’re a collector looking for hard-to-find titles or are just starting to explore the world of comics, Bridge City Comics is the place to go.
Floating World Comics
Known for its large selection of small press, self-published and underground titles, Floating World Comics provides a home for underdog authors and little-known artists, as well as big-name titles from local publishers like Dark Horse. Their all-ages section offers a wide variety of youth and YA graphic novels, and new authors are welcome to bring in their own mini-comics or zines to sell on their shelves.
Readings & Talks
Listen to more of Portland's literary landscape at these local readings.
Oregon Book Awards
Join Literary Arts for an evening honoring the state’s most accomplished writers in the categories of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, young readers, and graphic literature. This year’s ceremony will be hosted by Kwame Alexander.
TEDxPortland
Cities are built and rebuilt, and Portland is in transition once again. With leadership, intention, and purpose, we drive progress by uniting our diverse perspectives. The magic of our culture and community is realized through the amalgam of creativity, technology, and innovation. Year 12 is inspired by the unlimited potential and endless possibilities revealed through…
UFO Festival
Every May, thousands of visitors flock to the city’s famous UFO Festival, featuring four days of parades, costume contests and expert speakers.
Shakespeare's First Folio: 1623–2023
It’s difficult to imagine now, but when William Shakespeare died in 1616, over half of his plays had never been published. As a playwright, actor, and shareholder in his theater company, Shakespeare was, above all, a man of the stage, and there is no evidence to suggest that he sought to preserve his playwriting legacy…
Showing Up an A Conversation with Cynthia Lahti
Following the screening of Showing Up, sculptor and visual artist Cynthia Lahti will be in conversation about her work with Grace Kook-Anderson, Arlene & Harold Schnitzer Curator of Northwest Art at the Portland Art Museum. Cynthia’s drawings and sculptures are featured in the film Showing Up, moonlighting as fictional character Lizzy (Michelle Williams)’s artwork. ON SCREEN: Showing Up 2022. Directed by…
Dan Carlin
Dan Carlin is an American podcaster, political commentator and amateur historian. Once a professional radio host, Carlin eventually took his shows to the web, and he now hosts two critically acclaimed independent podcasts: Common Sense and Hardcore History. Hardcore History, which has more than 3 million downloads, was nominated in 2012 for a Stitcher Award…
Reed Zine Fest
Reed Zine Fest is the first zine fest organized by the Reed College Library to celebrate independent publishing, DIY and zine making. This one-day festival will feature more than 100+ local community and Reedie zinesters, art and zine workshops, and a keynote by special guest James Spooner (graphic novel High Desert, Afro-Punk Documentary). Spooner will share his…
The Gospel of Eureka w/ Danny Grody Performance + Filmmaker Q&A
PAM CUT presents a special Easter Weekend screening of Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher’s beloved documentary The Gospel of Eureka. Love, faith, and civil rights collide in a southern town as evangelical Christians and drag queens step into the spotlight to dismantle stereotypes. Guitarist and soundtrack contributor Danny Grody will perform a live, intimate set before the film screening (with special guests…
The Tarot Show
Join Kate Mura as she reads the cards for the audience. Every Group Tarot is different, as every group and every tarot reading is a unique constellation. Stories, anecdotes, conversation, philosophy, questions, history, herstory and ourstory come out specifically for your audience, your day and time, your season. By picking cards, conversing, asking questions, and actively,…
Arn Strasser Reading The Asymmetry of Silence
Broadway Books is excited to welcome back Arn Strasser for a poetry reading of his sixth collection, The Asymmetry of Silence. An emotional journey across time, people and places, this volume draws from a life being fully lived. The journey is varied: poems of loss, longing and silences, Zen-like meditations, stories of mermaids and make-believe…
Ned Blackhawk
The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History Ned Blackhawk (Western Shoshone) is a professor of history and American Studies at Yale University and was on the faculty from 1999 to 2009 at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. A graduate of McGill University, he holds graduate degrees in history from the…
Consider This With Eli Saslow
Join Oregon Humanities for a conversation about poverty and addiction in America with Eli Saslow, a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist for the New York Times. His recent reporting has explored stories about addiction, poverty, and homelessness in Portland, Phoenix, San Diego, and other cities across the country. Saslow and host Adam Davis will talk about what…
Celebrate National Poetry Month with Ekphraestival
This 1st annual event arose from a collaboration between 25 poets and 26 visual artists, bringing together poetry and art. Named for the rhetorical term ekphrasis, which is often understood as a literary interpretation of visual art, Ekphraestival uses the term more broadly, celebrating the creation of visual work in response to poetry. During April,…
Everybody Reads: Gabrielle Zevin
Celebrate the power of books to create a stronger community by attending the 2024 Everybody Reads author event with Gabrielle Zevin. In partnership with Multnomah County Library and The Library Foundation, Literary Arts is proud to present a lecture by bestselling author Gabrielle Zevin as the culminating event of Everybody Reads 2024. Everybody Reads is…
S2: Small & Self-Publishing Faire
Grab your favorite book totes and head to Portland’s newest book faire. S2 features amazing books published exclusively by small presses and self-publishers at its reading, reception, and book faire. Buy books and swag, meet authors, and win prizes. Cohosted by Two Rivers Bookstore and Indigo: Editing, Design, and More.
Smutty Jeopardy!
An evening with lots of laughs while playing Jeopardy. The theme is human anatomy and reproduction (traditional and modern). You can show off or learn a whole lot – it’ll be a great evening for people of all skill levels. You may even learn a few new expressions. Following Jeopardy!, Rachel will share some teachings…
Booklover's Burlesque Festival
Join The International Booklover’s Burlesque Festival. This event is a one-of-a-kind sensual literary weekend celebration of two uniquely different, open-themed Booklover’s Burlesque shows that highlight a mix of any and all genres of the written word matched with burlesque, boylesque, and draglesque artists chosen from around the country and the world. Each night will feature different…
Tracing Geological History Through Rocks and Minerals in Oregon’s Desert
Join the final events of Oregon Natural Desert Association’s 2024 High Desert Speaker Series, featuring Alison Jean Cole — an author, rockhound, and lapidary artist. In this informative talk, Alison will showcase the rock and mineral treasures of Oregon’s desert. Obsidian, jasper, opal, and petrified wood each tell a unique story about the fascinating geological history…
Live Wire with Luke Burbank
Join Emmy award-winning host Luke Burbank for the taping of Live Wire, the fastest-growing entertainment show on public radio. With a late-night stride, an Oscar Wilde wit, and the charisma of Ferris Bueller grand marshaling a parade. Music, comedy, and conversation live and packed with surprises.
Storytime
Join Storytime with Latoya Lovely. Inspired by JSMA at PSU’s current exhibition Labor of Love, Lovely will read stories celebrating workers and exploring culture and community to children and their guardians. This program is geared towards pre-K through early elementary students. Children must be accompanied by a guardian throughout the event. This program is free and…
Bread and Roses
A reading of the 2024 Winner of the Portland Civic Theatre New Play Award By Portland playwright Timothy Krause Presented by Linestorm Playwrights during the 2024 Fertile Ground Festival of New Works In 1912 Lawrence, Massachusetts, Ellen, a textile mill worker, plans to marry Joseph, a mill manager from a prestigious Boston family. When Joseph implements…
Portland Arts & Lectures: Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Aimee Nezhukumatathil is the author of World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments, a New York Times bestseller and a finalist for the Kirkus Prize and the Southern Book Prize. She is an award-winning poet, and her most recent collection is Oceanic. She is the recipient of a Pushcart Prize,…
Department Meeting: Taylor Swift Listening Party
Spoke and Word Books, in partnership with The Zed PDX, is bringing the literary world of Taylor Swift to life to celebrate the launch of the Tortured Poets Department album on April 19. Join readers and listeners alike and enjoy poetry readings, friendship bracelet-making, photo opportunities, and MORE.
Pack Up Your Sins and Go to the Devil: A Vaudeville Jukebox Musical
With memorable tunes from vaudeville composers such as Irving Berlin and Harold Arlen comes Pack Up Your Sins and Go to the Devil, a new jukebox musical devised by Timothy Krause (a Portland theatre-maker whose historical drama Bread and Roses won Portland Civic Theatre Guild's 2024 New Play Award). Inside the Paradise Music Hall, heavenly voices…
Verselandia!
Verselandia! is the annual high school poetry slam presented by Literary Arts. It is the Grand Slam for the winners from individual school slams hosted by public high schools. High school poets compete for five great prizes. Celebrate Portland’s youth poets during Literary Arts’ annual Verselandia! Youth Poetry Slam Championship. Cheer on students from Portland…
Queer Movie Night
Every Fourth Sunday of the month, Fuse will be presenting a celebrated film from Queer cinema. After the film, there will be trivia and discussions about the movie and the evolution of the depiction of lgbtqia+ characters over the last 50 years. Check the website for each month's film.
H.W. Brands
H.W. (Henry William) Brands was born in Oregon, went to college in California, sold cutlery across the American West, and earned graduate degrees in mathematics and history in Oregon and Texas. He taught at Vanderbilt University and Texas A&M University before joining the faculty at the University of Texas at Austin, where he holds the…
Archaeology Roadshow
The Archaeology Roadshow once again returns to Portland State University. Immerse yourself in the history and archaeology of Oregon through exhibits and hands-on activities hosted by archaeologists and heritage specialists from PSU, Tribes, museums, private and nonprofit organizations, and government agencies. The 2024 theme is the Archaeology of Food: try salmon, elk, or wappato and…
Circle Round
Join host Rebecca Sheir and composer Eric Shimelonis, plus a talented cast of actors, as they bring two Circle Round stories to life on-stage in Portland! This event features a live recording of one of the tales, allowing you to be a part of the Circle Round magic. Meet us in the lobby after the…
Food Waste Workshop
Learn how to save money and the planet with a 9-Step Food Waste Prevention Program with the Author of No Scrap Left Behind: My Life Without Food Waste.
Fall Writer Retreat
A two-day writing retreat designed for novelists who identify as a woman. Gather together to… Have dedicated craft sessions on story structure, character development, and how to ‘show, not tell.’ , Have the time and space to write., Learn the tools for taming self-doubt and imposter syndrome. , Have a meaningful dialogue about our writing journeys within…
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