Powell’s City of Books
This Portland landmark is also the world's largest new and used bookstore.
Covering an entire city block, Powell’s City of Books is more than a great bookstore: It’s a microcosm of Portland, packed with smart and eclectic offerings and passionate people. And, just like Portland, it’s open 365 days a year!
A Storied Beginning
Founded in 1971 in a former car dealership on a then-derelict corner, Powell’s has grown into a Portland landmark and the world’s largest new and used bookstore — and its location is now at the heart of the city, bridging the Pearl District, downtown and the West End.
Early on, founder Walter Powell made the revolutionary decision to comingle new, used, hardcover and paperback books. This egalitarian approach means you can easily see everything by a favorite author — and often score a great deal by choosing a well-loved edition over a brand-new one. And, in addition to shelves upon shelves of books, the store also stocks wonderful gifts and souvenirs.
Lost in the Stacks
It can be easy to get lost in the City of Books’ 68,000 square feet, 10 rooms, three floors and 3,500 sections. In fact, losing yourself in the sprawling store (or one of its more than 1 million books) can be half the fun. But for those who prefer navigating over perusing, Powell’s offers a detailed map to its color-coded rooms. Here are some tips to get your foot in the door:
- The main entrance is at the corner of NW 10th Ave. and Burnside.
- Grab a map at the info desk in the center of the Green Room.
- Need coffee, stat? Head to your left and pass through the Blue and Gold rooms to get to Guilder Café.
- Restrooms are on the second level in the Purple Room.
- Every room has staffed information desks and computers for customer searches.
- Cashiers are located near the two entrances, in the Green and Orange rooms.
Happening at Powell’s
Powell’s hosts frequent author readings and events in the Pearl Room’s Basil Hallward Gallery.
Serious book lovers should plan to visit the Rare Book Room, which houses several thousand valuable books.
Beyond the “City”
There is a Powell’s outpost on Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard as well as another location in Beaverton, southwest of Portland.
For the Love of the Word
The Portland Book Festival
Portland Book Festival (formerly “Wordstock”) returns every November with an impressive (and extensive) lineup of local and national authors.
Quiet Places Made for Reading
Pick up a winning read at one of Portland’s many independent bookstores and curl up in a cozy corner of one of these eight local coffee shops.
A Booklover’s Guide to Portland
From coffee houses with community libraries to writing workshops and a book festival, bookworms rejoice; this is for you.
Readings & Talks
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…
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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