"It was the perfect day for a festival when Literary Arts' 2025 Portland Book Festival took over the downtown Park Blocks on Saturday. The sun shone brightly through the orange November leaves, and not a drop of rain fell while excited book-lovers lined up early all the way around the Portland Art Museum to pick up their wristbands. Despite the crowds at the festival's first-ever sold-out year, many weren't worried about the busy chaos and instead leaned into the joyful mood."
"At precisely 11:30 a.m., the two walked onto the brightly lit stage of The Old Church, dappled with light from the stained-glass window. After introductions by moderator Jess Hazel, OPB host of Morning Edition, Walter read from his newest novel, . Walter jumped into a passage from the top of his narrative in which aging protagonist Rhys Kinnick tosses his smartphone out his car window after a Thanksgiving dinner family altercation. The passage was met with laughs and nods, followed by loud applause from the overflowing pews."
"Next came Arnett's turn to read from Stop Me if You've Heard This One, changing the subject and tone by saying she would now tell the audience "about lesbian clowns." "I think you should always have a moment of wish fulfillment in a novel," Walter said, expanding on his desire to disconnect from technology. Walter went on to talk about the "reality gap" in America and how each small place contains its own beauty or "center of culture and openness," despite not necessarily being a major metropolitan city, citing his home state of Washington and Spokane."
The 2025 Portland Book Festival filled the downtown Park Blocks on a sunny November day, drawing sold-out crowds and long lines around the Portland Art Museum. The festival featured more than 100 authors across seven stages, creating plentiful simultaneous programming and difficult choices for attendees. A session titled "Funny Story" at The Old Church brought Jess Walter and Kristen Arnett together for readings that ranged from comic passages to queer perspectives. Readings prompted laughter and applause and touched on themes including disconnecting from technology, regional culture and openness, wish fulfillment in fiction, and living queer in conservative locales.
Read at Oregon ArtsWatch * Arts & Culture News
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