"At Portland Book Festival, in November, you may have noticed an icon on t-shirts, posters, and social media of Literary Arts' red umbrella dropping bombs. The graphic read "Drop Wells Fargo" and "Literary Portland for Palestine." The shirts were a next step in a call to action, which grew loud in late summer and shows signs of continuing long after the 2025 lit fest has passed."
"Literary Arts has foregrounded many writers who speak truth to power... in that spirit, we ask you to say 'no' to sponsorship from banks that profit from and facilitate the destruction of Palestine, that are deeply implicated in the global arms trade overall....,"
"We are aware of concerns raised regarding Portland Book Festival sponsorships and take seriously the values and voices of the literary community."
At Portland Book Festival in November, shirts, posters, and social media displayed Literary Arts' red umbrella dropping bombs with the slogans "Drop Wells Fargo" and "Literary Portland for Palestine." A new collective formed to raise awareness across from Literary Arts at Mother Foucault's Bookshop and is hosting events including a reading titled 4 Palestinian Poets featuring Lena Khalaf Tuffaha. In late July, writers and local arts organizations asked Literary Arts to decline sponsorship from banks such as Wells Fargo and Bank of America because of those banks' financial ties to weapons manufacturers including Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and Israel-based Elbit. The appeal gathered over 400 signatures from national and local literary figures and board members. Literary Arts issued a brief rejection statement acknowledging concerns and asserting it takes community values seriously.
Read at Portland Mercury
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