"Big themes swirled in thoughtful, even intimate, conversations Saturday at the sold-out Portland Book Festival. Headliner Rebecca Yarros talked about how her work centers on themes of inclusion, representation, and authoritarianism, as well as about what it's been like to ride a huge wave of book sales that has altered the publishing industry in some ways. Nicholas Boggs and Mitchell S. Jackson mused about love and the creative process."
"As she walked onstage at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, the audience of mostly young women, many wearing Empyrean-inspired merch, erupted in a sustained scream. When Yarros said, "Give me a cheer if this is your first Portland Book Festival," she got a big response. Another cheer came when, referring to being the mother of a University of Oregon freshman, she promised, "You're gonna see a lot of me the next four years.""
"Yarros was officially at the festival to discuss , the recently released third title in her series. But she and Taylor also touched on how she started writing (to get through anxious nights while her husband was deployed overseas); how the series addresses erasure of history, diversity and inclusion, border politics and sexual consent; and how her books' sales have opened a space in publishing for what's now called "new adult," defined as ages 18 to 25."
Sold-out Portland Book Festival featured intimate conversations and panels covering themes of inclusion, representation, authoritarianism, love, creative process, reckoning, and hope. A mega-selling romantasy series about young-adult dragon riders drew a fervent young-fan audience and helped create industry attention toward a "new adult" market for ages 18–25. Sessions addressed erasure of history, diversity, border politics, sexual consent, and the personal origins of writing during wartime separations. Panels titled "American Reckoning" and "The Cost of Hope" examined social consequences, moral accountability, immigration fallout, and the emotional costs tied to hope and resilience. Organizational moderation framed conversations linking creative practice to broader political and social reckoning.
Read at Oregon ArtsWatch * Arts & Culture News
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