Books, buyers, and browsers congregated in the Portland Art Museum to experience the tenth year of the Portland Book Festival’s book fair. Booths filled with authors, publishers, and booksellers lined the walkways as people crowded to see what their next literary purchase might be.
While the Portland Book Festival, brought to us by Literary Arts, has been a huge annual staple in the Portland proper area, the book fair has most definitely been a shining highlight. Found in the middle of various concert halls where authors are speaking and in between food carts where spectators are eating, the Portland Art Museum hosts the book fair in their ballrooms.
The first and third stories of the Mark Building hold the various vendors and attendees. The range of vendors required that each and every booth be visited. University presses such as Ooligan Press and Oregon State University Press were staffed by current students and faculty, ready to give information about their programs and opportunities. Independent book publishers such as University of Hell, Forest Avenue Press, and Barachou Press had their latest books on display. Editing and publishing services such as Indigo: Editing, Design and More and Luminare Press presented their services and resources for authors of all kinds. Bookstores such as Powell’s, Grand Gesture, and Books with Pictures promoted the speaking and events of many authors by selling their most popular books.
While many people spent more money than they had anticipated, at least many went home with new bookish tote bags in which to place their new books. I am sure that many will bring theirs back for the 2025 Book Fair and Portland Book Festival.