Prose City Post No. 5

An outdoor book display featuring two white pop-up canopy tents set up along a sidewalk. Beneath the tents, long tables draped in black cloth are covered with arranged stacks and rows of books. Several people stand behind the tables browsing through books. A maroon banner hanging under the canopy reads "ENDLESS WONDERS: where books and beings meet". In the background is a vibrant two-story yellow building adorned with a large, colorful floral and leafy mural. A "Portland Pictures" logo watermark is in the lower-left corner.
Endless Wonders Book Fest 2026

Since our last Prose City Post, the sweltering heat of summer has given way to chilly mornings and leaf-strewn autumn days that call for sweaters and tea. The frenetic rush of a city trying to pack a year’s worth of outdoor events into the drier months of late spring to early autumn is also fading, replaced by the methodical routines of a new academic year and holidays, holy days, sabbats, and other observances, secular and otherwise. If our commute is any indication, construction season, on the other hand, seems to be running behind schedule, and crews are working to outrun the rains forecast for a week from this writing. But most exciting of all for us, Literary Season in Prose City is in full swing and we have been trying to take full advantage.

Episode 4 of the Prose City Podcast is Out!

Banned Books Week, the Portland Book Festival, and a Fall Full of Literary Goodness

We did slow down long enough to record the fourth episode of the Prose City Podcast, which you can listen to and follow on your favorite podcast platform, including on our RSS.com page. It is 36 minutes of goodness, with topics including Banned Books Week, an audiobook recommendation, the Portland Book Festival, the Portland Zine Symposium, the Portland Poetry Confluence, the The Endless Wonders Book Fest, and a visit to an iconic Portland coffee shop that has hardly changed in 20 years. And there’s more! So give it a listen and let us know what you think. Do you know someone we should interview on an upcoming episode? Send them our way!

Prose City Social text on cream-colored background surrounded by red, orange, and yellow leaves.

Our community is growing!

Join us for a Prose City Social to meet and welcome new folks!

We’ve had quite a few people reach out to express interest in getting involved with the Prose City community — which is wonderful! We’re planning a casual social gathering to welcome new folks and give you the chance to connect with other members of our growing community. Many of our events are hosted in our homes, so we like to start with a meet-up like this before inviting folks to other Prose City gatherings and events.

This will be an opportunity to meet face-to-face, share our thoughts on what brings us together, and explore common interests in a relaxed setting. There won’t be a formal presentation or agenda — just good conversation and the chance to connect with others. Stay tuned as we’ll be sharing information on that within the next week or two!

Join us at these upcoming events!

It can be hard to keep up with at things books, reading, writing and publishing in the Portland area, and that is one reason we started Prose City a couple years ago: to track, share, attend, and report back on all of the literary goodness here. We hope to see you at one or more of the following events.

As always, please confirm information on the official websites in case details change between now and the event.

S2: Small & Self-Publishing Faire: The Northwest’s Annual Faire for Indie Publishers

When: Oct 17, 2026, 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Where: Lucky Labrador Beer Hall, 1945 NW Quimby St, Portland, OR 97209
Thank you to our first podcast guest, local author and book designer Chrys Buckley, for putting this event on our radar. There are more than 22 local organizations helping to make this new book fair happen and we can’t wait to celebrate their third annual event. That evening, from 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM, there will be an Author Social and Reader’s Night at BOLD Coffee and Books, featuring “an author showcase with readings from their books.”

Portland Zine Symposium

When: October 17 – 18, 2026, 11AM-5PM
Where: Smith Memorial Student Union Ballroom (3rd Floor) at Portland State University
The Portland Zine Symposium is now a quarter century old, and is “one of the largest annual zine events in the United States.” That is especially impressive for an all volunteer run event of this size. You can find a list of the roughly 100 artists who will be tabling at the event here.

A night of readings from the Best Literary Translations

When: Thursday, October 22, 7:00PM – 8:30PM
Where: Postcard Bookshop, Inside Cargo, 81 Se Yamhill Street
I can’t wait for this one. I’ve always loved literary translation, and translations of all kinds, so I was thrilled to discover this relatively new annual anthology: Best Literary Translations, “An annual featuring the year’s best poetry, short fiction, and essay, drawn from U.S.-affiliated literary journals and magazines — curated by four series co-editors and one guest editor.” If you’ve never been to the Postcard Bookshop inside Cargo, it is an enchanting, well-curated little bookshop that will reward you for taking the time to visit. I hope to see you there!

Banned Books Week

The theme of the 44th annual Banned Books Week this year is Let Books Be — Protect the Freedom to Read. Unsurprisingly, this annual week dedicated to raising awareness about banned books started a year after Ronald Reagan took office.

“Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in libraries, bookstores, and schools.” – Official website

The October 3 issue of Publishers Weekly is their third annual Freedom to Read issue. In the letter from the editor, Jonathan Segura writes:

“Last year, I wrote in this same space that I seriously lamented the fact that it was necessary for us to produce such an issue. I can’t say I’m in any less state of lament today as we ship our third annual version of it to the printer.”

As we shared on the podcast, the American Library Association (ALA) tracked 4,235 unique challenged titles in the 2025 to 2026 reporting period, and most challenges came from organized pressure groups rather than individuals. For more on this, check out our latest podcast episode where Cricket talks about the history of Banned Books Week.

And now some photos of our various literary adventures

A person wearing a black T-shirt with a graphic on the back and a cross-body bag stands facing a set of light-colored wooden bookshelves. They are reaching their right arm high up to pull a green book off the top shelf. The shelves, constructed with industrial black pipe supports, are filled with rows of books categorized by handwritten labels such as "Portland Writers" and "Essays / Memoir". To the right, another section of shelving displays books face-out, showcasing their cover art. A "Portland Pictures" watermark appears in the bottom-left corner.

The grand opening party at the PALS building with Buckman Journal and Up Up Books.

A high-angle view looking down into a spacious, well-lit bookstore and art space. Warm hardwood floors stretch across the room beneath dark structural ceiling beams and recessed lighting. Along the right wall, long wooden shelves mounted on black brackets are filled with colorful books. Several visitors walk around and browse the shelves, while small round white and green tables with books and floral displays sit in the open floor space. In the foreground on the right, a white marble-patterned desk holds a laptop, card reader, and checkout supplies. Artwork is mounted on white walls in the background. A "Portland Pictures" watermark appears in the bottom-left corner.

The grand opening party at the PALS building with Buckman Journal and Up Up Books.

A group of colorful, book-themed vinyl stickers arranged on a silver laptop lid. The collection includes five tarot card-style stickers: "THE COLLECTOR" (top left, Roman numeral XCIX): Features hands holding a sprawling stack of open, glowing books. "THE BOOKSHELF" (top right, Roman numeral XXI): Depicts bookshelves filled with colorful books, a skull, a candle, and potions. "THE READER" (bottom left, Roman numeral XII): Shows a human skull sitting atop a stack of colorful books. "THE MOOD READER" (bottom center, Roman numeral XXV): Features open books beneath a crescent moon surrounded by moon phases. "THE TBR" (bottom right, Roman numeral XXIX): Displays hands balancing a tall stack of books. Two non-tarot stickers sit in the center: Top Center: An arch-shaped black and orange sticker showing an open book that reads "BAN THE FASCISTS SAVE THE BOOKS". Center: A cloud-shaped sticker with a rainbow and flowers that reads "Chasing that Book Fair High" above a small stack of books. A "Portland Pictures" watermark appears in the bottom-left corner.

Sticker haul from the Endless Wonders Book Fest!

A wide shot from behind an audience seated in dark and red folding chairs facing the front of an indoor event space. At the front of the room, a person stands behind a wooden podium speaking into a microphone in front of hanging white curtains. The room features warm wood flooring, high exposed ceilings with wooden beams, large metal air ducts, and warm ambient lighting along the top of the walls. The audience members are dressed casually and focused toward the stage. A "Portland Pictures" watermark appears in the bottom-left corner.

Poetry reading at the Portland Poetry Confluence.

A person with short curly brown hair and a blue-and-black plaid short-sleeved shirt stands behind a tall wooden podium or lectern. They hold a microphone in their left hand near their chin, with their right arm crossed over their stomach as they address the room. Behind them is a background of white hanging curtains divided into sections. In the foreground, the backs of several audience members' heads are visible, facing toward the speaker. A logo watermark reading "Portland Pictures" appears in the bottom-left corner.

Poetry reading at the Portland Poetry Confluence.

A wide indoor room filled with people browsing vendor tables at a book fair or community event. In the foreground on the left, a person in a bright blue hoodie bends over a black tablecloth-covered display table filled with papers and items. On the right, a multi-tiered wooden shelf and tables display rows of books where several attendees are standing and browsing. In the background, a wooden-paneled wall displays a black circle sign reading "WELCOME TO THE POETRY CONFLUENCE". The room features warm overhead lighting and polished concrete floors. A "Portland Pictures" watermark appears in the bottom-left corner.

Tabling area at the Portland Poetry Confluence.

A white plastic A-frame sign rests on a paved stone walkway outdoors. The sign features a dark blue face displaying white text that reads, "Portland Poetry Confluence," alongside the tagline, "An independent festival bringing together poets and audiences from the Pacific NW and beyond." Below the text is a large light-blue graphic circle filled with dark contour lines resembling a topographic map. Sunlight casts tree branch shadows across the sign, and Japanese maple leaves hang over the top-left corner. A "Portland Pictures" watermark appears in the bottom-right corner.

Sign outside the Portland Poetry Confluence.

A high-angle, overhead view of a cozy, crowded bookstore during a live reading event. On a low wooden stage covered with a patterned red Persian rug, a person wearing a dark top, dark pants, and a pink scarf stands holding an open book and speaking into a microphone on a stand. Black speakers flank either side of the stage. The room is lined with tall wooden bookshelves packed with books, along with stacks of books on the floor and tables. In the foreground, the backs of several audience members seated on chairs and the floor face the stage. A large, light-colored plaster bust or sculpture stands prominently in the bottom center foreground. In the upper left background, additional patrons sit at tables near a window. A "Portland Pictures" watermark appears in the bottom-left corner.

Poetry reading at Mother Foucault’s Bookshop.

A view looking out from inside a coffee shop through large glass windows onto a sunny street scene. In the foreground inside the shop, wooden chairs, a table, and a booth seat are visible beneath a red, yellow, and green striped awning. A glowing neon "OPEN" sign hangs reversed above. A black outline silhouette of a coffee pot is on the right pane of glass. On the left window pane, a poster for an art exhibition reads "Zachary Hanks" with event details. Outside on the sidewalk, a white bicycle is parked on the left. Across the street, a bright yellow compact car and a blue sedan are parked along the curb, with multi-story brick and stucco buildings, shop fronts, and green trees lining the street under a clear blue sky. A "Portland Pictures" watermark appears in the bottom-right corner.

Looking out at Hawthorne from Fresh Pot coffee shop.

An outdoor book display featuring two white pop-up canopy tents set up along a sidewalk. Beneath the tents, long tables draped in black cloth are covered with arranged stacks and rows of books. Several people stand behind the tables browsing through books. A maroon banner hanging under the canopy reads "ENDLESS WONDERS: where books and beings meet". In the background is a vibrant two-story yellow building adorned with a large, colorful floral and leafy mural. A "Portland Pictures" logo watermark is in the lower-left corner.

Endless Wonders booth at the Endless Wonders Book Fest.

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