Your Literary Umbrella

Welcome to City of Readers, an online community for booklovers in Portland, Oregon. City of Readers is a literary umbrella, bringing together all the elements — bookstores, libraries, landmarks, lectures, authors and titles — that create the ideal climate to experience the written word in the City of Roses. In a city where there’s always a downpour of literary choices, City of Readers leads booklovers to the perfect cover. Currently, the book City of Readers: The Book Lover's Guide to Portland is available at Multnomah County Library branches, many Portland bookstores, Powells.com and Amazon.com. Phone orders can be placed through Biblio Book Distribution, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time, at (800) 462-6420.

Meet the Author

Gabriel Boehmer, author of City of Readers: The Book Lover’s Guide to Portland, is available for readings, book signings, book club discussions, and other events. The Hollywood Star News featured Gabe in its November 2007 issue. Read the story here. To arrange an event with Gabe, please contact Baker’s Mark Literary Agency at (503) 432-8170.

Snapshots

Wordstock, the annual literary extravaganza, will be held November 8-11, 2007, at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland. Attending authors included Richard Rhodes, Jane Hamilton, and Adrian Tomine amongst others.

Essay No. 5, Bookstore Clerk Tells All

By Ali Brarian

You’re probably under the impression that working at a bookstore is the greatest job in the world—meeting famous authors, reading on the job, and hanging out with people who love to read. Well…you’re right. In fact, you should pen your letter of resignation right now and go out and get yourself a bookstore job. True, the pay is low, but that’s a great excuse to get creative. What do you think we do with all those Advanced Readers Copies we’re forbidden to sell (ahem, Powell’s)? Make furniture, of course! I currently have a coffee table, bed frame, and computer chair all made out of Advanced Readers Copies. All in all, I estimate I’ve saved about a thousand dollars.

Another fringe benefit that overshadows the low pay is that you never know who’s going to walk through the door. I keep hoping that one night I’ll be at work reading (because, really, that’s all we do) and the author of the book I’m reading will walk in. I’ll glance up and say “Hey,” go back to reading, and then it’ll hit me. “Oh my God,” I’ll squeal, “you’re so and so... I’m reading your book right now!” And then I’ll fall all over myself like I usually do when I meet an author I love (wink wink, Tom Spanbauer) and then we’ll laugh like old pals and go get coffee. Or, more realistically, the sight of my reddening face and the rapidly spreading sweat stains under my arms will send said author running for the exit. Either way, though, it’s another name I get to check off on my “Famous People I’ve Met” list.

How do you navigate the literary landscape? Send us your mini-essay (about 500 words) about reading in Portland. I can see that you’re still not convinced that working in a bookstore is right for you. Well, I believe I have 6 little words that will change your mind: 30% discount on all books! I knew that when my monthly book expenditure was exceeding my monthly income that it was time to do something about it. So I ran out to my local bookstore and got a job. It was that easy! And you know what? I save so much money now I’ve upgraded to dolphin-safe tuna. So, it’s true what they say—bookstores really do save lives.

Ali Brarian is the pen name of a former Portland bookstore clerk. Her favorite Portland authors are Joe Sacco (Safe Area Gorazde), Chuck Palahniuk (Survivor: A Novel), and Tom Spanbauer (The Man Who Fell in Love with the Moon).