As if Portlanders weren't book-obsessed enough, for the past five years the Wordstock Festival has brought authors from across the globe to town to talk, hobnob and geek out on all things wordy for the weekend. This year's epic book blowout, which boasts nearly 175 writers, including everybody from noir master James Ellroy and National Book Award winner Julia Glass to sassy vegan cookbook scribes, fantasy masters and blasphemous Danish professors. And then there's the fest's roster of parties, workshops and special events. In preparation for the great text event, we queried a handful of Wordstock authors on everything from their work process to nightmares and Obama. Not surprisingly, they had a lot to say.

GO: The Wordstock Book Fair takes place at the Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 235-7575. 10 am-6 pm Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 10-11. $5. Other Wordstock events take place around town Oct. 8-11. See wordstockfestival.com for schedule and more info.