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Portland Art Museum’s Whitsell Auditorium mid-Saturday afternoon was packed. While Lan Samantha Chang was a delight, the crowd was especially excited to see Silvia Moreno-Garcia, whose latest bestseller, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau, is a reimagining of H.G. Wells’ 1896 The Island of Dr. Moreau. Moreno-Garcia explained her choice to introduce a daughter character into her version and how that shifts the narrative.
“All the characters in The Island of Dr. Moreau were either men or monsters,” said Moreno-Garcia, to which moderator Fionna McCann quickly retorted, “How can you tell the difference?” The room erupted in laughter, McCann gave a sorry-not-sorry shrug and the discussion continued with much the same energy. Such were the events at last Saturday’s Portland Book Festival.
After an all-virtual festival in 2020, then a masked and less-than-capacity turnout in 2021, the 2022 Portland Book Festival returned this November with a powerful lineup and a refreshing energy in the air. From around-the-block lines and packed rooms to the easy laughter and visible engagement of attendees, this year’s festival was an inspiring success.
The morning’s opening lineup had a big something for everyone. And while some complained that it was difficult to decide which 10 am slot to attend, each of the morning’s headliners attracted a fairly cohesive group. The First Congregational Church was quickly at capacity well before George Saunders and co-reader Jess Walter hit the stage.
The two short story veterans read from their new collections to a crowd of writers and short story lovers. Across the park at the Portland Art Museum’s Miller Gallery, Chuck Klosterman and Rafael Agustin talked about the ’90s and pop culture journalism to a room with more plaid-clad dudes than most events of the day. Down at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, a mostly female crowd packed in to see Selma Blair (accompanied by her crowd-charming service dog Scout) to talk about her new memoir, Mean Baby, with writer Esmé Weijun Wang.
After a strong start, the day continued with readings by local favorites like Chelsea Bieker, Kimberly King Parsons, Jules Ohman, Cecily Wong and Debra Gwartney (whose reading from her memoir I Am a Stranger Here Myself brought the chilly outdoor event tent to near tears). National Book Award finalist Tess Gunty was featured at several readings; the same went for writer and editor John Freeman. A highlight of the children’s events was Newbery Medal winner Kwame Alexander, who gave a captivating reading from his latest YA book, The Door of No Return, which NPR described as “a story for children about slavery.”
Sure, the long food truck lines caused plenty of attendees to wide-eye the line with a “Is that really the line?” and water was confusingly hard to come by, but the previous day’s storm was gone, book sales bustled, and the overall energy of the festival was that of excitement.
Literary Arts executive director Andrew Proctor summed up the vibe well: Introducing Cheryl Strayed and Tara Jenkins Reid to another packed Schnitzer Concert Hall crowd, he mentioned that Reid’s book was being adapted into a show on Hulu. When the room made a collective “ooo!,” Proctor said, “You guys are so nerdy and I love it.”