"books"

Simon Tam’s Memoir Closes the Book on His Band the Slants’ Long Legal Fight—and Their Career

The long-running, Portland-born “Chinatown dance rock” band has been together since 2006, but for most of the past decade, they’ve been best known for their legal fight against the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which did not appreciate or understand the irony and power of an Asian American band deciding to reclaim a racial slur.

Comedian and Disability Rights Advocate Nina G On Her New Memoir, “South Park” and Fighting Comedy with Comedy

People with disabilities don’t want to be coddled or turned into inspiration porn, says comic Nina G, author of “Stutterer Interrupted: The Comedian Who Almost Didn’t Happen”—they want to be treated with respect, and allowed to be as irreverent and messy as able-bodied and “fluent” people are allowed to be.

With “The Iconist,” Author Jamie Mustard Believes He’s Solved the Riddle of Artistic Success

Bands drop thousands of dollars on publicity campaigns in hopes of getting picked up by blogs. Writers go to countless seminars and networking events, desperate for a publishing deal. But according to Jamie Mustard, standing out in today’s hypersaturated media landscape isn’t a question of independent wealth or industry connections—it’s a matter of appealing to humans’ primal instincts.

The Most Important Portland Culture News of the Week, From Best to Worst

A small town in Eastern Oregon got a surprise visit from Snoop Dogg last weekend.

Portland’s Oldest Used Bookstore Is in Danger of Closing

When the ownership group behind upstairs strip club Golden Dragon purchased the surrounding property housing Cameron’s, owner Jeff Frase was worried his rent would go up. Instead, shortly after Labor Day, he received notification that Cameron’s must vacate the premises by November 30.

Multnomah County Library Asks People to Sign Petition Protesting Restricted Access to E-Books

On November 1, Portlanders’ access to e-books from public libraries will be severely restricted.

Portland Book Festival Has Announced Its 2019 Lineup

Literary Arts has announced the lineup for the 2019 edition of the Portland Book Festival. After a more-celeb-heavy-than-usual lineup in 2018—headliners included Hanks, who was pushing a short-story collection, and Broad City’s Abbi Jacobson—the festival is getting back to its roots somewhat, where the stars are actually known for their words and you probably wouldn’t recognize half of them if they bumped into you on the MAX.

Willamette Week