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Oregon-Based Authors
14
items Contrary to presidential belief, we’re not living in hell over here in the Beaver State, and in fact Portland boasts an impressive literary tradition and community.
Most authors live in Portland proper, but some in the suburbs or other cities.
Sections
2
Nonfiction
Fiction
Nonfiction
A beautiful memoir about growing up trans in a trailer park in the Sonoran desert of Arizona. They now live in Oregon and edit for the literary magazine, Brevity.
Cactus Country: A Boyhood Memoir by Zoë Bossiere, Hardcover
A memoir that defies the traditional techniques of a memoir. A film adaptation will soon be out in theaters as Kristen Stewart’s directorial debut.
The Chronology of Water: A Memoir by Lidia Yuknavitch, Paperback
A 200ish-page memoir about overcoming childhood sexual abuse and internalized toxic masculinity. The title speaks to how land features heavily here—both literally as Hocking talks about the unique landscapes of Colorado, as well as metaphorically. Fo...
A Field Guide to the Subterranean: Reclaiming the Deep Earth and our ...
The title already explains all the featured topics! It does not communicate Brogan’s strong writing, however.
Holding: A Memoir About Mothers, Drugs, and Other Comforts
From an Egyptian-Canadian novelist and journalist who now lives in Portland. Written in response to the genocide in Gaza. Was recently longlisted for the National Book Award.
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This|Hardcover
The famous memoir that led to the Reese Witherspoon movie. About a woman who uses her mother’s tragic death as motivation to walk the Pacific Crest Trail.
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed, Paperback
If you need straightforward memoirs, maybe this one isn’t for you. But if you’re curious about the integration of both personal narration and explorations of how we depict wolves, then pick this one up!
Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell About Fear
Fiction
A YA romance centering a growing romance between an aspiring brujo and the ghost he accidentally summoned.
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas, Paperback
Recent release from the popular writer of sapphic stories. Two women sitting next to each other on a plane to Europe discover they’re both walking the Camino de Santiago on a tour just for queer women.
Every Step She Takes: A Novel by Alison Cochrun, Paperback
A tense novel about motherhood and domestic abuse.
Madwoman by Chelsea Bieker, Paperback
Emphasis on consent and communication in this sweet-yet-steamy novel, the first in a trilogy. Though it depicts a straight relationship, it features LGBTQ+ representation and is written by a trans, bi author.
My Shy Alpha: Book 1 of the Steamy Shifter Romance Series
A dystopian novel depicting an America without abortion access. Takes place in a small Oregon fishing town.
Red Clocks: A Novel by Leni Zumas, Paperback
A fantastical short story collection set in the swamps of the Florida Everglades. Born in Miami, received her MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia, and now lives in Portland.
St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves by Karen Russell, Paperback
Centers a bisexual stay-at-home mom who struggles with a recent devastating loss. Debut novel from a woman who teaches in the MFA program at Pacific University.
We Were the Universe: A Novel by Kimberly King Parsons, Paperback