Portland has a lot of nicknames. Stumptown. The Rose City. Rip City. Bike Town. Tree City.
But come Nov. 8, the best name will be Portland is Wordsville.
That’s the day the annual Wordstock literary festival begins and Portlanders renew their passion for words.
Now in it’s fourth year, Wordstock is a two-day celebration of writing and reading in all its forms. The event, which takes place at the Oregon Convention Center, features 10 author stages, a book fair, children’s play area and special children’s author stage and a special broadcast of Live Wire, the Portland-based radio variety show, devoted to the festival. True to Portland’s quirky nature, there’s even a Text Ball, sponsored by the Independent Publishing Resource Center, on Saturday night, where people are encouraged to dress with text as part of their evening attire to show their love of words.
Writers can sign up to attend workshops on a variety of fiction and non-fiction subjects that run throughout the weekend. Workshops are $50 for one, $80 for two, and $20 for each additional workshop.
You can follow the build up to the event at the Wordstock blog.
Wordstock runs Nov. 8 and 9, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets are $5 a day and available at the door. Children 17 and under get in free.