if your town had a powell's, maybe i'd move there

The first time I came to Portland was part of a 3-week, cross-country road trip with two girlfriends while I was in grad school. We rolled into town, paid too much money to park in a garage downtown, and wandered into Peet's, so that I could get my coffee fix. We had no particular destination in mind, just a vague idea that Portland might be a cool place to check out. So, I told the barista that we were in town just for the day and asked her what we should do in town. She pointed us toward record stores, thrift stores, and Powell's.

Have you been to Powell's? It's an entire city block of books, people. You can pick up a free map of the store when you enter and, until you've been there a few times, you definitely need it. We spent hours exploring the stacks together and splitting up to cover different ground. It's where I bought my first copy of Bitch. (Speaking of which, I just read that they're moving their headquarters to Portland.) We were so overwhelmed and envious of people who lived near this fantastic bookstore.

And now I live here. I sometimes go a month or two without stepping foot in Powell's. When I do, though, I'm reminded of how much I love it and wonder how I stayed away for so long. I hit my regular sections: new arrivals (especially memoirs), cookbooks, and knitting books. That takes a couple of hours. If I have more time than that, I can wander into fiction and cultural studies, but I rarely manage to see anything else. I love it.

As much as I love the walls and walls of books, Powell's has something else: free author readings. Yesterday afternoon, I went to the Frank Warren reading I mentioned the other day. He was funny, engaging, smart, and inspiring. He said something that really resonated with me. Because of PostSecret, he has made his home address public. In fact, it appears on the cover of the first PostSecret book. During the Q&A, someone asked if he had result anything other than secrets as a result of his address being so accessible. He hadn't and stated that people have been respectful of him and the project. He said, "I've trusted humanity and humanity hasn't let me down."
It isn't a very good picture -- partly due to my lackluster photography skills, but also because the room was really crowded. Portland is a town that loves books. Even on one of the first warm days of spring -- a day that wasn't quite sunny but also wasn't rainy -- Portlanders filled the large room where Powell's holds author readings. Standing room only. Books, authors, and book lovers. I love Portland.

Update: I just found a photo of the Powell's appearance on PostSecret. I'm just off frame on the left. See how crowded it was?