Portland
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The Rumpus Interview with Sandra Cisneros
Sandra Cisneros, author of The House on Mango Street, talks about her new memoir, A House of My Own, living in a post-9/11 era, and the necessity of heartbreak.
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This Week in Indie Bookstores
If you ever wanted to own one of the nation’s oldest bookstores, now’s your chance. Otto Bookstore in Williamsport, Pennsylvania has been operating since 1841, but the 81-year-old proprietor is in the market to sell. The Oregonian names Portland’s 10 best…
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La Boheme Portlandia
As for gentrification, like in every desirable part of the country, economics decide the contest, and wealth wins every time.
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The Rumpus Interview with Chinelo Okparanta
Chinelo Okparanta talks about her debut novel, Under the Udala Trees, her upcoming appearance at Portland’s Wordstock book festival, and LGBTQ rights in America and worldwide.
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The Rumpus Interview with Bill Clegg
Author and agent Bill Clegg talks about his new novel, Did You Ever Have A Family, grief in fiction and in life, and why there is no finish line except the final finish line.
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Housesitting
When you arrived, you reached under the mat to pick up the keys in an envelope. Inside, a note on the kitchen counter said help yourself to anything in the pantry or fridge.
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The Rumpus Interview with Deborah Reed
Author Deborah Reed discusses her latest novel, Olivay, the necessity of fire, Los Angeles anxiety, and how she found fulfillment at the edge of the American West.
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This Week in Indie Bookstores
Tokyo’s Morioka Shoten stocks just one book. Shop owner Yoshiyuki Morioka selects a single book each week to sell in his austere boutique. A new non-profit bookstore in Istanbul, Turkey seeks to focus on Arab culture and the refugee experience as…
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The Rise of the Private Library
The American public library system has been one of the earliest victims of conservative austerity. But while the public library system slowly collapses, a new modern iteration of the members-only lending library has risen. These specialized libraries collect fees from…
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Jesus and Blueberry Cobbler
In Seattle, there were more white-boy Rastafarians from the suburbs than people lining up to become Jesuits. Normal was nowhere in sight.

