As Wordstock relaunches on Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Portland Art Museum, many of the authors visiting Portland's book festival have spoken with OPB over the years about books, life and the process of writing. We look back at some of our most memorable interviews with an eclectic mix of literary masters.
Portland Author Lidia Yuknavitch Examines A Scorching New World
Lidia Yuknavitch came by the OPB studios for an interview with State of Wonder about her new novel, "The Small Backs of Children".
Christina Belasco / OPB
"I think I went to school in 'The Chronology of Water,' and I learned how to go ahead and listen to lyricism or image, and abandon plot and linear time. Interestingly, I was writing '(The) Small Backs of Children' before writing 'The Chronology of Water,' and I hit this weird wall in my life and on the page. Like, 'Uh oh, I’m not whole as a person!'
"I wrote 'The Chronology of Water,' almost as going back and getting pieces of myself. I was then able to write this weird, poetic image-based book I'd set out to write before that."
See Lidia Yuknavitch at Wordstock on Nov. 7 at 5 p.m. on the OPB Stage at the Fields Ballroom
Zach Dundas Explores The Immortal Life of Sherlock Holmes
Kate Madden
Perhaps no fictional character has stood the test of time like Sherlock Holmes and longtime Portland journalist and co-editor of "Portland Monthly" Zach Dundas happens to be a lifetime Sherlock fan. For his second book, “The Great Detective: The Amazing Rise and Immortal Life of Sherlock Holmes,” Dundas set out to ask: what is it about this brainy, unlikely hero that continues to capture our imagination?
See Zach Dundas at Wordstock on Nov. 7 at 12 p.m. on the McMenamins Stage at the Whitsell Audiotorium
A Conversation With "Pasta By Hand" Author Jenn Louis
Chef Jenn Louis of Lincoln Restaurant and Sunshine Tavern
John Kin / OPB
Jenn Louis is a Portland chef who is making a big name for herself. In 2012 she was named "
" by
Food and Wine
magazine and
has appeared in The Wall Street Journal,
Bon Appetit
,
SHAPE
and The New York Times. Louis recently added author to her resume with the new cookbook "
"
See Jenn Louis at Wordstock on Nov. 7 at 10 a.m. on the Oregon Community Foundation Stage at the Miller Gallery
Portland Writer Patrick deWitt's Dazzling New Fairy Tale For Grown-Ups
DeWitt, a native of Canada, now lives in Portland.
April Baer / OPB
Portland writer Patrick deWitt's new novel, "Undermajordomo Minor," begins with a fairytale premise: an aimless young man enters the service of a mysterious master. He's confounded by the secrets around every corner of his new home. A charismatic pickpocket keeps making off with his pipe. And the love of his life cannot shake herself loose from a handsome rival.
It's another bracing, propulsive tale from the creator of 2011's hit, "The Sisters Brothers," full of sharp, understated dialogue and an unexpectedly poignant embrace of life's contradiction.
See Patrick DeWitt at Wordstock on Nov. 7 at 12 p.m. on the OPB State at the Fields Ballroom