Calling all bookworms: Here’s how to meet more than 60 local authors

Published 1:18 pm Monday, December 2, 2024

Cookbooks, children’s books, history novels and more, oh my! 

Kick off the holiday season on Sunday, Dec. 8 at “Holiday Cheer: A Celebration of Oregon Authors,” as more than 60 local authors converge on the Oregon Historical Society in Portland.

This free event offers patrons the festive fun of sipping hot cocoa, listening to carols and shopping for gifts while visiting with local writers.

It starts at noon and the book signing lasts until 4 p.m., with the Oregon Historical Society’s galleries open until 5 p.m., located at 1200 S.W. Park Ave., Portland. 

For 55 years, Oregon Historical Society has celebrated the state’s rich literary talents at this annual book signing event. Some of the Pacific Northwest’s most prominent authors will be selling everything from children’s books to guidebooks to mysteries and histories. 

The Dickens Carolers are adding to the holiday cheer and will be strolling through the museum performing holiday songs from 1:30-2:30 p.m. “Santaland” is back on view this year, which is a nostalgic vignette, featuring items from the original Meier & Frank “Santaland” such as Rudolph and the famous Cinnamon Bear costume. 

Each year, the museum team adds a new “Easter egg” to the display.

Can you spot the difference this year?

In addition to Santaland, current exhibitions include: “A Fountain of Creativity: Oregon’s 20th Century Artists and the Legacy of Arlene Schnitzer” and “Crossing Boundaries: Portraits of a Transgender West.”

Book sales at Holiday Cheer support the Oregon Historical Society’s mission to preserve the state’s history and make it accessible to everyone in ways that advance knowledge and inspire curiosity about all the people, places and events that have shaped Oregon.

Find a list of participating authors online.