Gresham author Steven Christiansen pens debut YA novel ‘The Blue Line Letters’

Published 5:00 am Saturday, March 15, 2025

A colorful local bohemian crowd; a smart girl from school; and an enigmatic character known as the “Prophet.”

These are some of the people 17-year-old Ty meets while stuck riding Portland’s MAX Blue Line every day of summer before his senior year. But what could be a boring commute turns into a discovery of human nature.

Ty has two tasks — read “Jane Eyre” and write about what he learned, and document the world around him on the Blue Line — recording everything in a series of letters addressed to his teacher Ms. Warne.

“The Blue Line Letters” is a debut novel from Steven Christiansen, who has lived in Gresham for the last 25 years. The book, a partnership with TriMet and the Multnomah County Library, takes place along the transit line, from Cleveland Avenue in Gresham to Hatfield Government Center in Hillsboro, and all the stops between.

“When I first moved to Oregon in 1999 I worked two summers for the Washington County Land Use Office, so I rode the MAX (like the character Ty) from one end of the Blue Line to the other end every day,” Christiansen said. “As I rode the idea of writing a book about what happened on the MAX started to form.”

Christiansen is a writer and high school counselor, and he taught English in the Portland area for 15 years. His book, recipient of “Distinguished Favorite” at the 2024 Independent Press Award, is being published by Portland-based Ooligan Press and will hit shelves next month.

“Portland has this buzz and vibrancy that is hard to find other places,” Christiansen said. “Our city has so much to offer.”

Learn more about the author online at stevenchristiansen.com

Pre-orders of the book can be made from Powell’s, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and other retailers.

“I think this book has a lot to offer readers, both adults and young adults,” Christiansen said. “Life is hard and life is good and all of the in-between is a ‘ride’ of sorts for us to enjoy.”