Hey friends,

It’s that time of year again — Portland Book Festival is here — and Unsolicited Press is showing up BIG. We’ll be at the festival all weekend serving books, joy, chaos, and literary mischief… and yes, Gary the Skeleton is coming with us. He will be stationed at the table serving fresh writer’s tears (for hydration + moral support), passing out candy, and judging everyone’s syntax silently.

FIRST — Mark your calendars for our TWO Cover-to-Cover Events:

This Is Not a Quiet Panel: Womxn Writing for Their Lives
Wednesday, Nov 5 • 6:30–8:30 PM • Up Up Books
Join us for an unforgettable evening of fierce, fearless conversation as a panel of womxn authors come together to explore the complexities of identity, memory, and survival through writing. From sexuality and motherhood to growing up rural and the historical erasure of women’s voices, these writers will share how their work interrogates, reclaims, and reimagines what it means to tell one’s story in a world that too often silences womxn.

Split Ink: Conversations Across Gender and Genre
Saturday, Nov 8 • 7:30–9:30 PM • Rose City Book Pub
Join us for an evening of powerful prose, poetry, and conversation with a dynamic lineup of authors from Unsolicited Press. Split Ink spotlights voices that challenge the literary canon and speak from the intersections of queerness, womanhood, and lived experience. Through readings and discussion, our authors explore what it means to write from the margins—and why these stories matter now more than ever.

These two events are the heart of what we do: writing that refuses to be contained, silenced, or polite.

SECOND — The Deals (because celebrating independent literature ALSO means making books accessible)

We are doing three tiers of book festival deals this year — to reward early supporters, in-person buyers, AND online readers who can’t make it to PDX.

🟣 FRIDAY PREVIEW NIGHT SPECIAL — 6PM to 8PM ONLY

Buy one book, get another for $5
(AND ticket holders can redeem their festival voucher with us toward purchase.)

It’s basically a pregame literary heist.

🟣 FESTIVAL WEEKEND DEALS (Nov 7–8 In-Person)

Spend $50 at the table → get a paid Substack membership for LIFE
Buy 2 books, get 1 FREE

We have never done deals like this before. If you want to boost your home library, this is the moment.

🟣 ONLINE DEALS (Nov 3–9 for those not local)

Buy any book → get a second book half off
Orders over $50 ship FREE

No code is needed for the online deals! So whether you’re in the room or at home, you still get to be part of this celebration.

THIRD — Find Us. Come talk to us. Come talk to Gary.

We want to see you. Indie presses don’t exist because of capital — we exist because of community, conversation, and readers who believe that weird, risk-taking books matter.

Come hang out. Come tell us what you’re reading. Come get candy. Come meet our authors. Come get a selfie with the skeleton.

We’ll be loud. We’ll be joyful. We’ll be unhinged about poetry.
See you at PBF.

With love & literary rebellion,
Unsolicited Press

BOOKS, DEALS & GARY THE SKELETON: Unsolicited Press Takes Over PBF!