Join one of our ongoing book groups at our branches, or let us help your book group with suggestions for what to read, book sets you can borrow, advice on book group strategy, and extra copies to supply you.

Looking for a Reading Challenge this summer? You’ve come to the right place! The first annual Portland Public Library Reading Challenge is well underway, and summer is the perfect time to catch up. We have selected 24 book prompts and we challenge you to read one book from each category throughout the year. Will you accept the challenge?

The Portland Poet Laureate is an honorary position given every 2-3 years to a resident of the Greater Portland area who is both an accomplished poet and an excellent ambassador within the community. Portland’s current poet laureate is Linda Aldrich.

Portland Public Library hosts nationally touring authors at the Spotlight Series.  Authors talk about newly released work followed by audience Q&A and a book signing.  The series is co-hosted by Portland Public Library and sponsored by the Press Hotel and Bangor Savings Bank.

Our Literary Lunch Series is held at noon the last Wednesday of each month. We host New England authors with recently-released work in conversation with a literary friend, colleague or critic. Bring your lunch and join us!

Calling all writers! Are you looking for someone to critique your work? Interested in meeting other writers? Searching for inspiration and collaboration? Meet up with like-minded locals at Portland Public Library to discuss authors and ideas and listen to and inspire one another!

Greater Portland’s only writing group dedicated to journal and memoir writing! Journalists are encouraged to produce creative, reflective writing through the use of autobiographic and historic elements in PPL’s collections, including memoirs, archives, journalism, letter correspondence, & the history of writing in material culture.

Celebrating the Freedom to Read
As books continue to be challenged, restricted and banned at schools and libraries across the country, we pause to think about censorship and celebrate our freedom to read and openly access information.