Readers & Writers

This year marks Portland Public Library’s Inaugural Scary Story Writing Contest! Time to get scary and enter for a chance to win a prize and showcase your story on our website. We want to be extra scared this Halloween, so send us your most bone-chilling story!

Our Book of the Week project is created by Reader’s Advisory staff and is focused on sharing one great book from across the Library’s collections each week.  You can see a photo of each new book of the week and a list of the books in our library catalog here.

Join fellow Mainers for a statewide Summer Reading program, in partnership with the Maine Humanities Council, and the Maine State Library.

Join one of our ongoing book groups for children, teens, or adults, or find resources to start your own! Portland Public Library is now offering sets of books that you can borrow for your book group. These sets include multiple copies of the same title, often with large print or audio formats.

Join us every other Thursday at noon in Congress Square Park for Blurb Club, the book club where you might just find your new favorite book!

Are you unsure of what to read next? Our Reader’s Advisory staff is here to help! We’re ready to put our professional book-matching skills to work for adults, teens, and children.

The sixth annual Reading Challenge is here! 24 books in 12 months: will you accept the challenge?

Not sure what to read next? Explore our librarian-crafted book lists for new releases, older favorites, and books in-between!

Attend events featuring authors from Maine and beyond! Watch past events on YouTube or listen to them on the PortLit podcast.

Whether you’re selling your epic novel or creating a book of family recipes, we’ve got what you need to get started!