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Portland Book Festival, Main Stage
Expect the Unexpected: Surprising Journeys
Sometimes life doesn’t work out quite the way you planned—thankfully! These fare stories of embracing the unknown and facing your fears—and maybe finding yourself somewhere you never expected. Peter Sagal, host of NPR’s Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, charts his unlikely path to marathon runner in his “winning, smart, honest and affecting” The Incomplete Book of Running. Courtenay Hameister battles her anxiety by spending a year doing little things that scared her, from a sensory deprivation tank to a first date in the “hilarious and poignant” Okay Fine Whatever. Meaghan O’Connell finds her way through unexpected pregnancy and motherhood with humor and honesty in And Now We Have Everything, which Cheryl Strayed called “Smart, funny, and true in all the best ways.” Moderated by Fiona McCann of Portland Monthly.
Advance 2018 Portland Book Festival passes available now.
Courtenay Hameister
Courtenay Hameister is a professional nervous person. During her 12 years as host and head writer for Live Wire, a nationally syndicated public radio show, she interviewed over 500 intimidating people and wrote 200 personal essays in bursts of anxiety-fueled inspiration at midnight the night before each show. Her work has also been featured in McSweeney’s, APM’s Marketplace, More magazine, and some scathing emails to the customer service department at Macy’s. Her debut book is Okay Fine Whatever. Visit her online at courtenayhameister.com.
