Pop-up: Jason Tanamor

Jason Tanamor pops-up in the Portland Art Museum galleries with his YA novel, Love, Dance & Egg Rolls.

Tanamor is paired with the artwork Leaping Carp by Shikō Munakata; found in the Japanese Art gallery, on the 1st floor of the Portland Art Museum. Please reference the Portland Art Museum Map or the Portland Book Festival print program to find this location.

Jamie Santiago is just an ordinary high school teenager—he has a huge crush on a girl from school, he watches a ton of sitcoms, and he is constantly trying to keep his dad from feeding egg rolls to his white friends. Not to mention he also aspires to be the next Tinikling folk dance master. Okay, maybe he’s not so ordinary.

It’s hard enough balancing the demands of high school, but when the last ever Asian Folk Festival falls on the same day as Homecoming, it feels like Jamie’s world comes crashing down. He is forced to make an important decision between honoring his heritage and salvaging what’s left of his social life. With a racist bully at school and rising protests in Portland, Jamie sometimes wonders if it would be easier to forget his Filipino side entirely instead of trying to embrace it.

[Play the catchy sitcom music]

[Cue the laugh track to numb the serious stuff]

If only life were so perfect.

Tensions will rise in Love, Dance & Egg Rolls as Jamie decides whether it’s more important to remain hidden in plain sight or step directly into the spotlight. Jamie will not only come face-to-face with a bully, but also with this thing called cultural identity.

Portland Book Festival General Admission Passes are required for entry into all events. Passes are $15 in advance and $25 day of Festival. Youth 17 & under, or with a valid high school ID get in FREE. All full-priced General Admission Passes include a $5 book fair voucher and entry into Portland Art Museum. Passes admit attendees to the Festival; individual events are first-come, first-served. More info here.