Kevin Sampsell

On November 25th, 1997 (it was a Tuesday), I started working at Powell’s. I couldn’t have guessed that I’d still be there twenty years later or what an important part of my life it would be. Being a bookseller, event coordinator, and champion of small presses at the largest bookstore in the world feels like my calling, perhaps even more important than being a writer or publisher.
But all of this time–this life–wouldn’t have been possible if I hadn’t fell in love with the transformative act of reading. Before bookselling, before writing, before publishing, I was a reader.
Working at Powell’s has been such a rewarding experience and the people I’ve worked with are truly my family. Thanks to everyone who has made these first twenty years such a wonderful experience. 💕

Also–this past summer marked 25 years in Portland total! Fun fact: The first five years I lived in Portland, I worked at a convenience store for a couple of months and then ran an espresso cart business with the mother of my son.

*NEW STORIES!

Hey, check the Fictions page for a couple of new stories that recently went up. Including this one that just went up at The Elephants and this one from last month at apt. BTW–One of my absolute fave books of the year is The Week by Joanna Ruocco and it was published by The Elephants. I highly recommend this brilliant collection of stories.