For next week's books section, I asked a buncha local literary types to write about the three best books they read in 2010. Gabe Barber, the founder/publisher of readinglocal.com, picked three Portland-themed books, including Volume One of Our Portland Story. In Gabe's words:

Our Portland Story: As the descriptor says, Our Portland Story is "part yearbook, part insider’s travel guide, and part collected memoirs." But more than that it's an extreme testament to the creativity and ingenuity of Portlanders. This collaborative book, spearheaded by local freelance designer Melissa Delzio, features the work of 77 Portland authors and 68 Portland designers.

Now the editors are asking for submissions to Volume 2:

Submit a paragraph or so of text describing ONE thing you love about Portland that makes it unique. We are looking for a wide range of submissions that capture many different aspects of the city in this place in time — weird, wacky, smart, touching, trendy, etc. Your submission may also include an image — a photograph, art piece, or anything that illustrates your text submission

You can submit your story here; the deadline is Dec 31. As the website puts it, "Be bold, be creative; after all you are a Portlander." [I will leave the color commentary on that one to you guys.)

Currently, my favorite thing about Portland is the meat counter at Sheridan Fruit Company. (I guess I could write about Kung Fu Chicken sausage?) Also, I like my low-paying newspaper job where I get to blog about my cat, and I like wearing pajama pants to the grocery store.*

*... I should probably move, huh.