“Talking about books is one of the great joys”

Singer and Street Books volunteer Laura Gibson talks about why she supports Street Books

A smiling person with wavy hair in a low ponytail wearing a yellow rain jacket stands next to a mobile bicycle library under a blue tent on a rainy Portland sidewalk

Laura Gibson volunteering on a rainy fall afternoon

At the heart of any good book you’ll find people and their stories, and the same can be said for Street Books. The reason we have been able to show up for our unhoused friends and neighbors consistently for 15 years is because of our network of community support. That includes donors, newsletter subscribers (that means you!), and of course, our many wonderful volunteers. In recognition of all that our community does to make Street Books happen, we are excited to kick off a new semi-regular series of interviews with volunteers and contributors as part of our email newsletter.

This month we spoke with singer-songwriter Laura Gibson to find out how she started volunteering with Street Books and why the kind of human connection our mobile library offers is so important now.

Street Books: How did you find out about Street Books, and what made you want to get involved?

Laura Gibson: I'd known about Street Books for a long time before I started volunteering and had always just admired the work they did. I liked the vibe of everybody that worked at Street Books. I think there's a lot of joy and humor amongst the librarians and the staff. I started volunteering at a moment in my life that I was thinking a lot about what it means to hold both joy and sorrow. And I just saw the folks working at Street Books as being very good at that. I also was feeling, at the time, a little disconnected from Portland. I was sort of emerging from a creative project and feeling like I was not showing up for my city in the way I wanted to. Diana invited me to just come down to a shift, and so I showed up on a cold, sunny Wednesday afternoon in January. And I just loved it.

I love seeing the ways people show up for each other in that community. I love talking about books. I think talking about books is one of the great joys and the great dignities of my life. And so (it’s important) to set aside time to just talk books, to share books, to talk about other art, music, and film, I think especially now when our ability to share art and to create art is under threat. 

What are some of your favorite books and authors?

I have so many favorite books. I love Marilynne Robinson. I love Anne Carson. Also, I love horror. I love sci-fi, especially sci-fi that has a lot of feelings. I love Ted Chiang. I love the Southern Reach trilogy, the book Annihilation especially, by Jeff Vandermeer. That was actually on the cart not too long ago. Currently, I have checked out from the Street Books library Richard Powers' book Bewilderment.

Do you have any favorite moments or memories from your time working with Street Books?

To set aside time each week to just be in conversation about books and also just listen to people's stories and tell my own stories, it's so life-giving and I really love observing the community. I think just seeing the long friendships between patrons, seeing the long friendships between the librarians and the patrons. I love observing fashion. People are constantly putting together amazing outfits. I feel like that's one of the funny joys that I hadn't expected before. And I love talking about books with people. I love hearing stories. I love telling stories.

I'll give you a few of my favorite memories: I got a drawing class from one of our patrons, Jeff. He's an amazing teacher. I'm not an amazing student, but he's an amazing teacher. 

I watched a woman walk away weeping after Josh gave her a book that she had asked for. He went and found it and brought it to her on his shift. Books are meaningful. Art is meaningful. 

I love Portland. I love that Portland loves books and I want to protect our city from people who see it just as a business opportunity. As we slide further and further towards authoritarianism, it is not lost on me that we still get to share art. We still get to talk about art and pass along books. And I want to fight for that. It's for my survival as much as it is for anyone else's.

Laura Gibson is an internationally acclaimed multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and producer, born and raised in the small Oregon logging town of Coquille. Her most recent album Goners (Barsuk/City Slang) is a meditation on grief and empathy which The Fader described as, "so incessantly beautiful that one cannot help but want to gently crack it open to get to its beating core.” The New York Times summarized its themes: “longing and instinct, and whether they can ever converge.” 

How do you show up for your community? If creating space for all Portlanders to share about art, books, and life is important to you, click the button below to set up a recurring monthly donation today.  Street Books is only possible with your support!

I want to support Street Books!

We’re in the 2025 Give!Guide

Street Books is in the Give!Guide again!

🥳 Street Books is excited to join over 250 other fantastic local organizations participating in the Willamette Week’s 2025 Give!Guide! From November 1 through December 31, your donations to Street Books will have even more impact for the communities we serve (plus you might win some cool prizes!). Participating in Give!Guide helps amplify the work we do and connects us with new supporters so we can keep providing books and connection on Portland’s streets all year long.

👀 Look for us on the Give!Guide website starting Nov. 1, and keep an eye here and on our social media for updates on Big Give Days and special incentives for those who contribute during this giving season. 


📣 Support Oregon Cultural Organizations and Get A Credit on Your Taxes!

Your donation to the Oregon Cultural Trust helps support organizations like Street Books

Thank you to the Oregon Cultural Trust for awarding Street Books a 2026 Cultural Development Award for $21,250!

The Cultural Development Program grant awards provide recognition and support to significant cultural projects and programs, preserving and enhancing Oregon’s diverse arts, heritage and humanities community. Thank you Oregon Cultural Trust! 

Did you know, when you match your donation to Street Books and other OCT qualified non-profits with a gift to the Oregon Cultural Trust, you direct a portion of your state taxes to fund more than 1,600 cultural organizations? It’s true! And come tax time, you will receive up to a 100% refund in the form of a state tax credit. By using the Cultural Tax Credit, Oregonians and the Cultural Trust have awarded close to $40 million, and counting, to the cultural nonprofits that define our quality of life. Join us by taking your support of Oregon's arts, heritage and humanities to the next level. Make culture count. 

Find out more here and thank you for supporting culture and arts in Oregon!

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Joining Together for Housing Justice