Caleb Stone
Founder & Editorial Director
Former Powell's bookseller. Started the club from his Portland living room with eleven friends in 2018.
About
About Cascadia Book Club
A literary home for the Pacific Northwest.
Our Story
Eleven readers. One Portland living room.
Cascadia Book Club began in 2018 when our founder Caleb Stone invited eleven friends to discuss Richard Powers's The Overstory. Eight years later, that conversation has spread across eighteen chapters and twelve thousand readers — but the spirit of that first evening is unchanged.
We believe in slow reading, careful listening, and a literature deeply rooted in place. We center voices long overlooked by the Western canon — Indigenous, immigrant, rural, and regional writers whose work shapes who we are as Cascadians.
Join the CommunityMeet the Hosts
The people behind every conversation.
Mei Chen
Discussion Lead, Seattle
PhD in comparative literature from UW. Teaches contemporary fiction at Seattle Central.
Sara Whitepine
Indigenous Voices Curator
Member of the Salish Nation and longtime educator. Curates our Indigenous reading series.
Marcus Lee
Author Programs Lead
Former editor at Tin House. Coordinates every author conversation, residency, and live event.
What Makes Us Different
Built around the rhythms of the Northwest.
Curated Selections
Each title is hand-picked by our regional editors for craft, voice, and resonance with the Pacific Northwest.
Thoughtful Discussions
Slow conversations led by literature scholars, writers, and longtime readers — never a quiz, always a dialogue.
Regional Community
From Olympia to Vancouver Island, we're rooted in Cascadia. Local chapters, shared landscape, shared love of story.
Author Access
Live conversations with the authors themselves — intimate, on-the-record, and always followed by member Q&A.
Flexible Participation
Read at your pace. Join virtually or in-person. Speak up or sit back. The club bends to your reading life.
Inclusive Literary Culture
We center voices long overlooked by the Western canon, especially Indigenous, immigrant, and rural writers of our region.
12,500+
Active Members
320+
Books Discussed
180+
Author Events
18
Regional Chapters
The Cascadia Letter
Monthly reading recommendations, event invites, and dispatches from the bioregion. No spam.