On Monday, December 8, we were pleased to unite the famed winner of the 2008 Wordstock bike, YASMINE BRANDON, with her prize. In addition, we wanted to learn a little more about this one Wordstock attendee among many. Here’s what we discovered:

What brought you to Wordstock this year?
I love reading and discovering new local authors.

What do you do for a living? Are you involved in publishing in any way?
VP of Production for Neil Kelly Company (residential remodeling)

How long have you lived in Portland?
8 years

Do you enjoy the city as one of its many readers, frequenting Powell’s, etc.?
Absolutely! I always take my out-of-town visitors to Powell’s, and I love hunting through local bookstores wherever I travel.

Assuming you answered yes to the above, where’s your favorite place to read?
A cozy corner (winter) or soaking in the sun (summer)

Who’s your favorite author and why?
Currently, I’m reading essay collections about my hometown, Washington, DC. Katherine Graham’s Washington and Marjorie Williams’ The Woman at the Washington Zoo.

When someone comes to visit you as a first-timer in PDX, what do you show them first (after touring the Ink & Paper Group house, of course)?
Powell’s, of course!! We set a time to meet in the café, take off on our own, and then share our discoveries over coffee.

Tell us one interesting, little-known tidbit about yourself.
To select background music when hosting a dinner party, I close my eyes, pick 5 CDs . . . and hope for the best!

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