Kevin Sampsell
Kevin Sampsell is an American writer living in Portland, Oregon. He has worked at Powell's Book Store since 1998 as an events coordinator and the head of the small press section.
His memoir, A Common Pornography, was published by Harper Perennial in January 2010. Tin House published his novel, This Is Between Us, about a man and woman, both divorced, trying to start a life together. His collection of collage art and poems, I Made an Accident, was published by Clash Books in summer of 2022. In 2024, Sampsell released a picture book, "Sean the Stick", illustrated by Emma Jon-Michael Frank. His 2nd novel, Baby in the Night, is being published by Impeller Press in 2026.
Sampsell also started and co-produced Lit Hop, a one-night, multiple-venue reading event in Portland, Oregon. It happened from 2013 to 2016.
He curates and hosts another event promoting small publishers and small press writers, Smallpressapalooza, every March at Powell's Bookstore in Portland, Oregon.
Writing
His short fiction has been published in literary journals such as Quick Fiction, LIT, Hobart, and Opium Magazine and on the websites McSweeney's, Nerve, The Elephants, Wigleaf, The Collagist, Failbetter, Pindeldyboz, and Night Train. He is the editor of Portland Noir and The Insomniac Reader and the author of collections, Beautiful Blemish and Creamy Bullets as well as a memoir, "A Common Pornography" and a novel, "This Is Between Us". His nonfiction has been published in Poets & Writers Magazine, Relix, Portland Monthly, The Rumpus, Longreads, Plit Lip Magazine, Salon, Best Sex Writing 2010, Best American Essays 2013, and the Associated Press.Sampsell was also part of a performance group called Haiku Inferno from 2004 to 2009. Their performances of "rapid fire haiku" happened at literary festivals, bars, and a few times at Voodoo Doughnuts.
One of Sampsell's most popular pieces of writing is I'm Jumping Off the Bridge in 2013. It was published by Salon and then appeared in Best American Essays.
In 2019, Sampsell appeared on Storytellers Telling Stories, reading his short fiction piece Mugger, accompanied by singer-songwriter, Joshua Rivera.