Out of the Book, Volume 3: State by State

State by State: A Panoramic Portrait of America
an Out of the Book™ film in association with Powell's Books
screening in cities and towns across America during the weeks leading up to the 2008 election

Starring 19 of the book's contributors:
Daphne Beal, Alison Bechdel, Will Blythe, Charles Bock, Anthony Bourdain, Susan Choi, Joshua Ferris, Dagoberto Gilb, Myla Goldberg, Paul Greenberg, John Hodgman, Heidi Julavits, Rick Moody, Susan Orlean, David Rakoff, Said Sayrafiezadeh, Ellery Washington, Matt Weiland, and Sean Wilsey.

"As the election approaches, nothing could please us more than to see communities gather around America to share their ideas about what this country is today and what it still can be." Michael Powell, president and founder of Powell's Books

"State by State, the movie, is the most ambitious and successful of the three productions by Out of the Book, the movie-making division of Powell's Books. It is a perfect complement to Wilsey and Matt Weiland's anthology.... State by State contributors John Hodgman (Massachusetts) and Anthony Bourdain (New Jersey) are TV veterans, and Charles Bock (Nevada) and Heidi Julavits (Maine) combined their natural storytelling skills with comic timing. Julavits' lament about how people in Maine don't acknowledge outsiders and are reluctant to issue marriage licenses to anyone who hasn't lived there for generations is priceless." Jeff Baker, The Oregonian

"This informative and fun documentary...showcases a recent night in New York City when 19 of today's finest writers gathered to drink beer and, more important, read aloud their contributions to a new book of essays on each of the 50 states." Very Short List