SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2026

9:00AM – 11:00AM

Andrew Proctor, Executive Director – Literary Arts
Amy Donohue, Design Principal – Bora Architecture & Interiors
in conversation with Kimiko Matsuda

We’re excited to welcome back BAGELS NOT BOURBON – where Portland comes to think out loud. Hosted by The Idea Factory in the Library, this Friday morning series brings together creative thinkers, civic leaders, and cultural changemakers for honest conversations over coffee and bagels. No slides, no scripts—just bold ideas and the people building what’s next for Portland. Next up in the 2026 line up:

The Places That Make Portland

How Cultural Anchors, Gathering Spaces, and Participation Shape a City

Join Kimiko Matsuda, Andrew Proctor, and Amy Donohue for a look at the role arts and culture play in Portland’s future—and the places that give a city its character.

For more than fifteen years, Andrew has helped grow Literary Arts into one of Portland’s defining cultural anchors—a home for writers, readers, and ideas. Amy, a longtime Literary Arts board leader and Design Principal at Bora Architecture & Interiors, brings a placemaking perspective to that evolution showing us how the spaces we create can shape the way we gather and belong.

That thinking comes together in Literary Arts’ new headquarters and bookstore, created not simply as a home for the organization, but as a place for Portland to gather. From intimate events with world-class authors to Portland Book Festival, we’ll look at what happens when people participate in the cultural life of their city—and how that impact can reach far beyond one place.

Expect a conversation about how cultural institutions help move a city forward, why artsand culture are essential civic infrastructure, and what they contribute to making Portland a city worth choosing.

We hope you will join us.

Tickets include admission to the event as well as a spread of fresh fruit, bagels & accompaniments, coffee, tea and juice.