He and Bullock also see the unique programmatic structure of Literary Arts as contributing to its success. The national landscape is full of smaller literary organizations that focus on single issues in similar ways, but bringing it all under one roof makes a difference. “Our programs work together; they’re all complementary and mutually reinforcing,” Bullock says. An author speaking at Arts & Lectures might also visit local high schoolers and meet with Oregon Book Awards finalists. Students learning from those classroom visits get tickets to the Portland Book Festival, where one day they might also read.
This organic, intergenerational, reciprocal connection creates important points of transition and bridge-building among age groups and demographics. In an era of dangerously simplistic narratives, the complexity and nuance that literature promotes is essential, Proctor says—and only a larger literary organization has the power to infuse its community with those values. “We need literature to have a seat at the table in our civic lives.” {read}