The new café offers inclusive community gathering spaces for books, coffee and conversation.
Portland, Ore. (June 5, 2025) — Local nonprofit arts organization Literary Arts, dedicated to supporting readers, writers and youth, is celebrating the launch of the Literary Arts Cafe, a new gathering space that combines literature, community and local flavor. The cafe will partner with two of Portland’s culinary standouts, Upper Left Roasters and Farina Bakery, for espresso beverages and pastries, with a breakfast and lunch menu coming in the fall. The cafe will open to the public on Saturday, June 14, at 7 a.m. for coffee and pastries; prize giveaways will take place between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
“We’re thrilled to open a welcoming café that brings people together around books and stories – it’s at the heart of what we do,” said Andrew Proctor, executive director of Literary Arts. “By collaborating with local partners who reflect Portland’s rich diversity and creative spirit, we’re building a space that feels truly committed to the people we serve.”
According to food and beverage manager AJ Gravatt, the cafe aims to partner with vendors that share Literary Arts’ values, and to primarily source from small businesses that are women-owned or BIPOC-led – a continuation of equity considerations the organization made during their successful $22.5 million fundraising campaign, which funded the new space.
“We’re excited to collaborate with local, women-owned, small-batch coffee roasters Upper Left on a custom Literary Arts blend that has notes of almond cookie, crisp apple and chocolate mousse,” said Gravatt. “The coffee has a bright start with a smooth finish and is fruity, floral and full-bodied, perfect for a daily cup of coffee.” Some specialty latte flavors include the Spice Cabinet with cardamom, coconut, pink peppercorn, ginger and licorice, and a seasonal Lemon Thyme Latte with lemon, thyme and coconut milk, served iced. Farina Bakery breakfast treats will include marionberry pop tarts, chickpea and sweet potato hand pies, cheddar and jalapeño scones, sweet Danish, vegan coffee cakes and their signature French macarons.
The cafe will also team up with OKAPI Reusables, a women-owned sustainability service that provides stainless-steel coffee cups to cafes for customers to reuse, as well as Minor Figures oat milk, which is committed to sustainability and reducing their carbon footprint. For those who linger over their coffee with a book, the organization has partnered with the BIPOC, woman-owned ceramic studio Lady E Pottery for handcrafted ceramic mugs for use in the cafe.
The Literary Arts Cafe is located on the main level of the new headquarters, located in Portland’s Central Eastside Industrial District. The recently renovated historic building at 716 SE Grand Avenue is called The Susan Hammer Center and houses a bookstore, staff offices, classrooms for workshops and seminars, a podcast studio and flexible event space. The cafe will be open Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
About Literary Arts
Literary Arts is a community-based nonprofit arts organization located in Portland, Oregon, with a 40-year history of serving the state’s readers and writers. Our programs include Portland Arts & Lectures, one of the country’s largest lecture series; Oregon Book Awards & Fellowships, which celebrate Oregon’s writers and independent publishers; the Portland Book Festival; and Writers in the Schools, which hires professional writers to teach semester-long creative writing workshops in Portland’s public high schools. The recent Campaign for Literary Arts raised $22.5 million in support of a new permanent headquarters and the future Ursula K. Le Guin Writers Residency. The new headquarters —The Susan Hammer Center—features an independent bookstore, cafe, classrooms for workshops and seminars, a podcast studio, staff offices and community spaces. For more information, please visit literary-arts.org.
