The New Oregon Interview Series explores Portland’s evolving creative culture through interviewing the artists and makers themselves. May 2009 through February 21010, the series held eight live evenings of conversation in the Urban Grind East coffeehouse, bringing together musicians, filmmakers, writers, fashion designers, visual artists, chefs, architects and Mayor Sam Adams, among others. This was Barry Johnson writing on the series as it launched for the Oregonian’s blog, Oregon Live. Read more here at Plotting the future of the creative economy in Portland | OregonLive.com .