Bernadette Baker (shown on right; affectionately known as Bernie), literary agent, small business owner and friend made the local paper in an article titled Bound to books.  Here's a quick excerpt:

“I love Portland,” she says. “For our business it’s a really great place for us to be starting. If we were to go to New York right now, as a business, we would not only have to transplant our whole lives, but we would be competing in an environment that is already really competitive. In Portland we have an edge because there are a lot of creators here but not a lot of industry here. The publishers here are more niche, and it’s a small community.”

Baker believes that Portland and the surrounding area, full of talented, creative writers, is a natural place to develop more of a publishing industry.

Congrats Bernie.

Be sure to check out her site; www.bakersmark.com.