Conversation Project

Apply Now to Host Summer Conversation Project Programs

Since 2009, nearly 200 Oregon nonprofits and community groups have hosted Conversation Project programs from Oregon Humanities. Why? To reach new audiences, to respond to local and national events, and to get strangers and friends alike talking.

What happens when people sit together and talk? The world becomes a more connected, more interesting, more vital place.

Conversation Project programs are opportunities for Oregonians to… Continue reading

What's New

Dear Stranger

Write a letter. Get a letter. Make a new connection.

This spring, Oregon Humanities is connecting Oregonians from all over the state through a letter-exchange program we’re calling Dear Stranger. For this first pilot, we’re drawing on the theme of the spring issue of Oregon Humanities magazine, “Me.” Future rounds of Dear Stranger will have different prompts, inspired by the themes of future magazines.

Here’s how it works:

Write a letter. Address it “Dear Stranger.” Fill a page, or… Continue reading

Think & Drink

Think & Drink with Heidi Boghosian

Join Oregon Humanities Thursday, May 8 for a Think & Drink conversation with civil liberties expert Heidi Boghosian at McMenamins Mission Theater (1624 NW Glisan St., Portland) from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. (doors at 5:00 p.m.). Minors allowed when accompanied by an adult. Think & Drink events are open to the public. A $10 donation is suggested for admission.

Heidi Boghosian is the executive director of the National Lawyers Guild, a… Continue reading

Special Projects

2013–14 Author! Author! Series by the Deschutes Public Library Foundation

Photo by Randi Baird Oregon Humanities is a cosponsor of Deschutes Public Library Foundation’s second Author! Author! literary series from November 2013 to June 2014. The series features writers Rebecca Skloot, Sherman Alexie, Cheryl Strayed, and Geraldine Brooks, who will discuss their work, literature, and the writing process.

Tickets for individual events cost $20 to $75, depending on seating. Ticket packages for the whole series are $70 to $260.… Continue reading

Think & Drink

Listen to Past Think & Drink Conversations

Did you miss one of our happy hour conversations? You can find the audio here.

What's New

2012 Annual Report

Oregon Humanities gratefully acknowledges the supporters who made gifts in 2012. Their generosity allows Oregon Humanities to connect Oregonians to ideas that change lives and transform communities. To view our annual report, please use the embedded reader or download a PDF at the link below.

Idea Lab

Hear Governor Kitzhaber and First Lady Cylvia Hayes’ 2013 Idea Lab Keynote

On July 26, Governor John Kitzhaber and First Lady Cylvia Hayes delivered a challenge to an audience of Oregon teens and teachers at Oregon Humanities’ 2013 Idea Lab Summer Institute: Work toward a world where happiness is valued alongside financial gain.

“Economic growth and social well-being are not the same thing, necessarily. Economic growth should be a means to an end, not an end to itself,” Kitzhaber said.

In a shared… Continue reading

What's New

Adam Davis Named New Executive Director

The board of directors of Oregon Humanities has named a new executive director of the organization: Adam Davis, who comes to OH from Chicago, where he is the director of the Center for Civic Reflection. He will officially assume his duties August 5.

Davis will be the fifth director of Oregon Humanities since the organization’s founding in 1971. He succeeds Cara Ungar, who left in February to pursue other interests.

As director of… Continue reading

Tweets by @orhumanities

Magazine

Me

This issue of the magazine explores narcissism, self, surveillance, solitude, and connection, and features a conversation with William T. Vollmann and essays by Edwin Battistella, Jay Ponteri, Courtenay Hameister, Joanna Rose, and Daniel… Continue reading

Blog

A Place at the Table

An intern reflects on her experience at Oregon Humanities.

The day I told one of my favorite professors that I had been chosen as the spring communications /publications intern for Oregon Humanities, his eyes widened. “Oh, wow, that’s impressive. That could either be quite fulfilling or a lot of… Continue reading

Magazine

Trapped in the Spotlight

What happens when quitting your job means quitting yourself?

Imagine you’re an accountant. (Or, if you’re an accountant, imagine you’re you.)

Now imagine that numbers terrify you. Your pulse quickens and your throat closes up as you’re buttoning your shirt for work in the morning. Brushing your… Continue reading

Bring Your Own

Adam Davis on Surprising Conversation

Oregon Humanities Executive Director Adam Davis says conversation has the power to make us look afresh at who we are and what we do, and do the same for the people around us.

Magazine

A Hidden History

A Conversation Project program reveals the stories and struggles of Oregon’s African American communities.

I eyed the thirty chairs set up in small circles around the top-floor room of North Portland Library and frowned. That Sunday in February 2012, I would be leading my Conversation Project program “Why Aren’t There More Black People in… Continue reading

Magazine

Being Brown

When skin lies, when skin tells the truth

I stand in the cosmetics aisle at the Rite-Aid on Coburg Road, in my hometown of Eugene, considering options for a tinted moisturizer. I’ve worn eye makeup and a slick of lipstick or gloss since high school, but in my thirties and… Continue reading

Current job openings

Corporate Relations Internship

We’re looking for an intern to join our development staff this summer from June through August for 10–12 hours per week. The start date and work schedule are flexible. This is an unpaid position with a public transportation travel stipend.

We want to work with a forward-thinking self-starter, who’s passionate about creating positive change in the community through philanthropy. Your role will be to assist in the growth and… Continue reading

How Oregon Humanities Changes Lives

No One Else Does What You Do

Donors share why they support Oregon Humanities

Recently, we asked some of our supporters to tell us why their hard-earned dollars are going to support Oregon Humanities. Here are a few of the responses we received:

“No one else seems to be doing the same thing you are or, if they are, we haven’t stumbled into it. We always find some interesting idea in the magazine, presented in a thoughtful and respectful way. I also appreciate that you folks are doing community talk sessions… Continue reading

Current job openings

Summer Programs Internship

We’re looking for an intern to join our program staff this summer, from June through August, 10–12 hours per week. The start date and work schedule are flexible. This is an unpaid position with a public transportation travel stipend.

You are creative, curious, hard-working, and ready to get your hands dirty helping Oregon Humanities with our core programs: Conversation Project, Think & Drink, Humanity in Perspective, and Public… Continue reading

How Oregon Humanities Changes Lives

Full Circle

Humanity in Perspective program's legacy surfaces in this spring's graduating class.

My grandmother taught us not to be afraid to go after knowledge,” says twenty-two-year-old Daniel Smith. This spring, Smith’s family—including his grandmother, McCleda Dixon—watched him graduate from Oregon Humanities’ Humanity in Perspective (HIP) program, a free college course for low-income adults offered in partnership with Reed College and Willamette University.

Store

The First Oregonians: Second Edition

Originally published in 1991, The First Oregonians: Second Edition is revised and expanded for a new generation of Oregonians. It provides a comprehensive view of Oregon’s native peoples from the past to the present. In this remarkable volume, Oregon Indians tell their own stories, with more than half of the book’s chapters written by members of Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes. Using oral histories and personal… Continue reading

Volunteer

Lend a Hand

From stuffing envelopes to helping at events, we love our volunteers and appreciate their support.

Thank you for your interest in volunteering for Oregon Humanities. If you would like to take part in one of the opportunities listed on this page, indicate which one on your application. If we don’t have any volunteer opportunities listed, we’ll keep your application on file. If your qualifications and availability meet requirements to… Continue reading

Calendar

April 23, 2014
Wednesday - 7:00 p.m.

Conversation Project: Toward One Oregon

Toward One Oregon: Bridging Oregon’s Urban and Rural Communities by Michael Hibbard, Ethan Seltzer, and Bruce Weber. Host Organization: Beaverton Library Foundation.… Continue reading

Beaverton City Library, 12375 SW 5th St., Beaverton

Calendar

April 24, 2014
Thursday - 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

CANCELED: Social Change Program: Abuse of Vulnerable Adults

YWCA of Greater Portland’s Social Change Program works as a catalyst for social change by providing a theoretical and practical understanding of racism, sexism, and… Continue reading

YWCA of Greater Portland, third floor conference room, 1111 SW 10th Ave., Portland

Calendar

April 24, 2014
Thursday - 6:30 p.m.

Narrative Risk in Medicine: Why healthcare providers should think like creative writers

Asante, a healthcare provider based in Medford, presents the Humane Medicine lecture series. Tonight, Jay Baruch will discuss the importance of story, creativity, and… Continue reading

Asante/Smullin Health Education Center, 2825 E. Barnett Road, Medford

Calendar

April 26, 2014
Saturday - 4:00 p.m.

Conversation Project: We Are What We Eat

We Are What We Eat: Connecting Food and Citizenship by Wendy Willis. Host Organization: Friends of the Vernonia Public Library and Vernonia Library Board. Contact:… Continue reading

Vernonia Public Library, 701 Weed Ave., Vernonia

Calendar

April 26, 2014
Saturday - 3:00 p.m.

Conversation Project: Your Land, My Land - CANCELED

This program has been canceled. It will be rescheduled for later this fall - check back soon for updates!

Klamath Community College, 7390 S. 6th St., Klamath Falls

Calendar

April 27, 2014
Sunday - 2:00 p.m.

Conversation Project: Church and State

Church and State: Religion and Politics in America by Courtney Campbell. Host Organization: Lower Columbia Diversity Project. Contact: Drew Herzig at (503) 325-1895 or… Continue reading

Judge Guy Boyington Building, 857 Commercial St., Astoria

See the full calendar

Write a letter. Get a letter. Make a new connection.

An intern reflects on her experience at Oregon Humanities.

What happens when quitting your job means quitting yourself?

A Conversation Project program reveals the stories and struggles of Oregon’s African American communities.

When skin lies, when skin tells the truth

Donors share why they support Oregon Humanities

Humanity in Perspective program's legacy surfaces in this spring's graduating class.

April 23, 2014Wednesday - 7:00 p.m.

April 24, 2014Thursday - 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

April 24, 2014Thursday - 6:30 p.m.

April 26, 2014Saturday - 4:00 p.m.

April 26, 2014Saturday - 3:00 p.m.

April 27, 2014Sunday - 2:00 p.m.

April 23, 2014
Wednesday - 7:00 p.m.

April 24, 2014
Thursday - 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

April 24, 2014
Thursday - 6:30 p.m.

April 26, 2014
Saturday - 4:00 p.m.

April 26, 2014
Saturday - 3:00 p.m.

April 27, 2014
Sunday - 2:00 p.m.