Events & Opportunities
June 27, 2026
What Does It Mean to Be American?
This conversation will explore when and how we define ourselves as an “American.” Does knowing the Constitution make us American? Does living on land controlled by the United States of America make us American? Through conversation and nonverbal exploration, we will share what “American” means to us individually and within the communities we belong to or came from, and what perspectives shaped our understanding of American identity and who is included in “We the People.”
2:00 p.m., Jacksonville Branch Library, Jacksonville
July 10, 2026
Monuments and Memorials: Who, What, Where, When, and Why?
As long as humans have sought to honor the present and remember times past, we have built monuments and memorials. Our traditions around monuments and memorials have changed over time. Today, each monument prompts many questions: What should be remembered, and why? How should it be remembered? Where should a monument or memorial be built, and when? And who gets to decide? Most of us rarely get a say in how people and events are memorialized. What monuments or memorials would you like to see in your personal life, home, or local community? How can communities celebrate the ideas and values that are important to them together?
10:30 am, Corvallis Museum, Corvallis
July 17, 2026
Poetry in Place: Oregon Poet Laureate Ellen Waterston
The work of Oregon's eleventh Poet Laureate, Ellen Waterston, is deeply rooted in considerations of place. At this event, Ellen will read some of her work and engage in a discussion of her experiences as Poet Laureate travelling across our state. She will also lead one to two writing workshops prior to the evening reading.
5:00 p.m., Clatskanie Cultural Center, Clatskanie
July 18, 2026
Astoria Column One-Hundredth Anniversary Rededication
One hundred years after the original dedication of the historic monument, the community will gather to honor the past and look towards the future. Oregon Poet Laureate Ellen Waterston will read a poem commissioned for the occasion.
2:00 p.m., Astoria Column, Astoria
July 18, 2026
To What Do We Pledge?
While the opening of the Declaration of Independence gets the fanfare and the fireworks—“When in the course of human events” and all that—the closing clause contains a quiet promise: “We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” When we talk about the founding, we often think of it as a severing from a distant power and a proclamation of individual rights. And yet, buried in that big individualistic origin story, there is a pledge of support, solidarity, and mutual aid. Today, as we witness political violence, hostility, and polarization, this conversation invites us to explore what it means for us to be bound to one another and to ask ourselves: Is there any idea, any value, any dream for the future that we care about enough to tie ourselves to one another to protect or pursue it? What would it mean to “mutually pledge” ourselves to one another today? What would it look like? Feel like? Is it even possible?
Facilitator Wendy Willis is the founding director of Oregon's Kitchen Table, a statewide community engagement program housed at Portland State University. She is also a poet, an essayist, a stitcher, and a self-proclaimed democracy geek. Wendy was raised in Springfield, but now lives with her family in Portland.
3:00 p.m., Mt. Angel Public Library, Mt. Angel
July 18, 2026
Democracy in Motion
The constitution grants congress the power to establish post roads and regulate interstate commerce. For 250 years, political decisions rooted in these powers have shaped how we travel from place to place and even who can travel from place to place. For some, transportation is a mundane issue: the vehicles and routes that are needed to get where they need to go are available and convenient, even if they might not work perfectly sometimes. For others, getting around can be difficult and exhausting, or even impossible. Some find joy in getting around and others face barriers. How does transportation reflect our democratic values? Does how we get around foster democracy? If not, could it be made so?
11:30 a.m., Grants Pass Library, Grants Pass
July 29, 2026
To What Do We Pledge?
While the opening of the Declaration of Independence gets the fanfare and the fireworks—“When in the course of human events” and all that—the closing clause contains a quiet promise: “We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” When we talk about the founding, we often think of it as a severing from a distant power and a proclamation of individual rights. And yet, buried in that big individualistic origin story, there is a pledge of support, solidarity, and mutual aid. Today, as we witness political violence, hostility, and polarization, this conversation invites us to explore what it means for us to be bound to one another and to ask ourselves: Is there any idea, any value, any dream for the future that we care about enough to tie ourselves to one another to protect or pursue it? What would it mean to “mutually pledge” ourselves to one another today? What would it look like? Feel like? Is it even possible?
Facilitator Wendy Willis is the founding director of Oregon's Kitchen Table, a statewide community engagement program housed at Portland State University. She is also a poet, an essayist, a stitcher, and a self-proclaimed democracy geek. Wendy was raised in Springfield, but now lives with her family in Portland.
6:00 p.m., Central Library at Stevens Ranch, Bend
July 29, 2026
Pleading the Fifth: A Conversation About Self and Liberty
The Fifth Amendment has long been hailed as the ultimate safeguard of individual civil liberty against the authoritarian power of the state. It gives us the right to “due process of law” when charged with a crime. It protects us from “double jeopardy" or being prosecuted twice for the same crime. And it says we cannot be forced to incriminate ourselves, giving us the right not to answer questions that would suggest we have committed a crime. Do we still value the guarantees of the Fifth Amendment today? It is supposed to protect us from being forced to bear witness against ourselves. Can a person be truly safe from themselves in this place and time?
6:00 p.m., Bethany Library Annex, Portland
August 13, 2026
To What Do We Pledge?
While the opening of the Declaration of Independence gets the fanfare and the fireworks—“When in the course of human events” and all that—the closing clause contains a quiet promise: “We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” When we talk about the founding, we often think of it as a severing from a distant power and a proclamation of individual rights. And yet, buried in that big individualistic origin story, there is a pledge of support, solidarity, and mutual aid. Today, as we witness political violence, hostility, and polarization, this conversation invites us to explore what it means for us to be bound to one another and to ask ourselves: Is there any idea, any value, any dream for the future that we care about enough to tie ourselves to one another to protect or pursue it? What would it mean to “mutually pledge” ourselves to one another today? What would it look like? Feel like? Is it even possible?
Facilitator Wendy Willis is the founding director of Oregon's Kitchen Table, a statewide community engagement program housed at Portland State University. She is also a poet, an essayist, a stitcher, and a self-proclaimed democracy geek. Wendy was raised in Springfield, but now lives with her family in Portland.
6:00 p.m., Cedar Mill Community Library, Portland
September 19, 2026
Civicus: What Does It Mean to Be a Citizen?
In the United States, most people would say they believe in democracy. But do we all understand the word in the same way? Where does the concept of democracy come from, and what makes “the rule of the people” work? This conversation will dig into the history, philosophy, and practical workings of democracy. We’ll look at the words of important political thinkers from the past, the US Constitution, and research on challenges to democracy in the present day. We’ll leave with a better sense of what we mean when we say democracy and how to participate in the democratic process locally and nationally.
11:00 a.m., Grants Pass Library, Grants Pass