Events & Opportunities
August 11, 2026
Conversation Project Leader Information Session
Oregon Humanities is looking for people who want to facilitate conversations to get people talking, listening, and connecting to one another. This session will provide information about the Conversation Project program, what it’s like to be a facilitator, and the application process. Register here to attend.
11:00 a.m., Virtual Event, statewide
August 15, 2026
Molly Gloss on "The Jump-Off Creek"
Oregon author Molly Gloss will lead a discussion of her novel The Jump-Off Creek.
This event is supported by a Mini Grant for Rural Libraries from Oregon Humanities.
2:00 p.m., O'Brien Memorial Library, Blue River
August 15, 2026
The Telling of Stories
Survivor centered storytelling in a safe and compassionate environment. A gathering to raise awareness, honor lived experiences and share community resources. Speakers include Katrina Upton, executive director of Northwest American Indian Coalition, and Laura Nielsen.
This event is supported by a Public Program Grant from Oregon Humanities.
11:00 a.m., Chetco Community Public Library, Brookings
August 20, 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., Bethany Library Annex, Portland
August 22, 2026
The Telling of Stories
Survivor centered storytelling in a safe and compassionate environment. A gathering to raise awareness, honor lived experiences and share community resources. Speakers include Jolanda Ingram, a deputy district attorney for Del Norte County, and domestic violence service provider expert Lea Sevey.
This event is supported by a Public Program Grant from Oregon Humanities.
1:00 p.m., Chetco Community Public Library, Brookings
August 27, 2026
Talking About Values Across Political Divides
“How can I be me without making it difficult for you to be you?” This question gets at the fundamental challenge of being in society together. We live in a contentious political world, and it’s difficult to talk about our deepest values and beliefs in safe, civil, and respectful ways. In 2021, the Pew Research Center found that nearly six in ten Americans felt that political conversations with those you disagree with are generally stressful and frustrating, as opposed to being interesting and informative. If we avoid such conversations, we lose opportunities to form a community with others that reflects our best selves. How can we learn to share our values in ways that bring us together rather than push us further apart?
6:30 p.m., Dallas Public Library, Dallas
August 27, 2026
Talking About Values Across Political Divides
“How can I be me without making it difficult for you to be you?” This question gets at the fundamental challenge of being in society together. We live in a contentious political world, and it’s difficult to talk about our deepest values and beliefs in safe, civil, and respectful ways. In 2021, the Pew Research Center found that nearly six in ten Americans felt that political conversations with those you disagree with are generally stressful and frustrating, as opposed to being interesting and informative. If we avoid such conversations, we lose opportunities to form a community with others that reflects our best selves. How can we learn to share our values in ways that bring us together rather than push us further apart?
11:00 a.m., Virtual Event, statewide
August 29, 2026
The Telling of Stories
Survivor centered storytelling in a safe and compassionate environment. A gathering to raise awareness, honor lived experiences and share community resources. Speakers include Rhonda Berry and Carolina Rios.
This event is supported by a Public Program Grant from Oregon Humanities.
1:00 p.m., Chetco Community Public Library, Brookings
September 3, 2026
Declaration 250: Reading with Lois
Read together with former Oregon History Teacher of the Year Lois MacMillan as our community explores The American Revolution and the Fate of the World by Richard Bell in honor of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Book copies are available for checkout at the library. A community book discussion will take place on September 3.
This program is supported by a Mini Grant for Libraries from Oregon Humanities.
5:30 p.m., Grants Pass Library, Grants Pass
September 10, 2026
Migration: Changes and Transformation—What Changes and What Stays
Change is a natural part of life, but changes brought about by migration are particularly deep and complex. People who leave behind their country, their people, and part of their history have their lives radically transformed. This conversation is for immigrants. We want to offer a space where we can share our experiences and reflect together about the changes we have made since we left our native homes, what brought us to the place we live now, and the transformation we went through over this process. We will reflect on what happens to our roots, customs, and culture once we migrate and share our thoughts and needs.
Cristina was born in Barcelona, Spain. Her parents migrated from the south to the northeast of the country. She grew up speaking two languages and learned how to love both cultures. She became an acupuncturist and Shiatsu specialist and taught Shiatsu and Chinese Medicine for ten years. She also joined many musical groups and performed in weddings and bars for twelve years. She met her husband during a sabbatical year in South America and moved to the US soon after. She worked as a Latino Family Liaison for three years, and she and her husband co-founded PIE (Purpose in Expenses), a new way to give back to our global community. Cristina founded BENDitas, a collective that promotes culture in Spanish in her beloved Bend community. She has had to change many things since she moved to the United States in 2011, but her pride in being Spanish has never changed.
5:30 p.m., Latino Community Association Bend Office, Bend