September 10, 2026

Community Storytelling Fellowship Info Session

Learn from Oregon Humanities staff about the Community Storytelling Fellowship and the application process. To register for the info session, please use this form.

The session will be recorded and shared with everyone who registers, so please register even if you can't attend live.

The Community Storytelling Fellowship is awarded annually to Oregonians who belong to communities that are underrepresented in Oregon media. For more information about the Community Storytelling Fellowship, please visit this page.

10:00 a.m., Virtual Event, statewide

September 11, 2026

Echoes from the Past, Part 2: Leaving Tule Lake

Siblings Dave and Peggy Doi share how their parents ultimately left the Tule Lake incarceration camp. Learn how their father and three dozen other men from Tule Lake became the first to enlist in the US Army from their camp, attending a highly classified Military Intelligence Language School (MILS) near Minneapolis to prepare for vital service in the South Pacific. This presentation weaves together their father’s secret wartime contributions and their mother’s path to freedom through a marriage proposal, offering a unique perspective on courage and survival and inspiration for questions facing people of conscience today. No need to have attended the first presentation. 

Tickets, $5, available here.

This presentation is funded in part by a Public Programs Grant from Oregon Humanities.

4:00 p.m., Jacksonville Community Center, Jacksonville

September 17, 2026

Reflective Conversation Training (in-person)

During this in-person facilitation training, participants will:

• learn about facilitation and reflective conversation
• have an opportunity to practice new skills and techniques
• reflect on and share your own beliefs and assumptions and listen to beliefs, backgrounds, and experiences different than your own
• design and participate in reflective conversations and debriefs that analyze facilitation tools and choices.

This training will take place at the Charlene Larsen Center for the Performing Arts in Astoria (588 16th St.) over the following days:

• Day 1: Thursday, September 17, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Day 2: Friday, September 18, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

To register for the Sempteber in-person training, click here.

9:00 a.m. for 4:00 p.m., Charlene Larsen Center for the Performing Arts, Astoria

September 17, 2026

Past and Future Cultural Lifeways of Western Oregon Tribes

The Willamette Valley is rich with history that has been largely unrecorded—its riverbanks, forests, and mountains have been home to the tribes of Kalapuya, Chinook, Molalla, and more for thousands of years. Please join us for a presentation by OSU Professor and Indigenous scholar David Lewis, who will highlight Native perspectives on the history of the region and take us through a journey from then to now. Dr. Lewis is a member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and author of the book Tribal Histories of the Willamette Valley.

7:00 p.m., Beaverton City Library, Beaverton

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

September 22, 2026

Consider This with Stephanie Land Watch Party: La Grande

Join Oregon Humanities for a live watch party of our Consider This conversation about trust, work, and poverty with Stephanie Land, author of the books Maid and Class. In her two best-selling memoirs, Land writes about cleaning houses and struggling to get by as a single mom in the Northwest. During this time she found herself both trusted and distrusted: Her clients entrusted her with the intimate details of their lives, but she was forced to demonstrate over and over again that she was eligible for the meager public assistance she received.

This event kicks off our 2026–27 Consider This series, What Do We Trust?

7:00 p.m., HQ, La Grande

September 22, 2026

Consider This with Stephanie Land

Join us for a conversation about trust, work, and poverty with Stephanie Land, author of the books Maid and Class. In her two best-selling memoirs, Land writes about cleaning houses and struggling to get by as a single mom in the Northwest. During this time she found herself both trusted and distrusted: Her clients entrusted her with the intimate details of their lives, but she was forced to demonstrate over and over again that she was eligible for the meager public assistance she received.

This event kicks off our 2025–26 Consider This series, What Do We Trust?

Tickets are $15 and are available through the venue website. 

7:00 p.m., Alberta Rose Theatre, Portland

September 22, 2026

Grieving in Nature: Can connecting with nature help us heal?

Most of us know about the physical and emotional benefits of spending time outdoors. But did you know that getting outside can assist in grieving and processing loss? In this conversation, we’ll discuss how our connections to nature provide context and understanding around grieving. Can a deeper connection with nature and the outdoors provide additional value and perspective?

The conversation will take place on the Soapstone Lake Trail. RSVP for this free event.

10:00 a.m., Soapstone Lake Trail, Nehalem

September 25, 2026

Tough Shit with Oregon Humanities

Tough Shit is an onstage conversation about the most challenging questions Portlanders are facing. We’ll bring together four people with very different experiences of and perspectives on the city to talk through some shit with help from the audience and a moderator. The questions will be tough, and this shit will not be resolved in one night; We expect to leave with more questions than answers, plus some renewed hope for the future. And if not, well….

This time, we're talking about faith and the city with faith leaders: Rabbi Ariel Stone, Pastor Naseem Khalili, Jacobsen Valentine, and Father James Antonio.

Tickets for this event are $15. Get tickets here.

7:00 p.m., Tomorrow Theater, Portland

September 29, 2026

Wilderness Treasures with William L. Sullivan

William Sullivan is the author of many books and articles about Oregon. In this talk, moderated by John Witte, he will discuss the many wilderness treasures of the Upper McKenzie region in Oregon.

This event is supported by a Mini Grant for Libraries from Oregon Humanities.

2:00 p.m., O'Brien Memorial Library, Blue River