A Place to Be
Geneva Gano explores the stories of families with transgender children moving to Oregon in search of safety and belonging.
A Clean Drop of Water
Jose Abrego Melendez writes about how water contamination in Northeast Oregon has affected his community.
Una Gota de Agua Limpia
Jose Abrego Melendez describe como la contaminación de agua afecta a su comunidad en el noreste de Oregon.
What We Owe Each Other
A conversation about chronic illness, care, and interdependence with Amy Irvine
The Swim Cure
A photo essay by Per Bjesse
Metronome
An excerpt from "Live Through This," a memoir in progress by Astra Lincoln
After Fire
Brett Zimmerman on the impossible problems first responders are asked to solve.
Balancing Acts
Valarie Smith writes about getting comfortable with the uncertainty of living with chronic vertigo.
Life after Running
Astra Lincoln writes about the psychology of illness and injury among athletes.
Vanishing Words
Grazia Rutherford-Swan writes about a stroke, an abusive relationship, and learning to speak again.
Full Catastrophe Eating, from Soil to Soul
Diane Choplin on experiencing the joys and pains of consuming meat mindfully.
Minor Malady
A comic by Eleanor Klock on eczema, compassion, and the relativity of suffering
Blood Money
Vanessa Veselka writes about poverty, precarity, and plasma.
Gray Matters
Ryan Pfeil on how the challenges of 2020 affected his work, family, and memory
Proper Care
Diane Choplin on the messy business of birthing lambs and the more complicated work of raising children.
A Monstrosity Beyond Reason
Danielle LaSusa writes about postpartum psychosis.
Tell Me About That
A physician reflects on pain, attention, and the ethics of caregiving.
Tug-of-War
Medical care often requires isolating ourselves from those we love. But without them, how do we heal?
The Caregiver Strain Index
Erica Goss reflects on the experience of caring for her son within a dysfunctional mental health system.
Mad
An excerpt from Emilly Prado's forthcoming essay collection, Funeral for Flaca.
Heavy
Pandemic and politics surfaced feelings I couldn't face, or even describe. So I ate them. An essay by Bobbie Willis Soeby
The Family You Choose
Residents of Portland’s C3PO camps share their experiences of street life, the pandemic, and building a new community. By Olivia Wolf
The Crowd Might Cover You
Recollections of finding anxiety, kindness, and community on the streets of Portland
In These Uncertain Times
During the pandemic, Oregonians have been urged to “stay home, save lives.” But for many, staying home is not an option.
A Community of Recovery
Shadow Silvers writes about finding stability in a sober living house.
The Case for Group Living
Lola Milholland writes about finding joy in the intimacy and solidarity of a crowded house.
The View from Council Crest
Ruby McConnell writes about revisiting the landscape of her sister's fatal overdose.
Mask Makers
Photojournalist Katharine Kimball documents DIY efforts in Hood River to manufacture personal protective equipment to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Body in Motion
Tara L. Campbell on searching for the roots of her daughter's incessant rocking and her own need to stay moving.
The Life We Pay For
Tina Ontiveros writes about the different paths her life and her sister's have taken since their shared childhood experiences of poverty and abandonment.
Editor's Note: Finite and Unpredictable
Editor Kathleen Holt writes about the settling and unsettling of an aging parent.
Our Most-read Stories of 2018
Our readers' favorite articles and videos from the past year explore stories of identity, place, and belonging.
Acceptance
Shilo Niziolek writes about the impact of Marylhurst University's closure on its students.
On Tinnitus
Lucie Bonvalet writes about eight years of living with tinnitus, "a gray veil, a sort of curtain of rain, between me and everything outside of me."
Sixteen in America
Marissa Levy writes about mental illness exacerbated by stresses created by social media and academic pressure.
The Third Bullet
Jason Arias on reckoning with abbreviated phrases and abbreviated lives as an EMT.
The Reflex
Jamie Passaro on searching for the cause of her daughter's debilitating tantrums
Walk On
An innovative program connects physical activity and memory to improve the health of Portland communities affected by change. An article by Marty Hughley with photos by Tojo Andrianarivo
Posts
Readers write about Carry
Uncovered
Writer Donnell Alexander and photographer Kim Nguyen on one undocumented family's long wait for adequate health care
You'll See Me Tomorrow Because
A prose poem by Anis Mojgani
Posts
Readers write about Move
Plague Fears
Eula Biss writes about how a threat becomes a plague in this excerpt from her book On Immunity.
Kansas in Technicolor
After a mastectomy, finding beauty in loss. An essay by Gretchen Icenogle
Resume Usual Activity
Jamie Passaro writes about parenting—and being parented—through mental illness.
Damaged
When disaster strikes, sanity is a matter of degree. An essay by Evelyn Sharenov
Are You My Mother?
When a new medication makes the Lois Ruskai Melina's mother more outgoing and impulsive, she must face a choice: Should she have her taken off the drug, even though she likes her better on it?
Magazine Podcast: Start
Talking about epigenetics, adoption, faith, and clowns with Oregon Humanities magazine contributors
Epigenetics and Equity
Zip code may be more important than genetic code when it come's to determining a person's health. A film produced by Dan Sadowsky for Oregon Humanities.
Before You Know It
Your health may be determined by stresses experienced by your great-grandparents. How does this change how we plan for the future?
Trapped in the Spotlight
What happens when quitting your job means quitting yourself? An essay by Courtenay Hameister
Posts
Readers write about "Me"
A Crooked Still Life
An illness, a recovery, and a couple's uncertain future. An essay by Margaret Malone
Gods and the Rest of Us
The perils and burdens of human enhancement. An essay by Mott Greene
Soldiers' Stories
Photographer Jim Lommasson collaborates with war veterans on a gallery exhibit and book project that look at life for soldiers after returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Pursuing the Science of Happiness
In the complicated quest for bliss, the search is the thing. An essay by Andrew Guest
The Crossing
A two-week journey toward hope and home. By Vicente Martinez.