Events & Opportunities
August 27, 2025
Reading and workshop with Ellen Waterston
Oregon Poet Laureate Ellen Waterston leads a presentation and workshop at the Paisley Library.
1:00 p.m., Lake County Library - Paisley Branch, OR
September 3, 2025
Celebrate Our Summer Issue
Join us for a happy hour celebration of our Summer 2025 issue! Come connect with the Oregon Humanities team and fellow readers as we mark the release of our latest magazine, "Real".
4:00 to 6:00 p.m., The Zipper, Portland
September 6, 2025
Botanical dye workshop
Canby Public Library presents a workshop that will introduce participants to numerous natural dyes and how to use them in unique combinations to create stunning, sustainable color. Participants will experiment with different plant matter, including flowers, bark, roots, and other natural materials, to learn in a hands-on way how the dye process works. Using natural materials like plants for dyes, instead of using harsh chemical products, can be a sustainable practice by reducing pollution, conserving resources, and minimizing waste. This workshop also connects individuals to nature and fosters a deeper appreciation for the environment, in addition to supporting local communities by preserving traditional plant knowledge.
This event is supported by a Mini Grant for Rural Libraries from Oregon Humanities.
1:00 p.m., Canby Public Library, Canby
September 13, 2025
Visible Mending Demonstration
Canby Public Library presents a demonstration of visible mending with fiber artist Vivien Wise. Visible mending is a creative approach to repairing clothes and other fabric items where the mended areas are intentionally kept visible, rather than trying to conceal them. It's a way to personalize garments, add character, and extend the life of clothing by celebrating the repairs as part of the design.
This event is supported by a Minigrant for Rural Libraries from Oregon Humanities.
1:00 p.m., Canby Public Library, Canby
September 17, 2025
Oregon Canneries and the Quest for the American Dream
In the late 1800’s, the Columbia River fish canning industry was one of the most valuable in the world. This program, presented by Julie Triezenberg of the Columbia River Maritime Museum, discusses the history of the canneries, their impact on local communities, and the legacy they left behind after their closure.
This event is supported by a Mini Grant for Rural Libraries from Oregon Humanities.
7:00 p.m., Scappoose Public Library, Scappoose
September 19, 2025
An Evening with Willy Vlautin
Join Oregon author Willy Vlautin for a lively discussion of his latest book, The Horse, along with songs and stories from the novel. You can pick up a free copy of The Horse at Columbia County Libraries starting August 18, while supplies last.
7:00 p.m., Birkenfeld Theatre, Clatskanie
September 20, 2025
Willy Vlautin's Book Club
This is an informal event where the audience can discuss the themes and other elements in any of Willy Vlautin's books face to face with the author. Come prepared with your questions and observations.
This event is supported by a Mini Grant for Rural Libraries from Oregon Humanities.
7:00 p.m., Scappoose Community & Senior Center, Scappoose
October 1, 2025
Conversation Project: Relationships for Resilience
In a time of intensifying social and ecological crises, in a cultural context of individualism, the pressure to practice "self-care," build "personal resilience," and "transform oneself" is pervasive. While "doing your own work" is important, we overemphasize the individual to the detriment of our human communities and the rest of the living world. The deep transformations we need will be cocreated, and the deep resilience we must develop will be relational. In this conversation, we will explore the dynamics of our strongest relationships, seeking to name the qualities and practices that underpin resilience. How can we bring our insights more intentionally and broadly to bear in our human relationships and in our relationships with our home—lands, waters, and ecosystems?
6:00 p.m., Cedar Mill Community Library, Portland
October 11, 2025
Conversation Project: Understanding Urban/Rural Identities
We live in a time of increasing polarization that often correlates to divides between urban and rural regions in our state. This polarization is so extreme that it often seems like the two sides may have completely different experiences of the world. Join facilitator Nick Nash in a conversation that asks, How does the urban/rural divide affect the ways we relate to each other as Oregonians? What is the urban/rural divide, and how do we understand it? How does this divide affect our day-to-day lives and our experiences of being governed? This conversation is a chance to reflect on the beliefs we have about our urban or rural neighbors with a focus on discovering and abandoning misbeliefs, investigating and learning about the real differences between the urban and the rural, and trying to find things that we all share as Oregonians.
Register for this free event at ostasubs.org.
10:00 a.m., Chemeketa Eola, Salem
October 18, 2025
Our People, Our Stories
Join tina ontiveros, author of the memoir Rough House, to discuss growing up in Oregon logging camps and how writing this memoir affected her connection with the region, the people, and herself.
This program is supported by a Mini Grant for Rural Libraries from Oregon Humanities.
3:00 p.m., Mt. Angel Public Library, Mt. Angel