Events & Opportunities

September 28, 2023

In-person Facilitation Training

Oregon Humanities' facilitation training prepares people to plan and facilitate conversations about vital issues and questions across differences, beliefs, and backgrounds. These conversations help build strong relationships within organizations and among communities. Read more about these trainings.

In-Person trainings are limited to the first sixteen people to sign up. Be ready to show proof of vaccination. Masks are not required, though we imagine that some people might opt to wear them. We will continue to follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Oregon Health Authority about in-person gatherings, and we’ll be ready to make changes and adapt. We will spend our time together talking in large and small groups, in small to mid-sized rooms at the office of Oregon Humanities in Portland. We will provide a light breakfast and lunch on both days. The training will take place over two days on Thursday, September 28, and Friday, September 29.

Register for this training.

9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Oregon Humanities, Portland

October 11, 2023

Consider This with Casey Parks

Join us for a conversation about family, belonging, and gender with Casey Parks. A longtime reporter for the Oregonian, Parks now covers gender and family issues for the Washington Post, where she has written about abortion access, Texas’ investigation of parents of trans kids, and the long tail of the US military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. In her 2022 book, Diary of a Misfit, Parks relates her own story of coming out in a rural Louisiana town in 2002 and her efforts to uncover the story of Roy Hudgins, a small-town singer who, like Parks, didn’t conform to the expectations of his community. This conversation—the first in our 2023–2024 Consider This series about fear and belonging—will explore how attitudes about gender affect where people seem to fit in. We'll also discuss where these attitudes come from and how they might change.

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

October 25, 2023

Conversation Project: Talking about Dying

Death is a universal event that transcends many of the differences between us. While we focus most on the quality of our lives and well-being, we rarely talk about the quality of our dying and deaths. Now in its sixth year, Oregon Humanities’ Talking about Dying program offers an opportunity to reflect on the stories and cultural influences that shape our thinking about this theme and to share perspectives and ideas with fellow community members. During the program, participants explore such questions as, How might our family, traditions, rituals, religion, and beliefs shape how we think about death? What would a “good death” look like for us? What do we want—and not want—at the end of our life? What are the essential considerations?

Click here to register for this free conversation.

10:30 a.m. to noon, Cedar Mill Community Library, Portland

November 1, 2023

Oregon Humanities Live

Join the editors of Oregon Humanities magazine for an evening featuring Saeeda Wright, Leanne Grabel, Brian Benson, Jennifer Perrine, and other recent contributors reading essays and poems.

7:00 p.m., Honey Latte Cafe, Portland

January 17, 2024

Conversation Project: Housing and Belonging

Housing and homelessness is a visible and divisive issue in local media, in politics, and across different communities within our state. Many of us were experiencing housing instability and economic uncertainty even during the “boom” times before the current crisis. This conversation will explore common assumptions and perspectives about the experience of houselessness/homelessness and seek to answer the question, How do we decide who “belongs” in our community?

Register for this free event here.

6:00 to 7:30 p.m., Cedar Mill Community Library, Portland