April 30, 2026

Write Place with Ellen Waterston

Write Place welcomes Oregon Poet Laureate Ellen Waterston to read and discuss her work. WOU president, Dr. Jesse Peters, will introduce Waterston.

This event will take place in the Willamette Room at Werner University Center.

4:00 p.m., Werner University Center, Monmouth

April 30, 2026

Beyond 250 Community Dinner

Join Echo Public Library for a free community dinner provided by H&P Cafe and a guided conversation exploring ideas of equality, liberty, and the future of our community as part of Oregon Humanities' Beyond 250 initiative. This event brings people together to share a meal, listen, and reflect on the next 250 years. Anna Lemmon will facilitate the conversation.

5:30 p.m., Echo City Hall, Community Center, and Library, Echo

April 30, 2026

Live Watch Party: Labor, Farmworker Organizing, and Histories of Indigenous Communities in Oregon

Join Willamette University's Department of Community Engagment for a live screening of our Consider This conversation "Labor, Farmworker Organizing, and Histories of Indigenous Communities in Oregon." 

This event will take place in Ford Hall at Willamette University, Room 102.

7:00 p.m., Willamette University, Ford Hall, Salem

April 30, 2026

Consider This: Labor, Farmworker Organizing, and Histories of Indigenous Communities in Oregon

Joaquín Lara Midkiff moderates this conversation with labor organizers Reyna López and Ramón Ramírez. The conversation will illuminate the many ways that the mid-Willamette Valley has been home to powerful farmworker and solidarity movements that transformed the lives of migrant laborers and reshaped Oregon's political and economic landscape.

7:00 p.m., Mt. Angel Theater Studio, Mt. Angel

May 1, 2026

"Labor" Issue Release Party

Join the editors of Oregon Humanities magazine to celebrate the release of our Spring 2026 issue, "Labor." We will gather at Rosentstadt Brewery in Northeast Portland for a May Day happy hour. Meet contributors, pick up an extra copy for your neighbor, and stay for a drink!

4:00 to 6:00 p.m., Rosenstadt Brewery, Portland

May 6, 2026

What Does It Mean to Be American?

This conversation will explore when and how we define ourselves as an “American.” Does knowing the Constitution make us American? Does living on land controlled by the United States of America make us American? Through conversation and nonverbal exploration, we will share what “American” means to us individually and within the communities we belong to or came from, and what perspectives shaped our understanding of American identity and who is included in “We the People.”

Register for this free event.

Facilitator Chisao Hata is a performing artist, educator, and arts integration specialist. She has been called a “community weaver” through facilitation, community engagement and creating artistic collaborations. She has been a protector of imagination and personal discovery and a champion for individual expression. Creating engaged learning is her life’s work. She has had the honor of serving hundreds of Portland’s children, youth, and adults across many communities. Chisao believes we are all inextricably linked, and the power of gathering is a conduit to build and heal our understandings between our communities.

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

May 7, 2026

Declaration 250: The Declaration in a New Millenium

Join former Oregon History Teacher of the Year Lois MacMillan for Declaration 250, a program exploring a different topic each session related to the history and ideals of the Declaration of Independence. Each program features primary sources from the Gilder Lehrman Institute’s panel exhibit Declaration 1776: The Big Bang of Modern Democracy, which will be on display throughout 2026 in various locations around Josephine County.

Lois MacMillan teaches history at Grants Pass High School and has been recognized nationally for her innovative teaching and dedication to Founding Era education.

5:30 p.m., Josephine Community Library, Grants Pass

May 8, 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.

Facilitator Prakash Chenjeri is a professor and chair of the philosophy program at Southern Oregon University. He was educated both in India and the US. His research and teaching focus on understanding the concept of citizenship, the role of scientific literacy in modern democracy, and debates over science and religion. He co-directs the Democracy Project, a comprehensive examination of democracy around the world in the twenty-first century. He has lived in Oregon for more than three decades.

noon, Hillsboro Shute Park Library, Hillsboro

May 12, 2026

Reflective Conversation Training (in-person)

This training will take place at Open Space Event Studios (220 NE Lafayette Ave., Bend) on the following days:

• Day 1: Tuesday, May 12, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Day 2: Wednesday, May 13, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

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

9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Open Space Event Studios, Bend

May 13, 2026

Softening Sharp Teeth: Getting Curious about Conflict

Interpersonal conflict and disagreement are part of being in relationship with others, but many of us fear conflict. Motivated by many factors, including cultural norms, concern for social consequences, and personal safety, many of us avoid it. What might we learn and how might we grow by making more room for conflict? What skills do we need to responsibly engage in conflict? How can shifting our relationship to conflict offer us new perspectives about ourselves and the groups we belong to? This community conversation is an opportunity to reflect on our relationships to interpersonal conflict outside of where we might most often encounter it, like the heated context of an argument at the dinner table or online. Facilitator Emily Squires will lead a judgement- and jargon-free discussion of what we mean when we say conflict, considering how interpersonal conflict shapes our lives and tools to use when experiencing it.

Register for this event here. The conversation will take place in Building 5, Room 122. A PCC parking pass is required.

11:00 a.m., Portland Community College Rock Creek Campus, Portland