June 18, 2026

Poetry for the People Reading and Consider This Livestream

The Jacksonville Library will stream an Oregon Humanities conversation with the poet and novelist Naomi Shihab Nye, preceded by a live poetry reading featuring members of the Southern Oregon Poetry for the People group. In the live reading, poets preview their new anthology Poetry for the Planet. Then, in a livestream from Portland’s Alberta Theater, Shihab Nye will focus on how communities become what we hope them to be. How should we strive to live together in community?

5:30 p.m., Jacksonville Branch Library, Jacksonville

June 18, 2026

Consider This with Naomi Shihab Nye

A conversation with the extraordinary poet and novelist Naomi Shihab Nye about nations and communities. What makes this nation, the United States, what it is? How do nations change over time, and what moves those changes? How do communities become what we hope them to be? How should we strive to live together in community?

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

June 18, 2026

Consider This with Naomi Shihab Nye watch party: Clatskanie

Join Clatskanie Library District for a live watch party of our Consider This with Naomi Shihab Nye.

7:00 p.m., Clatskanie Library District, Clatskanie

June 25, 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.”

6:00 p.m., Hood River County Library District, Hood River

June 25, 2026

The Pursuit of Happiness

The most famous phrase from the Declaration of Independence is: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Why did the founders include “the pursuit of Happiness” in the Declaration? What did they mean by this phrase? What does it mean to us today?

Register for this free online event.

3:00 p.m. Pacific, Virtual Event, statewide

June 26, 2026

Talking About Values Across Political Divides

“How can I be me without making it difficult for you to be you?” This question gets at the fundamental challenge of being in society together. We live in a contentious political world, and it’s difficult to talk about our deepest values and beliefs in safe, civil, and respectful ways. In 2021, the Pew Research Center found that nearly six in ten Americans felt that political conversations with those you disagree with are generally stressful and frustrating, as opposed to being interesting and informative. If we avoid such conversations, we lose opportunities to form a community with others that reflects our best selves. How can we learn to share our values in ways that bring us together rather than push us further apart?

5:30 p.m., Cook Memorial Library, La Grande

June 27, 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.”

2:00 p.m., Jacksonville Branch Library, Jacksonville

June 29, 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 free online event.

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

June 30, 2026

Can We Get Along?

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 online event.

4:00 p.m. Pacific, Virtual Event, statewide

July 10, 2026

Monuments and Memorials: Who, What, Where, When, and Why?

As long as humans have sought to honor the present and remember times past, we have built monuments and memorials. Our traditions around monuments and memorials have changed over time. Today, each monument prompts many questions: What should be remembered, and why? How should it be remembered? Where should a monument or memorial be built, and when? And who gets to decide? Most of us rarely get a say in how people and events are memorialized. What monuments or memorials would you like to see in your personal life, home, or local community? How can communities celebrate the ideas and values that are important to them together?

10:30 am, Corvallis Museum, Corvallis