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.
Amplify Women
Have you noticed that we don’t hear enough women on the radio in Portland (or nearly anywhere)? For the last 5 years, XRAY has sought to shine a spotlight on these disparities and inequities in the voices we listen to and the perspectives whose media we consume. Since radio is an industry that continues to exclude women and those with intersecting experiences of marginalization, we hold an all-day radio teach-in each year on International Women’s Day.
Consider This with Laura Kipnis
Join us for a conversation with Laura Kipnis, author of Love in the Time of Contagion and Unwanted Advances, on love, marriage, and capitalism. Kipnis is a cultural critic and essayist whose work focuses on sexual politics in the United States. This program is part of our 2022 Consider This series American Dreams, American Myths, American Hopes.
Mad
An excerpt from Emilly Prado's forthcoming essay collection, Funeral for Flaca.
Loneliness and Aging During COVID-19
Most people are finding ways to remain connected to their loved ones during COVID-19. Some are even reaching new levels of intimacy in relationships. But for isolated elderly people who are not computer literate, loneliness has only become more intense over the past year. What beliefs do we hold about loneliness and aging? If we have elderly neighbors and loved ones, what might they need at this time?
Connect In Place: Should Schools Reopen? Risk, Reward, and Making Decisions in Community
Schools in Oregon are in the process of bringing students back into physical classrooms after a full year of virtual learning for many. Join Aimee Craig in a reflective conversation that asks, How do you weigh risks and benefits? How do we make decisions as a community when risk is involved?
Connect in Place: From Marijuana to Cannabis - The New Normal
After nearly a century of attempted federal prohibition, cannabis is woven into the fabric of our mainstream society, from entertainment platforms to publicly traded corporations. Join Ryan Stroud to reflect on the impacts of these changes on ourselves and our communities.
Connect in Place: What are we learning from the COVID-19 pandemic, and how will we remember it?
How can we put our energy, intention, and creativity into nurturing deep individual and collective learning that will outlive the pandemic? How do we shape a better “new normal,” wherein even the concept of normal itself is liberated from various constraints? We can start by talking about it.
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.
Connect in Place: This Place Now
Each Tuesday evening, we’re hosting virtual conversations with communities around the state. Our aim is to create spaces, in this physically separated moment, for Oregonians to gather, connect, reflect, and talk with one another. This week's online conversation will explore what COVID-19 means for us and our local communities with people living on the Oregon Coast, in Eastern Oregon, and around the Columbia River Gorge. This online conversation will explore what COVID-19 means for us and our local communities with people living on the Oregon Coast, in Eastern Oregon, and around the Columbia River Gorge.
Mask Makers
Photojournalist Katharine Kimball documents DIY efforts in Hood River to manufacture personal protective equipment to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
How We Grow Old: Stories of Aging in Oregon and Beyond
What are the stories that shape how we think about growing old? How do we acknowledge the unique differences among aging individuals and separate the true stories from the myths? How do we accept the wisdom of our elders’ experiences while also recognizing new ideas about what it means to age in America? No matter our age, we all hear and tell stories about growing older that reflect our own ideals and fears—and the ideals and fears of our communities. Join facilitator Melissa Madenski as we look at the power of story in a conversation that will ask you to share your own experiences and ideas about aging and listen to the perspectives of others in your community.
CANCELED - How We Grow Old: Stories of Aging in Oregon and Beyond
What are the stories that shape how we think about growing old? How do we acknowledge the unique differences among aging individuals and separate the true stories from the myths? How do we accept the wisdom of our elders’ experiences while also recognizing new ideas about what it means to age in America? No matter our age, we all hear and tell stories about growing older that reflect our own ideals and fears—and the ideals and fears of our communities. Join facilitator Melissa Madenski as we look at the power of story in a conversation that will ask you to share your own experiences and ideas about aging and listen to the perspectives of others in your community.
This event has been postponed and will be rescheduled.CANCELED - How We Grow Old: Stories of Aging in Oregon and Beyond
What are the stories that shape how we think about growing old? How do we acknowledge the unique differences among aging individuals and separate the true stories from the myths? How do we accept the wisdom of our elders’ experiences while also recognizing new ideas about what it means to age in America? No matter our age, we all hear and tell stories about growing older that reflect our own ideals and fears—and the ideals and fears of our communities. Join facilitator Melissa Madenski as we look at the power of story in a conversation that will ask you to share your own experiences and ideas about aging and listen to the perspectives of others in your community.
This event has been postponed and will be rescheduled.Fair Share: What Makes a Good Tax?
People and businesses expect certain public services—education, transportation, protection, to name a few—and “tax” is the word we use to indicate how we pay for these services. But among taxpayers, areas of frequent and vehement disagreement are what constitutes a needed public service, how much we should pay for those services, and who will be taxed (and how) for them. The conversation, led by facilitator Mary Nolan, will explore the effects—both intended and unintended—of different types of taxes and invite participants to examine and understand their own ideas and their neighbors’ ideas about the best and worst characteristics of local, state, and federal taxes.
Who Are the Deserving Poor?
If you’ve grown up in the United States, chances are you’ve been conditioned to trust that your individual success is earned through hard work. But if this is the case, what do we make of the millions of Americans who struggle with poverty, hunger, and job insecurity? Who is to blame for poverty? What qualities or conditions allow a person to be considered “deserving” of government and community support? Join facilitator Erica Tucker for a conversation that explores our beliefs about poverty and asks us to consider our assumptions about who should—and shouldn’t—be eligible for support.
CANCELED - How We Grow Old: Stories of Aging in Oregon and Beyond
What are the stories that shape how we think about growing old? How do we acknowledge the unique differences among aging individuals and separate the true stories from the myths? How do we accept the wisdom of our elders’ experiences while also recognizing new ideas about what it means to age in America? No matter our age, we all hear and tell stories about growing older that reflect our own ideals and fears—and the ideals and fears of our communities. Join facilitator Melissa Madenski as we look at the power of story in a conversation that will ask you to share your own experiences and ideas about aging and listen to the perspectives of others in your community.
This event has been postponed and will be rescheduled.Conversation Project: Talking about Dying
Death is a universal event that transcends many of the differences between us, but it's not something that we have regular opportunities to think and talk about. Oregon Humanities developed the Talking about Dying program to create more public opportunities to reflect on the stories and influences that shape our thinking about death and dying and to hear perspectives and ideas from fellow community members. Talking about Dying community conversations are free, ninety-minute facilitated discussions geared toward public audiences (ages 15+). During the program, participants talk together about questions such as: What do we want—and not want—at the end of our life? How might our family, culture, religion, and beliefs shape how we think about death? How do access to care, geography, and desires to be remembered affect our decisions about the end of our life? This event will take place in the Large Meeting Room and will be facilitated by Fred Grewe.
Conversation Project: Who Are the Deserving Poor?
If you’ve grown up in the United States, chances are you’ve been conditioned to trust that your individual success is earned through hard work. But if this is the case, what do we make of the millions of Americans who struggle with poverty, hunger, and job insecurity? Who is to blame for poverty? What qualities or conditions allow a person to be considered “deserving” of government and community support? Join facilitator Erica Tucker for a conversation that explores our beliefs about poverty and asks us to consider our assumptions about who should—and shouldn’t—be eligible for support.
CANCELED - Conversation Project: Fair Share
People and businesses expect certain public services—education, transportation, protection, to name a few—and “tax” is the word we use to indicate how we pay for these services. But among taxpayers, areas of frequent and vehement disagreement are what constitutes a needed public service, how much we should pay for those services, and who will be taxed (and how) for them. The conversation, led by facilitator Mary Nolan, will explore the effects—both intended and unintended—of different types of taxes and invite participants to examine and understand their own ideas and their neighbors’ ideas about the best and worst characteristics of local, state, and federal taxes. The admission fee for this conversation is $5. This event will take place in the grange hall.
This event has been postponed and will be rescheduled.CANCELED - Conversation Project: How We Grow Old
What are the stories that shape how we think about growing old? How do we acknowledge the unique differences among aging individuals and separate the true stories from the myths? How do we accept the wisdom of our elders’ experiences while also recognizing new ideas about what it means to age in America? No matter our age, we all hear and tell stories about growing older that reflect our own ideals and fears—and the ideals and fears of our communities. Join facilitator Melissa Madenski as we look at the power of story in a conversation that will ask you to share your own experiences and ideas about aging and listen to the perspectives of others in your community. The admission fee for this event is $5, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. This event will take place in the grange hall.
This event has been postponed and will be rescheduled.Conversation Project: Who Are the Deserving Poor?
If you’ve grown up in the United States, chances are you’ve been conditioned to trust that your individual success is earned through hard work. But if this is the case, what do we make of the millions of Americans who struggle with poverty, hunger, and job insecurity? Who is to blame for poverty? What qualities or conditions allow a person to be considered “deserving” of government and community support? Join facilitator Erica Tucker for a conversation that explores our beliefs about poverty and asks us to consider our assumptions about who should—and shouldn’t—be eligible for support.
Conversation Project: Talking about Dying
Death is a universal event that transcends many of the differences between us, but it's not something that we have regular opportunities to think and talk about. Oregon Humanities developed the Talking about Dying program to create more public opportunities to reflect on the stories and influences that shape our thinking about death and dying and to hear perspectives and ideas from fellow community members. Talking about Dying community conversations are free, ninety-minute facilitated discussions geared toward public audiences (ages 15+). During the program, participants talk together about questions such as: What do we want—and not want—at the end of our life? How might our family, culture, religion, and beliefs shape how we think about death? How do access to care, geography, and desires to be remembered affect our decisions about the end of our life?
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.
Conversation Project: How We Grow Old
What are the stories that shape how we think about growing old? How do we acknowledge the unique differences among aging individuals and separate the true stories from the myths? How do we accept the wisdom of our elders’ experiences while also recognizing new ideas about what it means to age in America? No matter our age, we all hear and tell stories about growing older that reflect our own ideals and fears—and the ideals and fears of our communities. Join facilitator Melissa Madenski as we look at the power of story in a conversation that will ask you to share your own experiences and ideas about aging and listen to the perspectives of others in your community.
Conversation Project: Who Are the Deserving Poor?
If you’ve grown up in the United States, chances are you’ve been conditioned to trust that your individual success is earned through hard work. But if this is the case, what do we make of the millions of Americans who struggle with poverty, hunger, and job insecurity? Who is to blame for poverty? What qualities or conditions allow a person to be considered “deserving” of government and community support? Join facilitator Erica Tucker for a conversation that explores our beliefs about poverty and asks us to consider our assumptions about who should—and shouldn’t—be eligible for support.
Conversation Project: Who Are the Deserving Poor?
If you’ve grown up in the United States, chances are you’ve been conditioned to trust that your individual success is earned through hard work. But if this is the case, what do we make of the millions of Americans who struggle with poverty, hunger, and job insecurity? Who is to blame for poverty? What qualities or conditions allow a person to be considered “deserving” of government and community support? Join facilitator Erica Tucker for a conversation that explores our beliefs about poverty and asks us to consider our assumptions about who should—and shouldn’t—be eligible for support.
Conversation Project: Talking about Dying
Death is a universal event that transcends many of the differences between us, but it's not something that we have regular opportunities to think and talk about. Oregon Humanities developed the Talking about Dying program to create more public opportunities to reflect on the stories and influences that shape our thinking about death and dying and to hear perspectives and ideas from fellow community members. Talking about Dying community conversations are free, ninety-minute facilitated discussions geared toward public audiences (ages 15+). During the program, participants talk together about questions such as: What do we want—and not want—at the end of our life? How might our family, culture, religion, and beliefs shape how we think about death? How do access to care, geography, and desires to be remembered affect our decisions about the end of our life?
Conversation Project: How We Grow Old
What are the stories that shape how we think about growing old? How do we acknowledge the unique differences among aging individuals and separate the true stories from the myths? How do we accept the wisdom of our elders’ experiences while also recognizing new ideas about what it means to age in America? No matter our age, we all hear and tell stories about growing older that reflect our own ideals and fears—and the ideals and fears of our communities. Join facilitator Melissa Madenski as we look at the power of story in a conversation that will ask you to share your own experiences and ideas about aging and listen to the perspectives of others in your community.
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.
Conversation Project: What Makes a Good Tax?
People and businesses expect certain public services—education, transportation, protection, to name a few—and “tax” is the word we use to indicate how we pay for these services. But among taxpayers, areas of frequent and vehement disagreement are what constitutes a needed public service, how much we should pay for those services, and who will be taxed (and how) for them. The conversation, led by facilitator Mary Nolan, will explore the effects—both intended and unintended—of different types of taxes and invite participants to examine and understand their own ideas and their neighbors’ ideas about the best and worst characteristics of local, state, and federal taxes.
Conversation Project: Who Are the Deserving Poor?
If you’ve grown up in the United States, chances are you’ve been conditioned to trust that your individual success is earned through hard work. But if this is the case, what do we make of the millions of Americans who struggle with poverty, hunger, and job insecurity? Who is to blame for poverty? What qualities or conditions allow a person to be considered “deserving” of government and community support? Join facilitator Erica Tucker for a conversation that explores our beliefs about poverty and asks us to consider our assumptions about who should—and shouldn’t—be eligible for support.
Conversation Project: How We Grow Old
Stories of Aging in Oregon and Beyond
Conversation Project: How We Grow Old
Stories of Aging in Oregon and Beyond
CANCELED: Conversation Project: How We Grow Old
Stories of Aging in Oregon and Beyond
Conversation Project: How We Grow Old
What are the stories that shape how we think about growing old? How do we acknowledge the unique differences among aging individuals and separate the true stories from the myths? How do we accept the wisdom of our elders’ experiences while also recognizing new ideas about what it means to age in America? No matter our age, we all hear and tell stories about growing older that reflect our own ideals and fears—and the ideals and fears of our communities. Join facilitator Melissa Madenski as we look at the power of story in a conversation that will ask you to share your own experiences and ideas about aging and listen to the perspectives of others in your community.
Conversation Project: Talking About Dying
Death is a universal event that transcends many of the differences between us, but it's not something that we have regular opportunities to think and talk about. Oregon Humanities developed the Talking about Dying program to create more public opportunities to reflect on the stories and influences that shape our thinking about death and dying and to hear perspectives and ideas from fellow community members. Talking about Dying community conversations are free, ninety-minute facilitated discussions geared toward public audiences (ages 15+). During the program, participants talk together about questions such as, What do we want—and not want—at the end of our life? How might our family, culture, religion, and beliefs shape how we think about death? How do access to care, geography, and desires to be remembered affect our decisions about the end of our life? Facilitated by Andrea Cano.
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.
Conversation Project: Who Are the Deserving Poor?
Join facilitator Erica Tucker for a conversation that explores our beliefs about poverty and asks us to consider our assumptions about who should—and shouldn’t—be eligible for support.
What Makes a Good Tax?
The conversation, led by facilitator Mary Nolan, will explore the effects—both intended and unintended—of different types of taxes and invite participants to examine and understand their own ideas and their neighbors’ ideas about the best and worst characteristics of local, state, and federal taxes.
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
Sarah Schulman: Gentrification of the Mind
A reading, talk, and panel followed by a screening of United in Anger: A History of ACT UP
Race and Domestic Violence
Join Adelante Mujeres, Bradley Angle, YWCA of Greater Portland, and Micronesian Islander Community for an evening of poetry, education, and discussion to foster a greater understanding of the significance of race and ethnicity in relationship to domestic violence.
What's Brewing?
The Crook County Foundation hosts this public forum on current events and issues happening locally, regionally, and at the state level. This is an Oregon Humanities grant-funded event.
My Brother's Keeper: "Unlisted: A Story of Schizophrenia"
This fall, Four Rivers Cultural Center in Ontario will present "My Brother's Keeper," a series of eight documentary film screenings exploring the lives of marginalized peoples and issues such as mental health, addiction, and mass incarceration. Each screening will be followed by a presentation and Q&A session by a local nonprofit or government agency.
My Brother's Keeper: "The Anonymous People"
This fall, Four Rivers Cultural Center in Ontario will present "My Brother's Keeper," a series of eight documentary film screenings exploring the lives of marginalized peoples and issues such as mental health, addiction, and mass incarceration. Each screening will be followed by a presentation and Q&A session by a local nonprofit or government agency.
My Brother's Keeper: "Emmanuel's Gift"
This fall, Four Rivers Cultural Center in Ontario will present "My Brother's Keeper," a series of eight documentary film screenings exploring the lives of marginalized peoples and issues such as mental health, addiction, and mass incarceration. Each screening will be followed by a presentation and Q&A session by a local nonprofit or government agency.
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.