Oregon Humanities
@oregonhumanities.org
Oregon Humanities connects people and communities through conversation, storytelling, and participatory programs to inspire understanding and collaborative change.
Pinned
Late last night, we received notice that an NEH grant intended to support our work through 2027 has been terminated in its entirety, along with grants for all other state and jurisdictional humanities councils.
Here's how you can help:
oregonhumanities.org/who/advocacy
Here's how you can help:
oregonhumanities.org/who/advocacy
On Friday, January 23, we're gathering for Tough Shit, an onstage conversation about the most challenging questions Portlanders are facing.
Join us at 7:00 p.m. at PAM CUT Tomorrow Theater.
Tickets + info:
tomorrowtheater.org/movies/tough...
Join us at 7:00 p.m. at PAM CUT Tomorrow Theater.
Tickets + info:
tomorrowtheater.org/movies/tough...
January 13, 2026 at 8:49 PM
On Friday, January 23, we're gathering for Tough Shit, an onstage conversation about the most challenging questions Portlanders are facing.
Join us at 7:00 p.m. at PAM CUT Tomorrow Theater.
Tickets + info:
tomorrowtheater.org/movies/tough...
Join us at 7:00 p.m. at PAM CUT Tomorrow Theater.
Tickets + info:
tomorrowtheater.org/movies/tough...
This month on The Detour, we're talking with Akhil Reed Amar about equality and the Constitution: what it means, where we live up to our hopes and where we fall short, and how understandings of equality have changed throughout our nation's history.
Listen here: oregonhumanities.org/rll/podcast/...
Listen here: oregonhumanities.org/rll/podcast/...
January 13, 2026 at 12:38 AM
This month on The Detour, we're talking with Akhil Reed Amar about equality and the Constitution: what it means, where we live up to our hopes and where we fall short, and how understandings of equality have changed throughout our nation's history.
Listen here: oregonhumanities.org/rll/podcast/...
Listen here: oregonhumanities.org/rll/podcast/...
Reposted by Oregon Humanities
It was me!
As we digest more and more incredibly shitty news, I wrote this for @oregonhumanities.org as an offering for each of us to take in and learn all that we can from the resiliency of the ocean.
As we digest more and more incredibly shitty news, I wrote this for @oregonhumanities.org as an offering for each of us to take in and learn all that we can from the resiliency of the ocean.
A beautiful piece from a friend writing back in Oregon about life by the ocean, the energy that it generates, and the need for community in order to meet possible emergencies. Brilliant, @katelovesmath.bsky.social.
Wave Lessons
Kate Ertmann on what the ocean can teach us about rural emergency preparedness.
oregonhumanities.org
January 7, 2026 at 8:16 PM
It was me!
As we digest more and more incredibly shitty news, I wrote this for @oregonhumanities.org as an offering for each of us to take in and learn all that we can from the resiliency of the ocean.
As we digest more and more incredibly shitty news, I wrote this for @oregonhumanities.org as an offering for each of us to take in and learn all that we can from the resiliency of the ocean.
"Daniela Naomi Molnar writes about things that make us feel connected to the rest of the living world... Daniela’s words—and the words of the many writers she quotes—make me feel more attuned to both beauty and suffering."—Alexandra Silvester
www.oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
www.oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
Flowering in Tar
Daniela Naomi Molnar writes about learning to be sensorially aware amid climate chaos and socioecological crisis
www.oregonhumanities.org
December 23, 2025 at 9:17 PM
"Daniela Naomi Molnar writes about things that make us feel connected to the rest of the living world... Daniela’s words—and the words of the many writers she quotes—make me feel more attuned to both beauty and suffering."—Alexandra Silvester
www.oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
www.oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
"A clear highlight for me was our September episode of The Detour...I loved hearing these kids reflect on what they were learning and how they learn it."—Adam Davis
www.oregonhumanities.org/rll/podcast/...
www.oregonhumanities.org/rll/podcast/...
Talking with Kids About Learning
In this episode, we talk with kids at the Gilbert House Children's Museum, in Salem, and and at Grace Art Camp, in Portland, about learning, creativity, and joy, and also about school and the summer.
www.oregonhumanities.org
December 23, 2025 at 9:17 PM
"A clear highlight for me was our September episode of The Detour...I loved hearing these kids reflect on what they were learning and how they learn it."—Adam Davis
www.oregonhumanities.org/rll/podcast/...
www.oregonhumanities.org/rll/podcast/...
"I was so moved by Andrea Camacho's story that I couldn't stop thinking about it for a few weeks after...It reminded me that the connection to home can stay with you, no matter where you are or where you go."—Carolina Rios
www.oregonhumanities.org/rll/beyond-t...
www.oregonhumanities.org/rll/beyond-t...
Landlocked
Andrea Camacho writes about home, migration, and places of refuge.
www.oregonhumanities.org
December 23, 2025 at 9:17 PM
"I was so moved by Andrea Camacho's story that I couldn't stop thinking about it for a few weeks after...It reminded me that the connection to home can stay with you, no matter where you are or where you go."—Carolina Rios
www.oregonhumanities.org/rll/beyond-t...
www.oregonhumanities.org/rll/beyond-t...
"Over one hundred students came early to meet with Akhil Reed Amar, a constitutional law scholar, and receive a copy of his 726-page book. They then sat for the main event and stayed afterward to continue their discussion with him."—Julia Soto
youtube.com/live/BiX5PGRl1y0?si=UAMbvoi_XtWfmcii
youtube.com/live/BiX5PGRl1y0?si=UAMbvoi_XtWfmcii
Consider This: Equality and the Constitution with Akhil Reed Amar
YouTube video by Oregon Humanities
youtube.com
December 23, 2025 at 9:17 PM
"Over one hundred students came early to meet with Akhil Reed Amar, a constitutional law scholar, and receive a copy of his 726-page book. They then sat for the main event and stayed afterward to continue their discussion with him."—Julia Soto
youtube.com/live/BiX5PGRl1y0?si=UAMbvoi_XtWfmcii
youtube.com/live/BiX5PGRl1y0?si=UAMbvoi_XtWfmcii
"Jamila Osman's story about a young man from Portland's Somali community who was targeted in a 2010 FBI sting operation shows the impacts of the highly-publicized events on a scale that's rarely depicted: the communal."—Karina Briski
oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
The Terror Plot
Fifteen years after a young man’s arrest, Portland’s Somali community continues to reckon with the impacts. By Jamila Osman
oregonhumanities.org
December 23, 2025 at 9:17 PM
"Jamila Osman's story about a young man from Portland's Somali community who was targeted in a 2010 FBI sting operation shows the impacts of the highly-publicized events on a scale that's rarely depicted: the communal."—Karina Briski
oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
"After our federal funding was cut in April, one of our 2025 Community Storytelling Fellows, Meg Wade, wrote a letter about why [these kinds of stories] matter. It was a powerful validation of the work we do at a difficult moment."—Ben Waterhouse
www.orartswatch.org/opinion-why-...
www.orartswatch.org/opinion-why-...
Opinion: Why storytelling and the National Endowment for the Humanities matter, in Oregon and across the nation • Oregon ArtsWatch
Stories shape us, and the endowment – facing elimination by the Trump administration – helps us tell our culturally important tales. You can help keep the federal and Oregon endowments and other cruci...
www.orartswatch.org
December 23, 2025 at 9:17 PM
"After our federal funding was cut in April, one of our 2025 Community Storytelling Fellows, Meg Wade, wrote a letter about why [these kinds of stories] matter. It was a powerful validation of the work we do at a difficult moment."—Ben Waterhouse
www.orartswatch.org/opinion-why-...
www.orartswatch.org/opinion-why-...
"When [Chuck Sams] spoke of how different the landscape might look if we embraced stewardship instead of ownership and dominance, I couldn’t help but think how this stands true for the myriad ways people and nature could [flourish together]."—Alex Stoehr
www.youtube.com/live/q7udanm...
www.youtube.com/live/q7udanm...
Consider This: The Lands We Live On with Chuck Sams
YouTube video by Oregon Humanities
www.youtube.com
December 23, 2025 at 9:17 PM
"When [Chuck Sams] spoke of how different the landscape might look if we embraced stewardship instead of ownership and dominance, I couldn’t help but think how this stands true for the myriad ways people and nature could [flourish together]."—Alex Stoehr
www.youtube.com/live/q7udanm...
www.youtube.com/live/q7udanm...
"A highlight for me this year was leading that training in Saipan for our peers at the Northern Mariana Humanities Council. It’s great to get so many folks talking and building connections in their communities in new ways around the world."—Jennifer Alkezweeny
oregonhumanities.org/programs/ser...
oregonhumanities.org/programs/ser...
December 23, 2025 at 9:17 PM
"A highlight for me this year was leading that training in Saipan for our peers at the Northern Mariana Humanities Council. It’s great to get so many folks talking and building connections in their communities in new ways around the world."—Jennifer Alkezweeny
oregonhumanities.org/programs/ser...
oregonhumanities.org/programs/ser...
At the end of a challenging year, our staff shares a few of the conversations, stories, and moments that stood out from our work, helped us think differently, and strengthened our sense of community.
Thanks for being part of our work in 2025.
oregonhumanities.cmail19.com/t/t-e-wlkdhu...
Thanks for being part of our work in 2025.
oregonhumanities.cmail19.com/t/t-e-wlkdhu...
December 23, 2025 at 9:02 PM
At the end of a challenging year, our staff shares a few of the conversations, stories, and moments that stood out from our work, helped us think differently, and strengthened our sense of community.
Thanks for being part of our work in 2025.
oregonhumanities.cmail19.com/t/t-e-wlkdhu...
Thanks for being part of our work in 2025.
oregonhumanities.cmail19.com/t/t-e-wlkdhu...
Congratulations to Casey Chaffin and Aleksandr Chernousov! We are honored to be able to share these stories in our pages.
Subscribe here: oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
Subscribe here: oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
Subscribe to Oregon Humanities Magazine — Oregon Humanities
oregonhumanities.org
December 19, 2025 at 11:35 PM
Congratulations to Casey Chaffin and Aleksandr Chernousov! We are honored to be able to share these stories in our pages.
Subscribe here: oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
Subscribe here: oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
"Speaking in Tongues" by Aleksandr Chernousov chronicles a coming of age shaped by a love of language in post-Soviet Russia, and explores what it means to let go of your mother tongue in the shadow of war. oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
Speaking in Tongues
Aleksandr Chernousov writes about the experience of hearing his first language turned to violent authoritarian ends and finding it anew in Oregon
oregonhumanities.org
December 19, 2025 at 11:35 PM
"Speaking in Tongues" by Aleksandr Chernousov chronicles a coming of age shaped by a love of language in post-Soviet Russia, and explores what it means to let go of your mother tongue in the shadow of war. oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
Casey Chaffin's essay "Nowhere to Hide" explores vulnerability, mental health, and safety, and asks us to consider how we respond when we witness people in visible crisis on our streets. oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
Nowhere to Hide
Casey Chaffin writes about how people who have mental health crises in public are treated and how they could be treated better.
oregonhumanities.org
December 19, 2025 at 11:35 PM
Casey Chaffin's essay "Nowhere to Hide" explores vulnerability, mental health, and safety, and asks us to consider how we respond when we witness people in visible crisis on our streets. oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
We were thrilled to hear the news this week that two essays published in Oregon Humanities magazine were listed among the "Notable Essays and Literary Nonfiction of 2024" in the most recent 'Best American Essays' anthology.
December 19, 2025 at 11:35 PM
We were thrilled to hear the news this week that two essays published in Oregon Humanities magazine were listed among the "Notable Essays and Literary Nonfiction of 2024" in the most recent 'Best American Essays' anthology.
Throughout 2026, Oregon Humanities will get Oregonians together to talk about democracy, freedom, and what it means to be an American—now and into the future.
We’re offering sixteen facilitated conversations, open to communities around the state.
Learn more: oregonhumanities.org/programs/con...
We’re offering sixteen facilitated conversations, open to communities around the state.
Learn more: oregonhumanities.org/programs/con...
Beyond 250: Conversations About Democracy and Community
Throughout 2026, Oregon Humanities will get Oregonians together to talk about democracy, freedom, and what it means to be an American—today and into the future.
oregonhumanities.org
December 17, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Throughout 2026, Oregon Humanities will get Oregonians together to talk about democracy, freedom, and what it means to be an American—now and into the future.
We’re offering sixteen facilitated conversations, open to communities around the state.
Learn more: oregonhumanities.org/programs/con...
We’re offering sixteen facilitated conversations, open to communities around the state.
Learn more: oregonhumanities.org/programs/con...
The High Desert Museum is launching the Schnitzer Prize of the West, a new annual prize awarding $50K to an individual or small group whose work addresses environmental & conservation challenges of the American West.
Nominations are open through 1/30/26. highdesertmuseum.org/schnitzer-pr...
Nominations are open through 1/30/26. highdesertmuseum.org/schnitzer-pr...
Schnitzer Prize of the West - High Desert Museum
highdesertmuseum.org
December 15, 2025 at 10:55 PM
The High Desert Museum is launching the Schnitzer Prize of the West, a new annual prize awarding $50K to an individual or small group whose work addresses environmental & conservation challenges of the American West.
Nominations are open through 1/30/26. highdesertmuseum.org/schnitzer-pr...
Nominations are open through 1/30/26. highdesertmuseum.org/schnitzer-pr...
In our newest issue, now online, Dawn Marie Knopf traces the growth of the US highway network that disrupted communities and displaced thousands—and asks whether it can be made more humane.
oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
On Tender Systems
An essay by Dawn Marie Knopf about the history of the US highway system, the costs of its creation, and conflicts over freeway expansion in Portland
oregonhumanities.org
December 11, 2025 at 10:38 PM
In our newest issue, now online, Dawn Marie Knopf traces the growth of the US highway network that disrupted communities and displaced thousands—and asks whether it can be made more humane.
oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
Traveling over the next few days?
Cue up a few episodes of This Place, our short podcast featuring audio postcards from around the state, spoken by the people who live there.
Here's where we've been so far this year:
oregonhumanities.org/rll/podcast/...
Cue up a few episodes of This Place, our short podcast featuring audio postcards from around the state, spoken by the people who live there.
Here's where we've been so far this year:
oregonhumanities.org/rll/podcast/...
November 26, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Traveling over the next few days?
Cue up a few episodes of This Place, our short podcast featuring audio postcards from around the state, spoken by the people who live there.
Here's where we've been so far this year:
oregonhumanities.org/rll/podcast/...
Cue up a few episodes of This Place, our short podcast featuring audio postcards from around the state, spoken by the people who live there.
Here's where we've been so far this year:
oregonhumanities.org/rll/podcast/...
We're mentioned in Jill Lepore's recent New Yorker story on how cultural + historical orgs are programming around the nation's 250th anniversary—amid sweeping funding cuts, censorship, and more.
The piece describes our Beyond250 series as "one of the better stories." tinyurl.com/y5byba9u
The piece describes our Beyond250 series as "one of the better stories." tinyurl.com/y5byba9u
What Was the American Revolution For?
Amid plans to mark the nation’s semiquincentennial, many are asking whether or not the people really do rule, and whether the law is still king.
www.newyorker.com
November 17, 2025 at 9:38 PM
We're mentioned in Jill Lepore's recent New Yorker story on how cultural + historical orgs are programming around the nation's 250th anniversary—amid sweeping funding cuts, censorship, and more.
The piece describes our Beyond250 series as "one of the better stories." tinyurl.com/y5byba9u
The piece describes our Beyond250 series as "one of the better stories." tinyurl.com/y5byba9u
We're accepting pitches and feature-length submissions from Oregon writers for our Spring issue, Labor.
Looking for: essays, journalism, and criticism between 1,500 and 4,000 words. Pay is $750–1,500, depending on length and complexity.
Read more: oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
Looking for: essays, journalism, and criticism between 1,500 and 4,000 words. Pay is $750–1,500, depending on length and complexity.
Read more: oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
November 14, 2025 at 6:28 PM
We're accepting pitches and feature-length submissions from Oregon writers for our Spring issue, Labor.
Looking for: essays, journalism, and criticism between 1,500 and 4,000 words. Pay is $750–1,500, depending on length and complexity.
Read more: oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
Looking for: essays, journalism, and criticism between 1,500 and 4,000 words. Pay is $750–1,500, depending on length and complexity.
Read more: oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine...
Are you ready for test your knowledge of Portland's literary scene?
Hope to see you tomorrow at Dear Sandy!
Hope to see you tomorrow at Dear Sandy!
Attn book + trivia nerds 📚
We're teaming up with Buckman Publishing for a night of local literary trivia in Portland. Come celebrate our region's storied history and win bookish prizes!
Organized in partnership with Literary Arts' Cover to Cover series.
oregonhumanities.org/events/liter...
We're teaming up with Buckman Publishing for a night of local literary trivia in Portland. Come celebrate our region's storied history and win bookish prizes!
Organized in partnership with Literary Arts' Cover to Cover series.
oregonhumanities.org/events/liter...
Literary Trivia with Oregon Humanities and Buckman Publishing
<p> Oregon Humanities and Buckman Publishing are pairing up for a night of literary trivia at Dear Sandy! We’re highlighting the ways that Portland’s unique culture, geography, and history have shaped...
oregonhumanities.org
November 4, 2025 at 9:56 PM
Are you ready for test your knowledge of Portland's literary scene?
Hope to see you tomorrow at Dear Sandy!
Hope to see you tomorrow at Dear Sandy!
The energy was electric for our first Consider This of the season! You all really showed UP in Portland and at watch parties in La Grande, Salem, and Clatskanie. Thanks to everyone who joined and to Akhil for an in-depth, important conversation.
Catch it in full: www.youtube.com/live/BiX5PGR...
Catch it in full: www.youtube.com/live/BiX5PGR...
October 28, 2025 at 11:19 PM
The energy was electric for our first Consider This of the season! You all really showed UP in Portland and at watch parties in La Grande, Salem, and Clatskanie. Thanks to everyone who joined and to Akhil for an in-depth, important conversation.
Catch it in full: www.youtube.com/live/BiX5PGR...
Catch it in full: www.youtube.com/live/BiX5PGR...
Tonight!
We're looking forward to tonight's conversation with constitutional law scholar Akhil Reed Amar. The Portland event has sold out, but you can still join our free live stream—or one of our watch parties in La Grande, Clatskanie, and Salem.
oregonhumanities.org/programs/con...
We're looking forward to tonight's conversation with constitutional law scholar Akhil Reed Amar. The Portland event has sold out, but you can still join our free live stream—or one of our watch parties in La Grande, Clatskanie, and Salem.
oregonhumanities.org/programs/con...
Consider This: Equality and the Constitution with Akhil Reed Amar
Join us for a conversation with one of the country’s leading thinkers on constitutional law. October 27 at the Alberta Rose Theatre in Portland.
oregonhumanities.org
October 27, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Tonight!
We're looking forward to tonight's conversation with constitutional law scholar Akhil Reed Amar. The Portland event has sold out, but you can still join our free live stream—or one of our watch parties in La Grande, Clatskanie, and Salem.
oregonhumanities.org/programs/con...
We're looking forward to tonight's conversation with constitutional law scholar Akhil Reed Amar. The Portland event has sold out, but you can still join our free live stream—or one of our watch parties in La Grande, Clatskanie, and Salem.
oregonhumanities.org/programs/con...