October 21, 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.”

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.

6:30 p.m., Community for Positive Aging, Portland

October 29, 2026

Community Led Harm Reduction Conversation

Join Rahab's Sisters for a community conversation about harm reduction, drug use and overdose response! Participants are invited to sit together in dialogue over a light dinner to help deepen compassion and care for people who use drugs and to better understand how to participate in community care. This event is intended to bring people with lived experience and people who want to learn more together in dialogue toward the goal of deepened community connection and understanding.

Each participant will also receive overdose prevention training rooted in compassion, designed and led by those with lived experience.

This event is supported by a Public Programs Grant from Oregon Humanities.

6:00 p.m., Montavilla United Methodist Church, Portland

November 4, 2026

Literary Show and Tell with Constellation Reading Series

Inspired by Oregon Humanities magazine’s Works Cited section—where authors unpack the foundational texts that shaped their lives—we’re gathering a stacked lineup of OH contributors and Constellation alums at the new P.A.LS. (Portland Arts & Literary Society) Building for a night of literary show-and-tell. Featuring flash readings from Lydia Kiseling, Eric Tran, Aleksandr Chernosov, Jae Nichelle, Christopher Rose, Tim Lane, and more, plus a lightning-round open mic where you can step up to share the book that started your literary origin story.

7:00 p.m., P.A.L.S Building, Portland

November 16, 2026

Consider This: Trust and Political Institutions

Join us in Portland on November 16—two weeks after election day—for a conversation about trust, elections, and our political systems and culture with Paul Gronke, director of the Elections & Voting Information Center at Reed College, and Susheela Jayapal, a former Multnomah County Commissioner and current fellow with the North Star Civic Foundation.

Polling of voters in the US shows that confidence in elections and political institutions has fallen over the past two years. In this onstage conversation, moderated by Adam Davis, we'll dig into the factors that affect the public's faith in our democracy and how that declining trust shapes how we vote and how we govern ourselves. 

Tickets are $15 and available from The Old Church. 

7:00 p.m., The Old Church, Portland

December 2, 2026

Cheers to Community

Join us for an evening filled with conversation and curated wines while supporting Oregon Humanities' winter fundraising campaign. We are delighted to partner with our friends Ora et Labora Wine Shop to gather neighbors and supporters at the Vinum Lounge to celebrate the many ways our community is coming together to support greater connection.

5:00 to 7:00 p.m., Ora et Labora Wine Shop and Vinum Lounge, Portland

January 14, 2027

Film Screening and Discussion: "Your Attention Please"

Oregon Humanities and PAMCUT's Tomorrow Theater present a screening of Sara Robin's documentary Your Attention Please followed by a facilitated conversation. 

A new generation of parents, teens, and reformers are fighting back against Big Tech’s agenda to define the future of human connection. From Kristin, a mother pursuing legislative reform after losing her son, to Trisha, a young programmer building technology to stop cyberbullying, the film reveals how deeply the attention economy is shaping childhood, mental health, and human connection. Blending intimate human stories with insights from leading experts in tech reform and digital wellbeing, Your Attention Please asks some of the most urgent questions of our time: Can we reclaim our autonomy? Can technology be redesigned to serve humanity? And what does a healthier relationship with the digital world look like for us and our kids?

Tickets for this free event are available at tomorrowtheater.org.

7:00 p.m., Tomorrow Theater, Portland

February 16, 2027

Consider This with Rukaiyah Adams

for an onstage conversation with Rukaiyah Adams, president and CEO of the 1803 Fund. As the leader of this ambitious new foundation, which seeks to rebuild Portland’s Albina neighborhood and advance the wealth and wellbeing of Black Portland, Adams requires a lot of trust: both trust from supporters that she will responsibly oversee a major investment in urban infrastructure, and trust from the community that her efforts to reshape a central part of the city will benefit the public. As former chief investment officer at Meyer Memorial trust, Adams also oversaw a different kind of trust, managing approximately $1 billion in assets for one of the state’s largest charitable foundations.

Tickets are $15 and are available at albertarosetheatre.com.

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

February 24, 2027

Can We Get Along? Examining Our Personal Experiences of Connection and Community

Rodney King’s iconic question, "Can we all get along?", still resonates today. Despite decades of social justice movements, police brutality and divisions persist in the United States. How can we connect with each other during these times? What holds us back from connecting with each other? How do our personal experiences contribute to barriers or have the potential to break them down? Join facilitator Chisao Hata as she holds space to examine individual questions on race, cultural values, and what brings us together and what separates us.

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., Belmont Library, Portland

April 6, 2027

Consider This with Christian Wiman

Join us for a conversation about trust, faith, and beauty with Christian Wiman. In his poems and essays, Wiman explores religious and secular belief, hope and despair, sickness and memory. In all that he writes and does, Wiman asks what we can count on or believe in as we aim to live lives full of meaning and connection. 

The conversation will take place at the Alberta Rose Theatre in Portland (3000 SE Alberta St.) at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 6, 2027. The event is part of our 2026–27 Consider This series, What Do We Trust?

Tickets are $15 at albertarosetheatre.com.

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