Oregon Humanities

Bringing Far-flung Places Closer

Before I turn forty I feel destined to complete an odyssey that began when I was five and my parents drove the kids from Ohio to Florida. I’d like to spend time in all fifty states. I’m currently forty-nine down with just one final state to go. Maybe you can guess which? Alaska, get ready for a visit from me and it’s going to be a blow-out.

I’ve spent time on other continents, and I’m a voracious reader of everything including travel writing. Still, there’s... Read more

29 October 2009 | Posted by Sara Guest in New Ideas | Permalink | Comments? (0 so far)

New Ways of Seeing the World

I spent a weekend earlier in October at a place called Smoke Farm north of Seattle. It’s a beautiful spot—360 acres along the Stillaguamish River that is home to an old dairy barn, a tractor shed turned print studio, and a milking parlor turned communal kitchen. Smoke Farm describes itself as a place for artists and free thinkers, people inclined to experiment, collaborate, and experience new aspects of art and culture.

My reason for coming was the Smoke Farm Forum,... Read more

26 October 2009 | Posted by Jennifer Allen in Inside O. Hm. New Ideas | Permalink | Comments? (0 so far)

You’re a Cynosure, No Matter Who You Are

I had an O. Hm moment during the Live Wire! Wordstock Extravaganza earlier this month. As a producer for Live Wire, I frequently work with people who are famous. Sherman Alexie is arguably one of the most widely known and hottest guests we’ve had to date (hot in the cultural sense of the word though I could argue for both meanings). I’ve been excited to meet Sherman for some time so having our mutual friend Wesley Stace on the show gave me a chance to chat him up without seeming... Read more

20 October 2009 | Posted by Kate Sokoloff in New Ideas | Permalink | Comments? (1 so far)

The Virtue of Being Bad

I am bad at something. It is called the violin. If you know me, or if you’ve read my bio on this website, then you probably know this. I talk about it a lot (and I put that self-deprecating line in my bio) for a reason: the accountability pushes me to keep practicing.

Before I took up the violin, I imagined what practicing might look like: an elegant cup of tea steaming on the table, the muted afternoon light streaming in through the windows of the study, the cat curled up... Read more

14 October 2009 | Posted by Raina Hassan in Inside O. Hm. New Ideas | Permalink | Comments? (7 so far)

The Beats and Punk Rock Founding Fathers

Do you remember the first time you discovered something outside of the mainstream, outside of what your parents or teachers or the television told you about? I’m not talking about the first time you listened to Bob Dylan or when your cool older friend told you about Led Zeppelin. I mean the first time you truly understood the existence of a counter culture, and your eyes opened up to those roads not often taken where that culture has always existed.

I was a junior in high... Read more

06 October 2009 | Posted by Laura Becker in New Ideas | Permalink | Comments? (0 so far)

Old-growth media and adaptive reuse

Sohrab Vossoughi is founder and president of Portland-based ZIBA Design—an award-winning firm that designs everything from workaday stuff (KitchenAid, Black and Decker) to “user experiences” (Umpqua Bank and Gerding Edlen Development). Born in Tehran, Vossoughi immigrated to San Jose in 1970 at age 14. He founded Ziba (a word that means “beautiful” in Farsi) in 1984 and is the recipient of more than thirty patents and two hundred design awards. Vossoughi recently sat down... Read more

02 October 2009 | Posted by Tim DuRoche in New Ideas | Permalink | Comments? (0 so far)