Editor's Note: Public

In this issue we explore many aspects of public life, including community activism, civil service, public education, and elected office. We also dig into some more nebulous and philosophical questions: What is “the public,” anyway? Who, and what, does it include?

Sometimes the answers to such questions are clear. For Oregon Humanities, our public is you, our readers. We know a little about you, or at least the fourteen thousand or so of you who subscribe to the print magazine: that is, we know your names and where you get your mail. When we boast of having subscribers in every county in Oregon, we do so with total certainty.

There is also much we do not know. The post office needs only a nine-digit zip code, but the government agencies and foundations whose support (along with that of readers like you) makes this publication possible want more detailed demographic information. So every three years, to help us understand our public better, we ask readers to tell us a little bit about themselves and, while they’re at it, to share their thoughts on the themes and stories that appear in the magazine.

It’s that time again: please help us keep this magazine free for all Oregonians by visiting oregonhumanities.org/survey or by scanning the QR code on the back cover of this issue. It’s a short, anonymous survey, and completing it will make you eligible to win a $50 gift card to Powell’s Books. That’s another thing we know about our public: you love books.

I lead all of Oregon Humanities’ communications and publications efforts, including the magazine, the Beyond the Margins essay series, The Detour podcast and radio show, and overall marketing strategy. I’ve worked at Oregon Humanities since 2012. 

Ask me about: submitting work to Oregon Humanities’ publications, story pitches, the Community Storytelling Fellowship, partnering with Oregon Humanities to share stories or promote events, or the Portland area’s performing arts ecosystem. Hablo Español. 

I grew up on Kalapuyan land in Scio, Oregon, near the confluence of the North and South forks of the Santiam River, and I now live in the shadow of an extinct volcano in Southeast Portland. I serve on the board of the Multnomah County Cultural Coalition and occasionally write about theater in the Pacific Northwest for Oregon ArtsWatch.

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