The Banks Public Library. Photo: Chas Hundley
BANKS – The Friends of the Banks Public Library will host a free program at the library on Thursday, February 28 at 7:00 p.m. that discusses self-sufficiency, do-it-yourself (DIY) culture, and their effects on communities.
The one-and-a-half-hour discussion is being facilitated by Jennifer Burns Bright, an Astoria-based food educator, travel writer, and former University of Oregon literature professor who is presenting the DIY discussion series as part of the statewide Oregon Humanities Conversation Project.
The goal of the project is to bring together Oregonians to talk about beliefs, backgrounds, and differences that relate to modern DIY ideas and issues.
“The discussions are a program that gets (individuals) from a particular community to talk about an issue that is important to them,” Bright said. “With the DIY discussion I do talk about (many) do-it-yourself projects and self-sufficiency more generally, and it always involves a group of people with experience in various projects. In a room full of 15-20 people there are (typically) folks who discuss woodworking, gardening, and food preservation. There also are others who are interested in technology, for instance someone who is building a telescope or robot, or people interested in survivalist techniques. Everyone comes together to talk about what they know, how to do it, and how they learned to do it.”
Bright said the ongoing conversation events, which she hosts in communities throughout Oregon, become incredibly sophisticated and deep discussions about what people are interested in doing in their spare time. Each conversation involves the time and space needed for each project, when to work on such passion projects, and how to acquire the tools needed for completion.
Bright is in her third season working with Oregon Humanities Conversation Projects. Another conversation she facilitates, called Fish Tales, focuses on Oregon seafood traditions and challenges.
“I always learn along with the participants at each discussion,” she said.
Susan Cackler, supervisor and coordinator for the Banks Public Library, said she learned about Bright’s conversation programs through offerings of Oregon Humanities.
“We really like the Conversation Project,” Cackler said. “We (learned about Bright’s series) by looking through what Oregon Humanities had to offer this year, and hers (stood out).”
Cackler said there are no more conversation projects planned at the library in 2019, but there are many more upcoming programs including weekly programs for preschoolers, monthly programs for elementary-age students, and adult programs like movie night and craft night.
For more information contact Cackler at 503-324-1382 or by email at [email protected].
