Continued from Page 8
“I first thought of the idea as a writ-
ing exercise for people to participate in
Oregon Humanities magazine,” said Ben
Waterhouse, communications manager
for Oregon Humanities and creator of
the “Dear Stranger” project. “I thought
it would be interesting for people to
put down on paper their feelings and to
share with others through the magazine.”
“I was really wrong about that,”
Waterhouse added. “It was the per-
son-to-person exchange that people
liked — sharing what they encountered
in their day to day lives. That was what
connected people.”
Waterhouse pressed that the need for
human connection seems to be more
urgent than ever due to the pandemic.
“In previous years, we averaged
about 100 people participating in the let-
ter writing, ranging in ages from 6 to
80, but last year 275 people signed up
and exchanged letters with strangers,”
Waterhouse said. “The idea is for Orego-
nians to connect, but we had letter writ-
my yard gave me inspiration.
ers from 29 states, Italy and Belgium.”
Suddenly, all the wonders of where
At the suggestion of the Coast Week-
I lived on the western side of the Cas-
cades, in the woods on a river, con-
end editor, I signed up to partake in the
jured a poem of thanks.Yet, it conjured
process last summer. The prompt was to
too, the emotional toll of
“write about the cli-
mate where you live
clear-cutting timber for
“THE IDEA IS FOR
— the weather, pol-
new developments, the
OREGONIANS TO
itics or culture.”
bears and cougars with no
CONNECT, BUT
At first, the
place to go, and my own
WE HAD LETTER
topic was challeng-
fear of fire or flooding
ing. I was writing
WRITERS FROM 29 caused by deforestation.
a letter to some-
With no escaping
STATES, ITALY AND
one unknown to me,
changes,
we woodland
BELGIUM.”
not a friend that I’d
creatures are all thrown in
Ben Waterhouse,
been corresponding
it together.
communications manager for
with for decades.
I sent my letter
Oregon Humanities
Now I was chal-
off and a few weeks
lenged to thought-
later I received a long,
fully explain where
hand-written letter from a
it was I lived, and what was happening,
woman in Eastern Oregon who described
both internally, and in my specific envi-
the joys of living in that vast landscape,
ronment. What to say? How to say it?
and yet, her emotional rollercoaster of
Then, a young bear running through
diminishing water resources. As ranch-
ers, could they survive?
Strangers no more, we were
connected.
“It feels like we’re in a constant state
of crisis, with fires and the pandemic
and partisan conflict, and that makes
it really hard to reach out and learn
from other people,” added Waterhouse.
“‘Dear Stranger’ is connecting people
to learn from one another. It takes time
and intention to sit down and compose
a letter. But it is direct, easy to access,
rewarding and powerful.”
Waterhouse is right.
The prompt for the newest round of
letter writing is now open for writers,
focused on the theme, “beyond.”
Oregonians are asked to write about
what lies beyond the here and now.
When you think of the future, what do
you see? Think about yourself, your life,
your surroundings, the world in general.
What are your hopes, your fears, your
dreams?
Left, A collection of letters submitted through the ‘Dear Stranger’ project. Right, The project is open to all Oregonians.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2021 // 9