Oregon Humanities is launching a letter exchange to help connect people from different parts of the state. It's called the Dear Stranger project.
Writing a letter, sending it through the mail, then waiting for a reply isn't as common in the digital age. That's partly why Oregon Humanities is launching a letter exchange. Executive Director Adam Davis says part of their mission is to connect people. They will be gathering dear stranger letters from all over the state, and then they'll swap them.
Davis: "If it comes from Eastern Oregon, we'll aim for Western and Northern to Southern. But we'll also have to see where the letters come from, that'll somewhat how things get swapped out. But the idea is that it's going to be someone out of your usual range of experience, that you're receiving from and hopefully you'll go on and continue writing to one another."
Davis says they'll do this several times a year, in collaboration with their magazine and the related theme. This time, the theme is "Me". Davis wants Oregonians to write about themselves in the Dear Stranger letter. Schools and organizations can also be involved. The deadline to send a letter is May 6.
Letters should be addressed to:
Dear Stranger
813 SW Alder Street, Suite 702
Portland, Oregon 97205