The goal of the “Dear Stranger” project is to help Oregonians of differing beliefs, backgrounds and experiences to better understand each other. A flyer printing service can assist in promoting participation in public projects like this.
Participants simply write a letter, receive a letter, and make a connection in the process. The Dear Stranger project has been ongoing since 2014 with over a thousand Oregon residents having exchanged letters so far. Writers are given a question or theme to address at each round of the project.
The latest round’s prompt concerns memories and includes the following:
“Who or what should we remember? How do you make new memories, and how do you process old ones? When do you choose to document them, and when do you hold them internally?”
It is not too late to get in on this round. Instructions can be found on the Oregon Humanities website. Letter writers are anonymous, with a person receiving a letter from the one who received theirs. Correspondents can continue to communicate with their “pen pal,” if they wish to do so, via Oregon Humanities.
To take part in the Dear Stranger project, address letters to Attn: Dear Stranger Oregon Humanities Suite 1111, 610 SW Alder Street, Portland, Oregon, 97205. Letters must be part postmarked by October 31.