A 501(c)(3) public charity · supported solely by private gifts
All public events are free of charge Season calendar info@astonishme.org
The Institute Theological & Interdisciplinary Studies
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An audience seated for a public lecture
Est. 2011 501(c)(3) public charity Portland, Oregon

A public square
for serious questions.

The Institute is a secular, non-partisan charity that puts working scholars and the general public in the same room once a month, at no charge. Our standing invitation is called Expeditions Into the Common Good, and it is open to anyone willing to think out loud in company.

Reserve a seat · free What we do
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session The Role of Arts in Democracy
June 27 · 11:00am to 1:00pm · Free, lunch provided
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164Public sessions held
$0Cost to attend, always
26Community partners
100%Funded by private gifts
01 · Mission

Exploring new horizons
in thought and action.

Read our story

We are committed to a culture of critical thinking and active participation. As a secular, non-partisan organisation, our work is dedicated to the public good and to environmental sustainability, carried out through education and partnership with the groups already doing the work in our community.

Nothing here is dumbed down. Sessions run two hours, the reading is sent in advance, and the questions from the floor are usually the best part. Attendance is free because a paywall around public thinking defeats the point.

Neutral ground

No denomination, no party, no house line. Speakers are invited for the quality of their argument.

Held in common

We partner with local organisations rather than duplicate them, and the room is shared with whoever turns up.

Our commitments
Members of the public in conversation after a session
Plate 01Common Good, session 158

“Astonish me.”

Sergei Diaghilev to Jean Cocteau · the charge we set ourselves
02 · Programme

Three ways in.

All programmes
Monthly

Expeditions Into the
Common Good

Free public events that put a scholar and a room of strangers on the same problem, from philosophy to environmental science. Two hours, no admission, lunch included.

See the season
Seasonal

Educational Travel
Programmes

Study trips built around a single theme, such as urban livability or the history of social dissent, led by educators who know the ground.

Upcoming trips
Ongoing

Community
Partnerships

Joint work with local organisations on the problems they have already named, so that public conversation turns into something a neighbourhood can use.

Partner with us
03 · The season

What is coming up.

Every session is free and open to anyone. Reserve a seat so we know how much lunch to order.

Full annual calendar
Nov15Sat
FreeLunch provided

Cultural Conversations

A close look at the cultural narratives shaping how we read our own moment.

□ 11:00am to 1:00pm□ Ellsworth Hall
Dec10Wed
FreeReading list

Environmental Dialogues

Where the pressing environmental questions actually sit, and which solutions survive contact with a budget.

□ 9:00am to 12:00pm□ Ellsworth Hall
Jan20Tue
FreeLunch provided

Historical Perspectives

Historical insight that earns its keep by explaining something about the present.

□ 11:00am to 1:00pm□ Ellsworth Hall
Feb25Wed
FreeReading list

Philosophical Explorations

Philosophy taken as a working tool rather than a museum piece, with an argument to settle.

□ 7:00pm to 9:00pm□ Ellsworth Hall
Where the money comes from

No grants, no ticket price, no membership dues.

The Institute is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit supported solely by private donations. That is what keeps admission free and keeps the programme free of anybody's agenda. Gifts are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. EIN 47-3820164.

Support the work How gifts are used
Registered501(c)(3)Public charity
04 · Faculty

Who leads the room.

Full faculty
Printed material laid out before a session
Plate 04Reading Room
05 · Reading Room

The reading goes out
two weeks early.

Every session comes with a short list: a primary text, one argument against it, and something to look at. You are welcome either way, but the room is better when people have read.

01The Common Ground We Argue OverHilary Kettering, 2019, primary reading for Cultural Conversations
02Against the Public SquareDaniel Oyelaran, 2021, the counter-argument
03Cities and Their StoriesMarta Vieira, 2017, further reading, optional
Enter the Reading Room

“I came for one session about water rights and stayed for the next eleven. It is the only room in this city where I regularly hear an argument that changes my mind.”

Elaine Proctor · attending since 2018
Support us

Your gift is the ticket
price nobody pays.

Contributions carry the room, the reading and the lunch. Give once, or set up something monthly and stop thinking about it.

Tax deductible One-time or monthly Sponsor a session Endowment gifts

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06 · Stay informed

One email a month, with the next session and its reading list.

No appeals in it. Those come separately, and rarely.

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Thank you. Check your inbox for a confirmation.
Home / About

A legacy of
community engagement.

From a small standing invitation to an annual programme of free public sessions, study trips and partnerships. The commitment has not changed.

01 · Our journey

From inception to impact.

The Institute grew out of a simple habit: get people who know something into a room with people who want to know it, and let the conversation run past the polite stopping point. What began modestly now runs as a full annual programme of interdisciplinary learning.

We remain a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit dedicated to critical thinking and active participation, delivered through public events, educational travel and steady work alongside community organisations.

2011

The first session

Eleven people met in a church basement to argue about Simone Weil. The conversation ran two hours past its end time.

2014

Expeditions Into the Common Good becomes monthly

Attendance outgrew the room three times in eighteen months, so the invitation became a standing one.

2016

501(c)(3) status granted

Recognised by the IRS as a tax exempt public charity, funded from that point forward entirely by private gifts.

2019

Educational travel begins

The first study trip takes the programme abroad, built around a single theme rather than a sightseeing route.

02 · Commitments

Neutrality, inclusivity and
unaffiliated education.

Commitment 01

Secular and unaffiliated

The Institute champions education that answers to no denomination and no donor. Theology is studied here the way any serious subject is studied, in the open and alongside everything else.

Commitment 02

Non-partisan by design

We take no position in party politics and invite speakers on the strength of their argument. Disagreement in the room is a feature of the format.

Commitment 03

Bonds worth keeping

Strong community bonds hold a society together. We collaborate with activist and neighbourhood organisations already at work rather than starting parallel ones.

Charitable status

Registered, audited
and accountable.

Registered501(c)(3)Public charity

The Institute is recognised by the Internal Revenue Service as a tax exempt organisation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Gifts are deductible to the extent allowed by law. We are supported solely by private donations and receive no government funding.

Where does the money go?
Of every dollar received last year, 84 cents went to programmes, 11 cents to administration and 5 cents to fundraising. Session costs cover the venue, the speaker's travel and the lunch. Reading lists and recordings are produced in house.
Can I see your filings?
Form 990 and our determination letter are available on request, and posted here once uploaded. Form 990, filed 2025 (PDF, 1.2 MB)
Is my gift tax deductible?
Yes, to the extent allowed by law. A receipt with our EIN is emailed immediately after any gift.
Do you accept donor-advised funds or stock?
Yes. Details for DAF grants, appreciated securities and bequests are on the giving page.
03 · Governance

Board and partners.

Margaret Ellery

Chair · retired county librarian

Dr. Anwar Sattar

Treasurer · economist, Portland State University

Rosalind Kwan

Secretary · nonprofit counsel

Thomas Beaudry

Trustee · former school district superintendent

The board holds seven seats and meets quarterly. No member is compensated, and two seats rotate each year so that the room does not settle.

Partner with us

If your organisation is working on something the public should be arguing about, we will build a session around it and bring the room.

Start a conversation
Home / Events

The annual
calendar.

Expeditions Into the Common Good runs every month, free of charge, with lunch. Study trips sit alongside them. Reserve a seat and the reading list follows by email.

Reserve the next seat Add the season to my calendar
Season at a glance

Twelve months, one grid.

● Public session ● Study trip
Upcoming

Every session, in order.

Never miss a session

One email a month with the next date, the venue and the reading. Nothing else.

Subscribed. The next reading list is on its way.
Archive

Sessions already held.

Notes, reading lists and recordings stay online. Nothing is taken down after the fact.

A past session in progress
21 March 2026

Exploring Cultural Narratives

How cultural narratives shape our sense of community and identity.

Notes & reading
A past session in progress
18 April 2026

Environmental Stewardship

Sustainable practice and what it actually does to the people living next to it.

Notes & reading
A past session in progress
16 May 2026

Philosophy and Democracy

What philosophy is for in a democratic society, argued at some length.

Notes & reading
Home / Events / Cultural Conversations
Free admission Lunch provided Reading list included Session 165

Cultural
Conversations.

A deep look at the cultural narratives shaping our world today, and at who gets to write them. Led by Dr. Naomi Rutledge, with an hour of open floor afterwards.

Sat 15 NovDate
11:00 – 13:00Doors 10:30
Ellsworth Hall1420 SE Morrison St, Portland
FreeSeats limited to 80
Attendees in discussion at a previous session
Plate 06Previous session, June 2026
About this session

The stories a place tells
about itself.

Cultural narratives do quiet work. They decide which histories are common knowledge, which grievances are legible, and which futures sound realistic enough to plan for. This session takes three of those narratives apart in public.

Rutledge takes three narratives that Portland tells about itself, traces each one back to the document or the photograph that started it, and shows what had to be left out for the story to hold. The point is not debunking. It is noticing how much of what we treat as settled history was in fact an editorial decision made by someone with a deadline.

The format is unchanged: forty minutes from the speaker, forty minutes of questions from the floor, then lunch while the argument carries on at the tables.

What you can expect

No prior reading required

The list helps, and it is short, but nobody is quizzed at the door.

Questions are the point

Half the session belongs to the room. Bring the objection you would normally keep to yourself.

Lunch is included

Served at 13:00. Tell us about dietary needs when you reserve.

Accessible venue

Step-free entrance on SE Morrison, an induction loop in the main hall, accessible restrooms, and reserved front-row seating on request.

The speaker
NR

Dr. Naomi Rutledge

Professor of Cultural History, Reed College

Naomi Rutledge works on how cities narrate their own histories, with a particular interest in the archives that get left out. She wrote The Borrowed Past (2023) and has led three sessions here since 2019.

Reading for this session

Sent two weeks before, optional but recommended.

Reading Room
01The Common Ground We Argue OverHilary Kettering, 2019 · approx. 34 pages
02Against the Public SquareDaniel Oyelaran, 2021 · essay
03Cities and Their StoriesMarta Vieira, 2017 · optional
Download the full list as PDF
Getting there

Ellsworth Hall

Map embed · Ellsworth Hall, SE Morrison St

Address

1420 SE Morrison Street, Portland, OR 97214

Transit

MAX Blue and Red to SE 12th Ave, then a five minute walk. Bus 15 stops outside.

Parking

Free lot on SE 14th Ave. Street parking is unmetered after 10:00am.

Also this season

Three more worth the morning.

Full calendar
Home / Education

Learning that
travels well.

Programmes that put several fields on the same question, plus study trips built around one theme rather than a sightseeing route. Free public sessions sit at the centre of it.

01 · Approach

Interdisciplinary,
and unapologetic about it.

A question worth two hours rarely belongs to one department. Our programmes put history next to environmental science, and theology next to public policy, because that is where the interesting disagreements live.

The Institute is devoted to a working public sphere. As a secular non-profit we prioritise the health of that sphere by collaborating with community groups rather than speaking over them.

Programme

Interdisciplinary Studies

Several fields brought to bear on one problem, so the picture that emerges is whole rather than departmental.

Programme

International Travel

Immersive study on themes such as urban livability and historical social movements, guided by educators who work in the field.

A classroom session in progress
Plate 07Interdisciplinary seminar
02 · Expeditions abroad

Study trips.

Small groups, one theme, and a reading list that starts before the flight. Places are limited and go in the order they are asked for.

A city skyline at dusk
15 – 25 June 2024Livable Cities
FreeUrban policy

Livable Cities Tour

An immersive route through cities known for sustainability and quality of life, with the people who administer them.

Register interest
A historic site
10 – 20 Sept 2024Social Dissidents
FreeHistory

Social Dissidents Through History

The lives of people who refused the status quo, studied where they lived and were tried.

Register interest
A cultural heritage site
5 – 15 Nov 2024Cultural Heritage
FreeUNESCO sites

Cultural Heritage Expedition

World Heritage Sites read as arguments about what a culture chooses to keep.

Register interest
A natural landscape
10 – 20 Mar 2025Sustainability
FreeEnvironment

Environmental Sustainability Journey

Solutions to environmental problems, examined in the countries actually running them.

Register interest
03 · Faculty

Our educators.

Teach a session

If you work on something the public should be arguing about, we will build a session around it, publish the reading and fill the room.

Propose a session
Home / Education / Reading Room

The Reading
Room.

Every session leaves something behind: a primary text, an argument against it, and the notes taken on the day. All of it stays here, free, with no sign-in.

By session

Lists and notes.

Home / Contact

Get in touch.

Questions about a session, a partnership, a speaking proposal or a gift. One inbox, answered by a person.

Direct

info@astonishme.org

(503) 555-0142
PO Box 3318, Portland, OR 97208

Office hours

Tuesday to Thursday, 10:00am to 4:00pm

Registered501(c)(3)Public charity

Send a message

We reply within two working days

Message sent. You will hear back within two working days.
Home / Support us

Your contribution
keeps the door open.

Gifts fund critical thinking, community vitality and a culture of encounter. In practical terms they pay for the room, the speaker's travel, the printing and the lunch, so that admission stays at nothing.

Tax deductible EIN 47-3820164 No government funding Receipt by email
Supported100%By private gifts
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A gift of $150 covers the reading list and printing for one full session.
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The Institute is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit. Contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Partner with the Institute

Larger gifts,
named work.

Three levels of partnership taken directly from how the programme is costed. Each one is acknowledged publicly unless you would rather it were not.

Level 01

$1,000

Sponsorship of a monthly event of your choice, including the reading list, the recording and lunch for the room.

Sponsor a session
Level 02

$10,000

A contribution toward a self-sustaining endowment, so that the programme outlasts any single year's fundraising.

Discuss an endowment gift
Level 03

$50,000

Direct and supporting costs for one full year of programming, covering every session, every reading list and every lunch.

Underwrite a year
Other ways to help

Not everything useful is money.

Bring someone

The most effective thing any attendee does is arrive with a person who has never come before.

Offer a room

Venue donations go straight into programme capacity. We need space more often than we need furniture.

Volunteer

Setup, welcome desk, recording and note taking. Join the volunteer roster

Employer matching

Many employers double charitable gifts. Send us the form and we will complete our half.

Prefer to give by cheque or transfer?

Made payable to The Institute of Theological & Interdisciplinary Studies, sent to PO Box 3318, Portland, OR 97208. For wires and ACH, wire and ACH details are sent on request.

Request details
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