In a year of landmark pivotal decisions, complex international challenges and conflict, and a polarized populace, WorldOregon invites audiences to explore four prescient, urgent topics affecting both the local and global landscapes: the transnational opioid crisis at home and abroad, the reckoning with race and identity within the U.S., the global scourge of tuberculosis, and how the human spirit might come together to heal the unimaginable scars of the past.

WorldOregon’s International Speaker Series, which began in 2000, is one of the nation’s premier platforms for international affairs, continuing its tradition of presenting a broad spectrum of the people, big ideas, and issues framing our role on the world stage.

PURCHASE SERIES TICKETS HERE

Individual tickets go on sale April 22 at 10am. Four-part series tickets are also still available at a slight discount from the individual events. 

May 13: Michele Norris: Our Hidden Conversations 

Peabody Award–winning journalist and former NPR host Michele Norris invites a transformative dialogue on race and identity in America. Drawing on her decade-long Race Card Project, Norris takes us on a journey into the heart of this country’s painful, complex, and unrelenting battle with the salience and significance of race in our lives.

About the speaker

Michele Norris is one of America’s most trusted voices in journalism, earning several honors over a long career, including Peabody, Emmy, Dupont, and Goldsmith awards. She is a columnist for The Washington Post Opinion Section, the host of the Audible Original Podcast, Your Mama’s Kitchen, and from and from 2002 to 2012 she was a cohost of NPR’s All Things Considered. Norris is also the founding director of The Race Card Project, a Peabody Award–winning narrative archive where people around the world share their reflections on identity—in just six words. Her first book, The Grace of Silence, was named one of the best books of the year by the San Francisco Chronicle, The Christian Science Monitor, and The Kansas City Star. Before joining NPR, Norris spent almost ten years as a reporter for ABC News covering politics, policy, and the dynamics of social change. Early in her career, she also worked as a staff writer for The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and the Los Angeles Times.

Other Events in the 2024 International Speaker Series: 

May 1: Ben Westhoff: Fentanyl, Inc.

Drawing on more than four years of investigations, Ben Westhoff, the first Western journalist to infiltrate fentanyl labs in China, explores the story of the drug’s origins in a legitimate laboratory, its hijacking by rogue chemists, and its spread through transnational black markets—and how its pervasive damage might be contained.

June 5: John Green: A World Without Tuberculosis

John Green (the bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars and The Anthropocene Reviewed, etc. and one half of the “Vlogbrothers”) has become one of the leading voices in the fight against tuberculosis, the deadliest infectious disease, annually killing more people than COVID-19, malaria, or HIV. Green asks us to consider what it will take to end a disease that is not only imminently curable, but also preventable.

June 10: Paul Rusesabagina: Reconciling the Unimaginable

Paul Rusesabagina (who inspired the film Hotel Rwanda) reflects on reconciliation, forgiveness, and lessons yet to be learned from the Rwandan Genocide 30 years later. Released from illegal imprisonment in Rwanda in 2023 and now living in the U.S., Rusesabagina delves into the need to provide voice to victims of genocide and support peace efforts, and how the international community might prevent future atrocities before they occur.

All events are held in-person at 7pm at
REVOLUTION HALL
1300 SE Stark Street, Portland, OR 97214

Individual tickets go on sale April 22 at 10am. Four-part series tickets are also still available at a slight discount from the individual events. 

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

Individual event tickets: $50 – $110* 
Student and veteran tickets: $25
Note: Prices do not include service/handling fees.

Premier-level series tickets include invitation to post-event receptions and a copy of Michele Norris' book Our Hidden Conversations.

* Current members may purchase tickets for the series at a savings of $10 off the regular price. 

WorldOregon members should have received an email announcing the 2024 International Speaker Series line-up with the $10-off WorldOregon member discount code. This code can be applied to most tickets, excluding student/veteran tickets, which are already offered at the lowest possible price. If you are a member and did not receive your WorldOregon discount code, please contact us at (503) 306-5261 or [email protected]

If you are not a current member, renew or join to be eligible for a $10 savings on each ticket! 

Buying tickets for the series
Tickets to the 2024 International Speaker Series can be purchased online through Revolution Hall at www.revolutionhall.com or in-person at Etix self-serve kiosks located at Revolution Hall at their Show Bar which is open daily 3–11pm; or at Bar Bar at Mississippi Studios. Tickets are available online 24 hours a day, seven days a week through their website. Note: Ticket prices do not include service/facility fees.

For More Series Information & FAQ Click Here

For any other questions, please email Director of Programs Tim DuRoche us at [email protected].