TICKETS $25

Doors 6:30 p.m.; Conversation at 7 p.m.; Wild will screen after the conversation.
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THE EXPERIENCE

The state of Oregon is a magical place full of beautiful, diverse landscapes ranging from rugged ocean coastlines to rain-soaked temperate forests, arid high deserts and plains, fertile valleys, and volcanic mountain ranges, to name a few. Tonight we celebrate this majestic beauty by screening the 2014 film Wild, which was largely filmed in Oregon using the state’s landscapes as stand-ins for other states’ locations along the Pacific Coast Trail.

Join us for a very special discussion with author Cheryl Strayed, whose memoir Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail inspired the feature film Wild; William L. Sullivan, author of 28 books and guides and hundreds of articles about the Pacific Northwest; and filmmaker Ime Etuk, whose feature Outdoor School follows a young urban teenager discovering peace and comfort in the natural splendor we call Oregon. This program is made possible with a grant from the America 250 Oregon Commission. 

Following the conversation, we will screen the film Wild, based on the 2012 memoir by Cheryl Strayed.

ON SCREEN: Wild

2014. Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée. Runtime: 115 minutes. Rated R.

Based on the 2012 memoir by Cheryl Strayed Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Coast Trail, Wild follows a woman with a tragic past who decides to start her new life by hiking for one thousand miles on the Pacific Crest Trail. Filmed largely in Oregon.

ON STAGE: 

Cheryl Strayed (Author) – Cheryl Strayed is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, which was made into an Oscar-nominated film. Her bestselling collection of Dear Sugar columns, Tiny Beautiful Things, was adapted for a Hulu television show and as a play that continues to be staged in theaters nationwide. Strayed’s other books are the critically acclaimed novel, Torch, and the bestselling collection Brave Enough, which brings together more than one hundred of her inspiring quotes. Her books have sold more than 5 million copies around the world and have been translated into forty languages. Her award-winning essays and short stories have been published in The Best American Essays, the New York Times, the Washington Post Magazine, Vogue, and elsewhere. Strayed is also a popular podcaster, having hosted the shows Sugar Calling and Dear Sugars, which she made with Steve Almond for the New York Times. She’s now the host of the weekly podcast Mind Over Mountain for the iHeart Women’s Sports network. She lives in Portland, Oregon. Photo credit Brian McDonnell.

William L. Sullivan (Author) – William L. Sullivan is the author of 28 books and hundreds of articles about Oregon, including a weekly “Oregon Trails” column for Lookout: Eugene-Springfield . A fifth-generation Oregonian, Sullivan began hiking at the age of five and has been exploring new trails ever since. After studying at Deep Springs College in the California desert, receiving an English degree from Cornell University, and studying linguistics at Germany’s Heidelberg University, he earned an M.A. in German literature from the University of Oregon. He has been happily married to the artist Janell Sorensen for more than 50 years. Sullivan’s hobbies include backcountry ski touring, playing the pipe organ and harpsichord, reading foreign language novels, and promoting libraries. He co-chaired the campaign to build Eugene’s downtown library, served on the Oregon State Library Board, and is president of the Lane Library League, a citizen group with the goal of extending library service to the 80,000 people in Lane County who currently lack service. Sullivan served for eight years on the board of the conservation group Oregon Wild and is a past president of the Round Table Club of Eugene. Sullivan organizes three author events each year—the Oregon Authors Table at the Art & the Vineyard Festival in Eugene on the 4th of July weekend, the Oregon Authors Table at the Oregon State Fair from late August through early September in Salem, and the Authors & Artists Fair, a fundraiser for the Lane Library League.

Ime Etuk (Filmmaker) – Etuk believes the first step in storytelling is listening—deeply, openly, and without assumption. Whether writing, directing, or producing, he begins with rooting work in real stories and lived experiences. He aims to explore important emotional truths through fiction. His commitment is to honor communities and bring visibility to what’s often overlooked or unheard. As a first-generation Nigerian raised in Portland, Etuk spent his life moving between cultural worlds—often translating himself in spaces that didn’t fully see him. That sense of in-between shaped how he views identity, belonging, and transformation. It also drives the kinds of stories he tells: ones grounded in resilience, tension, and the quiet power of becoming. He is inspired by oral traditions, community histories, and the collective memory of those whose stories have too often been erased or ignored. His work draws on these influences and fuses them with his training in journalism, film, and theater. Over time, his practice has evolved from simply directing films to creating spaces for others to share their stories. He leads Lion Speaks, a nonprofit that mentors historically excluded Black and BIPOC creatives in media. Collaboration, mentorship, and access are central to his creative process. He often begins new work by listening: conducting interviews and gathering narratives that can be transformed into film, theater, or multimedia pieces. His goal is to build a body of work that is emotionally grounded and culturally expansive—films, series, and collaborative projects that foster reflection, empathy, and connection, while widening the circle of who gets to be seen and heard. His latest feature film, Outdoor School, premiered at the American Black Film Festival in 2025 and is currently on the festival circuit. Based on a true story, first shared on The Moth, and featured in the New York Times bestselling book, How to Tell a Story, the film explores themes of resilience, homelessness, and transformation in 1990’s Portland.