Jennifer Sahn: Hey, McKenna. How’s the weather in Portland?
McKenna Stayner: It’s summer for real now, so it’s a little cloudy and cool in the mornings, then it gets much warmer as the day goes on. How about you, Jennifer?
JS: I’m in San Diego, and we’ve got a reasonably heavy marine layer, but it’ll probably burn off by 3. And what better way to start a conversation about the Conversations Issue than by talking about the weather? We came up with the idea of a Conversations Issue at last year’s editorial retreat in Montana’s Gallatin Range. What got you particularly excited about it?
MS: At the retreat, I noticed how many conversations we were having about conversations — conversations that are getting harder as the world goes through what it’s going through, and conversations that are getting siloed within specific communities. It made me want to break down some of the barriers that seem to be building up in the world, either through different beliefs or economic stratification or all the fear that’s out there right now.
JS: In this issue, we’ve delved into conversations that are pretty difficult to have at the moment, as well as conversations that are helping people get through a difficult time. We cover both ends of that spectrum.
MS: I wanted to give our readers a break from their regular, day-to-day lives to reflect on why we need to have these conversations and where we’re already having them. Like with interspecies communication: We are in dialogue with the natural world constantly, though we don’t always notice it as such. Everything is in communication. Everything is in dialogue.
JS: There are a lot of divisions at the moment keeping people from having civil exchanges, from truly listening and being open to possibly having their minds changed. Yet that is so essential to how democracy works and how community works.
MS: Enabling people to hear new voices and helping them bridge some of the divides in their communities is critical work right now.
JS: A conversation may come to an end, but it’s never really over because you’ll see the person again, or the topic will come up again, or it will arise in your thoughts long after the conversation is over.
MS: One of journalism’s highest goals is to build understanding and avenues of connection. So, if any of these stories spark conversations between readers, or with readers and people in their communities, then it will have been a good use of our resources and our time. It’ll be something that has made an impact in the world.
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This article appeared in the August 2026 print edition of the magazine with the headline “The things we say.”
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