The Island Institute's 25th Sitka Symposium, FrameWork: Shaping an Enduring Culture, was held in June 2009, and brought to an end a remarkable program that ran for a quarter of a century. And what a run it was! From the earliest years of exploring new ground to later gatherings the dug in deeper, each Symposium gave us the honor of meeting and working with an extraordinary group of people. If you missed out on our gatherings, or took part and would like to reminisce, scroll through the chronology. The outline of themes and faculty demonstrates what a remarkable program it was.

The Sitka Symposium was a gathering that aimed to put both written and oral traditions to the service of ideas. The week’s events invited participants to come together to explore the complex ideas and questions of our theme. Symposium faculty presented talks, readings, and panel discussions, and participated in small group discussions. Full-time participants engaged directly with faculty and other participants in all these activities. Writers opted for manuscript critiques and read their work at participant readings. We welcomed a broad audience of readers, writers—anyone interested—who came from communities around Alaska, the U.S., and elsewhere.

Again and again we heard how the Sitka Symposium mattered in peoples' lives, what a unique gathering it was—how important the conversations, how valuable the insights gained, how powerful the experience. Those who came took their places on the stage we set and brought the event to life.

Our profound gratitude to all who came and provided us the privilege of hosting the event again and again. Stay tuned to see what rises from the seeds that were sown.