What makes a great conversation?

This is the question that visiting scholar and historian Clay Jenkinson was asking himself just before he gave a short presentation kicking off Great Conversations Wednesday night.

Jenkinson, an award-winning author and cultural interpreter, said a good conversationalist is one who is well read, well informed, well brought up and not too wedded to his or her point of view. He said a good conversationalist is a good listener, is generous to others and gracious about disagreements.

He proposed that guests "try to talk about whatever you are talking about in a way you've never talked about it before -- possibly violating your own sensibilities."

Jenkinson told the crowd of more than 300 that an event with the concept centered around great conversations was "one of the greatest ideas" he'd ever heard.

Jenkinson hosted a table on nuclear weapons today in which he discussed who is in the nuclear club, who wants to be in the club and how scared we are of them or whether we are at all.

This was the fourth annual Great Conversations sponsored by the Helena Education Foundation with the hope of having community celebration that promotes public education and lifelong learning.

Graphologist from Oakland, Calif., Ralph Zackheim hosted a table on handwriting analysis.

Deborah Butler, of Helena, sat at the handwriting table and said she found it interesting that your personality could be seen by your handwriting.

Zackheim said, "every time we write, we are drawing a picture."

He said some may think handwriting is second nature, but in reality, it is a drawing of what is in our minds. He said graphology is part science and part art, and he believes not only can you tell a person has suffered trauma or pain through handwriting but also if there are health concerns. He not only analyzed each person at the table but brought writings from famous people such as Marilyn Monroe, Truman Capote, Emily Dickinson, Jeannette Rankin and Albert Einstein.

Steve Heinitz, a Helena Motors employee, brought his daughter Anna, to the dinner and conversation for what they describe as a "dinner date."

It was their first time attending the popular Helena event and they each sat at a different table. Steve Heinitz sat at the play ball table hosted by Goose Gregson, current pitching coordinator for the Boston Red Sox. He said he chose the table because of his admiration for Gregson, whom he has known for years.

Anna Heintiz sat at the theater secrets table hosted by Blair Bybee, a professional director and actor with national experience who's also the artistic director at Grandstreet Theatre.

Anna Heintiz, 17, sat at the table because of her love for the arts, she said, adding that she'd possibly like to study vocal performance after graduating from high school.

Returning table host and Carroll College literature professor Kay Satre spent the evening taking about one of her greatest passions -- books. Her table, big fat old novels, gave her the opportunity to listen to individual experiences with great books.

She says it is a table of eight people who most likely don't know each other but get to have a group exploration of literature together.

Valley Farms owner Dennis Flynn sat at the Christian fundamentalist table and said he selected that as one of his table choices merely because it looked interesting. He said he only knew a couple at the table and he has lived in Helena his entire life.

"It just shows you how many new people that have come to town," Flynn said.