Creativity & COVID-19
"In some recent discussions with friends who are also creatives, I have heard a variety of responses to the question, 'How has Covid-19 affected your creativity?'Some have been inspired to create new work. Others have spoken about a year of fallowness. It's a term we rarely if ever hear in a culture devoted to--or better put, obsessed with--constant productivity. Take agribusiness: every acre and ... posted on Jan 18 2021, 6,114 reads

To Walk in Beauty Once Again
"Fragility sticks to everything alive like the quiet wetness of morning dew
in this global pandemic
as a doctor
I see this fragility
Threatening to swallow so much of what we love
like a large red blanket covering a small bed
and I can't unsee it."
So begins this powerful poem by Sriram Shamasunder, a physician whose work takes him to the front lin... posted on Jan 17 2021, 7,548 reads

Writers & Artists on the Influence of Barry Lopez
"In 2015 Barry and I were invited to do an onstage conversation at the Key West Literary Seminars. We loved the idea of it but hated the given title, and ended up talking on the phone for most of an hour, trying to arrive at a word that felt home-language to us each. The suggested word, spiritual, we felt utterly threadbare. Barry's preference was reverence, a quality that ran deep in his life and... posted on Jan 16 2021, 4,176 reads

Musicians on Kindness
What if kindness was a form of music, with its own rhythm, its own flow, its own song?" This engaging video points out the give and take of the whole human experience through highlighting music, with its reciprocal energy which inspires both the musicians and their audiences. The featured street musicians reflect on the power of music to make kindness contagious.... posted on Jan 15 2021, 2,736 reads

what is unveiled? the founding wound (poem/directive)
"a body is always a body
individual or collective
(whole or in many pieces)
alive or, later, dead
a body is aways vulnerable"
So begins this electric poem/directive by writer adrienne maree brown, that brings an unflinching gaze, open heart and clear voice to the realities of our times, and to the possibilities of healing.... posted on Jan 14 2021, 6,765 reads

5 Tips for Teaching in Times of Civil Unrest
Over the past week educators across the United States have found themselves encountering difficult conversations in the classroom. From the Ida B. Wells Education Project come these helpful tips for teaching effectively in the midst of periods of tremendous social change.... posted on Jan 13 2021, 6,335 reads

The Sword & The Shield: The Struggle for Black Freedom
"To most Americans, Malcolm X and Dr. King represent contrasting ideals: self-defense vs. nonviolence, black power vs. civil rights, the sword vs. the shield. The struggle for black freedom is wrought with the same contrasts. In his latest book, Peniel Joseph upends longstanding preconceptions to transform our understanding of the 20th century's most iconic African American leaders, and addresses ... posted on Jan 12 2021, 2,688 reads

Matthew Fox: How Important is Truth?
Matthew Fox is a spiritual theologian and scholar of mystic spirituality whose theology of creation spirituality was systematically singled out and denounced by two successive Popes, only to see a third Pope incorporate it into Church doctrine. His is a voice that has not shied away from speaking truth to power. "To grasp what is happening in America at this time, it might be good to first meditat... posted on Jan 11 2021, 6,433 reads

10 Ways & 50 Questions to Help Strengthen Democracy
Ken Cloke is a world-recognized mediator, dialogue facilitator, conflict resolution systems designer, teacher and more. Given the political polarization, deep divisiveness and unrest rearing its head in the United States, he recently shared a detailed list of 10 actions that can help us transform autocratic, power-based political conflicts into democratic, collaborative efforts. In addition he off... posted on Jan 10 2021, 16,106 reads

We Must Deepen Our Capacity for Healing
"Today I want to feature some friends of mine who represent the face of love, truth, and justice. Each of them has an upcoming online event that you may want to participate in. People of good will need opportunities like this as we absorb the insurrection and the pandemic rages on." In the wake of disturbing recent events in America's capital, community leaders, activists, authors, artists and tea... posted on Jan 09 2021, 8,867 reads