Green Renaissance
In a culture where it can be difficult to sift through all the online media noise, Green Renaissance is creating content that captures the human spirit and reminds us that there is always something for which to be grateful. After becoming frustrated with the bombardment of negative messages being shared online, filmmakers Justine and Michael of South Africa decided to create one new short film a w... posted on Sep 17 2019, 11,965 reads

Diane Ackerman on Deep Play
In this moving piece, poet, essayist, and naturalist Diane Ackerman's reverence for play is brought to life through selections from her book, "Deep Play". While others have easily dismissed play as trivial or time-consuming, Ackerman asserts, "Opportunities for deep play abound. In its thrall we become ideal versions of ourselves... [Its] many moods and varieties help to define who we are and all ... posted on Sep 16 2019, 6,697 reads

Lewis Hyde: To Study the Self is to Forget the Self
In this lively conversation with Lewis Hyde, author and critic, (his latest: A Primer for Forgetting), he offers a reverse take on our ongoing concern about memory loss. "The liveliness of an oral culture is partly due to the fact that it can simply forget things that no longer fit the present need," he points out, "which would be useful if you want to be lively." So why not praise and value forge... posted on Sep 15 2019, 3,055 reads

India's Little Librarian
Poor neighborhoods in India typically have low literacy rates because residents do not have the resources necessary to educate their children. 9-year-old Muskaan Ahirwar is working to change this in her impoverished neighborhood in Bhopal. In January 2016, she opened a library outside her house to give kids free access to books and a place to read. She started with just a few books and now has sev... posted on Sep 14 2019, 1,934 reads

The Quality of Mercy
What is Mercy? In this essay offered by Lee Van Laer - we can see it from many perspectives. Shakespeare calls it an attribute to God himself, and according to the Sufi's mercy is God's greatest and most powerful quality. Van Laer points out that, "In practical terms, Mercy isn't just an idea or a concept; in its metaphysical and esoteric sense, it's a substance.That is to say, it's of a material ... posted on Sep 13 2019, 4,747 reads

The True Life of the Forest
Dr. Diana Beresford-Kroeger, botanist, medical biochemist, writer and broadcaster, combines medical training with a love of botany. She is an expert on the medicinal, environmental and nutritional properties of trees, and author most recently of The Global Forest. When her parents died, she was raised by an uncle who taught her everything from physics to Buddhism and Gaelic poetry. She was one of ... posted on Sep 12 2019, 6,947 reads

A New Son Begets A New Mother
"I raised my daughter, Claire, to listen to her true self. She was an odd kid, unusually intelligent from a young age and socially awkward, sometimes lacking empathy and always coming at things from a different way than her peers. I had made it my practice as her mother to allow and defend her unique way of being in the world. But when she announced she was a man at age 15, she had gone too far ev... posted on Sep 11 2019, 14,671 reads

Janwaar Castle: A Modern Skate Park in Rural India
When is a skatepark more than a skatepark? When it is Janwaar Castle, a local playground in Janwaar village. Between 50-60 children visit the park every day where they learn English, music, dance, painting, 3D modelling, and general life skills. It is a place where Adivasis and Yadavs, boys and girls, and all age groups play together. There are two rules: no school no skating and girls first. Sinc... posted on Sep 10 2019, 4,298 reads

Inner Preacher vs Inner Teacher
Between message and meaning, "Art is co-created by artist and audience, by writer and reader." In this Ursula K. Le Guin essay, Maria Popova explores the questions of where to find strength and hope, what is a writer's calling in this time and place, what work will make a difference, and how we might create a community of purpose. To each, Le Guin's answer is in trying to write well. Writing is no... posted on Sep 09 2019, 5,013 reads

Artists as Hoarders
When does collecting material for prospective art projects cross over and become hoarding? When it takes up so much space it requires a warehouse? When the time to collect and sort and store it all amounts to your entire lifetime? And what kind of imagination plus dedication does it take to finally assemble all the bits and pieces into something qualifying as art? Mirka Knaster opens the portal in... posted on Sep 08 2019, 5,576 reads