Spirit in Action

Daniel Hunter vs The Casinos is a case of David vs Goliath, only more impressive. Daniel co-led that battle retold in Strategy & Soul: A Campaigner's Tale of Fighting Billionaires, Corrupt Officials, and Philadelphia Casinos. Ingenious, creative, & steadfastly principled, this is a tale of inspiration and adventure, and there's an immense amount of info about community organizing that is absorbed effortlessly!

Paul Gilk co-edited the book, A Whole Which Is Greater: Why the Wisconsin Uprising Failed, looking at the range of societal values, politics, & spiritual issues which have determined Wisconsin's course, including the failure to prevent Gov. Scott Walker's radical shift in the state. Paul lives without electricity, close to the earth, & is the author of at least 6 books, all typed on his manual typewriter.

War tax resistance, immigration, Middle East, intentional community, books & plays, public office, divestment - Bill & Genie Durland have been called & led to address these concerns and many more. With the Center on Law & Pacifism, Pendle Hill, Christian Peacemaker Teams, the Virginia House of Delegates, and elsewhere, Bill & Genie have walked a faithful life of witness. Order their plays by email at durlandwe@gmail.com.

When building relationship with Earth, the best advice may be "don't just do something, sit there!", and 3 participants of a weeklong workshop did something like that, sharing their process, experience, and fruits in this program. eric maya joy, Mary Jo Klingel, and Mary Conrow Coelho speak of roots & fruits of a Quaker Earthcare Witness (QEW) experiment.

Dan Terry did things that are unbelievable in many Western eyes - being welcomed among diverse peoples of Afghanistan, including some among the Taliban. After a life of aid, friendship, and living on the edge in the region, Dan was killed in 2010, and his story and stories are captured in Making Friends Among the Taliban: A Peacemaker's Journey in Afghanistan, written by Jonathan P. Larson.

Laura Melvin retired after 10 years as a Florida circuit court judge, and the spirit of one of the young girls whose death came through Laura's courtroom required her to write Public Secrets & Justice: A Journal of a Circuit Court Judge. Laura stayed on the bench as long as she could and left when the pain & contradictions were no longer tolerable. What is the role of an open-hearted, conscientious, judge in the American court system? Laura shares her experiences & insights.

Judy Wicks is author of Good Morning, Beautiful Business: The Unexpected Journey of an Activist Entrepreneur and Local-Economy Pioneer and was owner of the White Dog Cafe in Philly for almost 30 years, pioneering business that was engaged, transformational, community-building, fun, and successful. On the cutting edge of local food, organic, humane, politically-involved, food & business.

Jeremy Gragert tackles the climate/environment crisis at home by working on the ways we travel, including his activism with the Chippewa Valley Transit Alliance, Eau Claire Climate Action Now, and the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin (WisconsinBikeFed.org).

Mel White is an eloquent, incisive, and compassionate voice exposing the lies of the Christian Right. This is something he knows from the inside, having ghost-written "autobiographies" for Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and others, before he accepted his homosexualtity as a gift from God, rather than a sin to be obliterated.