Methodist

Josh White Jr on Facebook has a 5-star musical pedigree, having performed competently at the age of 4, continuing to delight audiences across the entire country for another 76 years (so far).

Tim Purcell had been around the musical block a number of times, all the way from his first band, American Apple, and including (but not limited to) Lou's Blues Revue, Perfect World, The Riley Hawkins Band, and The Mustangs. But his latest & greatest is a combination of young & old folks called Foxes and Fossils.

So much to love about Ash Devine - her songs, her singing, her humanitarian clowning, her Magic Penny instrument gifting, her Earth connection, her social activism, & much more. Combining indie-folk and Appalachian music influences with her Theater & Community Arts for Social Change studies, Ash is a captivating performer, breathing spirit & joy through her vocals and a dance of the soul through her instruments.

A visit with Texas-raised attorney J.E. McNeil about the need to hear each other beyond the liberal/conservative, urban/rural, ivory tower/commonfolk divides, what holds us back, and how to bridge the gap. J.E. is the former executive director of the Center on Conscience & War and author of a review of the book Dark Money in Friends Journal. Also part of this discussion with J.E.

Anne Hills opens eyes and changes hearts & minds with the kind of beautiful music that obviates the need of any kind of lecture, putting us all in the same family and with the same cause. Because her day job is in the social work domain, she has plenty of opportunities to work on concrete on-the-ground improvements, at the same time she uplifts and inspires us with her music.

All songs in this program are written & performed by Anne Hills:

Matt Southworth was a wrestler in high school, fought as a U.S. Army intelligence analyst in Iraq after graduation, and now conducts legislative battles for peace on Capitol Hill.

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.

David Massengill paints a griping and moving picture of the USA through his music - of race, immigrants, adoption, and much more. Instead of speechifying about politics, David brings change by involving listeners in real stories that move our hearts, all the more powerful because of his Tennessee vernacular and accent.

Parker J. Palmer is author of 9 books including his latest Healing the Heart of Democracy: The Courage to Create a Politics Worthy of the Human Spirit. In his writing and in his work with the Center for Courage & Renewal, he transforms minds & lives.