Our guest is David Hartsough, author of Waging Peace: Global Adventures of a Lifelong Activist, a wonderful book combining the stories and inspiration for a better world that David has lived out and been witness to. David has gone inspirationally into the crucial events of the past 60 years, in the Civil Rights movement, across the Berlin Wall, working against nuclear weapons, traveling in solidarity with the people of Central America & Kosovo and making himself available everywhere that people need compassion and support. He’s a founder of many organizations including the Nonviolent Peaceforce and World Beyond War.

Past/current religious/spiritual influences:
Quaker

Sally Rogers has been a fountain of folk music for 4 decades (check out her 40 Years, 40 Songs collection), now sung all around the country & world. Her classics include Lovely Agnes, Touch of the Master's Hand, & Circle of the Sun, and there are ever-more greats coming. Her last visit with us was 2007. In addition to her work as a music teacher in schools, she's been a long-time co-host for the 3rd Friday Song Swap at Vanilla Bean in Pomfret, CT.

Have you ever wondered, "Who might be bisexual in the Bible?" Drawing on the scholarship of Rabbi Mark Sameth, author of the New York Times essay, Is God Transgender? Liam Hooper digs into the story of Judah, the son of Jacob, and an encounter he had with another man. 

How we communicate frequently makes all the difference between war/peace, connection/division, and safety/danger, and a very strong tool for effective, compassionate, dialogue is Nonviolent Communication (NVC). Claire Bates has been passionate about learning and teaching NVC since 2013, teaching people how to live well with others. Trainings & resources for your area can be found at Center for Nonviolent Communication (cnvc.org), such as the Needs Inventory mentioned in this interview.

Past/current religious/spiritual influences:
Quaker

In this episode you will meet a fellow climate action figure. Solemi Hernandez finds great joy and fulfillment in the climate work she does. In hearing some of her own story, we hope it inspires you in your own. Originally from Venezuela, Solemi has lived in the US state of Florida for the past 17 years. She seeks to improve conditions for immigrant farm workers. She is also raising her two sons, and Solemi has taken on a very big mission. She wants to save the world starting in her own community. 

Dean Stevens brought together recordings of Christmas-related songs which are well out of the US mainstream. He calls the collection Holiday Songs you Won’t Hear at the Mall, and they range from funny to serious, some are in Spanish, and many call to a deeper look at values and stories we should really be living out.

Sigrid Christiansen weaves a mystical spell with her music. Self-described on CDBaby as 'free folk' music, her voice, music, & lyrics are charming & enchanting. Animals, dreams, and whimsy feed her music, which she shares solo and with others, like the Taller Than They Appear quartet. For years she has produced the Stone House Concert Series.

In Sing a Rhythm, Dance a Blues: Education for the Liberation of Black and Brown Girls, Monique W. Morris orchestrates a vision of ways forward for the healing of the black & brown girls in the USA. Drawing on the science & the art of human change, Monique identifies the obstructions, & spot-lights the ways over, around, & through them.

Featured Music:
I'm a Woman - performed by Koko Taylor
God Bless the Child - performed by Billie Holiday
Nobody Knows My Name - performed by Queen Latifa
Collard Greens & Cornbread - performed by Fantasia

Particle Kid (J. Micah Nelson) is a fountain of insight, creativity, vision, & inspiration - through music. The recipient of a wondrous musical muse passed from his father, Willie Nelson, and through his older brother, Lukas Nelson, Micah magically synthesizes light, sound, thought, & melody into songs to grow the soul. Micah is closely rooted in the sustainable Earth at the same he soars high in the sky, a creator of Window Rock.

Peterson shares the story of Joseph from Genesis chapter 47. Long after the incident with the coat of many colors (which is quite possibly a princess dress) Joseph is in Egypt. Through his gift of dream analysis, he predicts a famine, and then proposes an adaptation plan. While his plan is effective, it is totally unjust. Hear Peterson and Liam discuss this story with a climate justice twist

Then Liam shares The Other Text, a poem by Leah Goldberg.