Spirit in Action

After 20 years in the Navy, Leah Bolger retired into full-time work as a peace activist. Leah is active almost everywhere, is the first female president of the national Veterans for Peace, works on the World Beyond War project, acts as Secretary of Defense for the Green Shadow Cabinet, coordinates the Drones Quilt Project, and chairs the VFP Drones Working Group.

Mark Kastel is co-founder and senior farm policy analyst for The Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-originated organization serving as a watchdog for "good food" - organics, family farms, environmental and economic justice issues, all around food. With careful research and attention to the oft-missing integrity of our food system, Cornucopia helps plug the holes in our national organic food standards.

In Yeshu: A Novel for the Openhearted, Charles David Kleymeyer re-sees and re-tells a well-known, sometimes culture-limited story, but this time with eyes and tongue influenced by decades of experience in Latin America.

Peterson Toscano, using wit, humor & theater, illuminates non-conforming gender roles in the Bible, reclaiming existence for a variety of folks ignored & silenced by the mainstream. With his winning humor and incisive vision, Peterson found acceptance for his revolutionary insights when presenting at the joint 2012 conference of the Society of Biblical Literature/American Academy of Religion. His newest theater production is Jesus Had 2 Daddies.

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.

MEMEnomics: The Next-generation Economics System by Said Dawlabani explores an evolving, growing, & maturing of values systems, leading us to a better future, in spite of and fueled by the crises we go through. A further adaptation of the Spiral Dynamics theories of Don Beck, Memenomics may well be the lens to light our way forward.

Maxine Kaufman-Lacusta's book, Refusing to be Enemies: Palestinian and Israeli Nonviolent Resistance to the Israeli Occupation delves deep into sides of the conflict that most US media never approach, and does it through the words of Palestinian & Israeli workers for peace, plus a few people outside of the Middle East. There's both more reality and hope in this work than we've been led to expect.

Nukewatch staffer John LaForge has produced the Nukewatch Quarterly for more than 20 years, carefully documenting the dangers and disasters of nuclear power & weapons, mixed with reporting on Nonviolent Direct Action. Originating in Madison, WI, Nukewatch has long been based near Luck, WI, with the Anathoth Community Farm, living organically, nonviolently, and mostly off the grid.

James Loewen is a sociologist, historian and author. His writings include the renowned Lies My Teacher Told Me. In an effort to expose the truth and improve our world, James stirs the passion for knowledge that unbiased history can provide. His first history textbook had too much fact in it, was suppressed, and led to his successful First Amendment challenge to the censorship of free speech & press. If you have info about a Sundown Town in your area, you can email James at jloewen[at]uvm.edu

In Turn Here, Sweet Corn: Organic Farming Works, Atina Diffley shares the story of the Gardens of Eagan and Atina's personal story of learning female empowerment, organic farming, and successfully taking on an oil pipeline owned by the infamous Koch Brothers. Mixing vivid stories, earth-centered spirituality, and organic expertise, Atina is a true Spirit in Action.