George McCorkell is central to & primary songwriter for The May North, a band that self-proclaims that they perform "bluegrass without boundaries, folk without pretense, honest storytelling without apology". They're right!
Since 1991, Jim Ziolkowski & BuildOn.org have been transforming inner city schools in the USA and building schools - over 550 to-date - in the poorest countries of the globe. In his book, Walk In Their Shoes, Jim shares his own stories and the stories of many of the volunteers of BuildOn, US teens whose lifes have been renewed, African women who've found self-respect & a voice through equal access to education as part of the BuildOn covenant, and many others. This is inspirational, painful, joyful, astonishing work, and Jim shares his story transparently.
Music Featured:
What Can One Person Do? - Andy Murray
Victoria Vox is more than a beautiful voice, she's a creative font of folk/pop music, occasionally in French, always in style & beauty. Write a song each week for 52 weeks? She's done it. Writing songs since she was 10, inspired by the likes of Cyndi Lauper & Madonna, and powered by the ukelele, Victoria's music is full of grace & depth.
Stan Cox is author of Any Way You Slice It: The Past, Present, and Future of Rationing and a Senior Research Scientist and coordinator of research for the The Land Institute. With an eye to a just & sustainable future, Stan explores our history with rationing and the possibilities for an equitable future of necessary constraints.
Stan Cox is also author of Losing Our Cool
Sue West (AKA RuralRootsMusic.com) is all about traditional folk music, including the traditional songs that she writes. With a strong environmental & spiritual bent, Sue's music conveys simplicity and depth of feeling, and a sense of rootedness. Plus, she is a prolific songwriter when under the leading of the muse and she plays with the Rush River Ramblers, an old-time string band.
Musician & writer Gretchen Wing is an emerging talent at songwriting, with music & lyrics that are profound and moving. A growing presence of the music scene on Lopez Island, WA, you can only hope that she'll come visit you, or that she'll start producing CDs of her songs. Email her at gretchen.wing@gmail.com
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.
Other books by Paul Gilk:
Nature's Unruly Mob: Farming and the Crisis in Rural Culture
Green Politics Is Eutopian: Essays in Anticipation of the Daughter
Polemics and Provocations: Essays in Anticipation of the Daughter
The Kingdom of God Is Green
In Switzerland the Moon is Always Male
Danny Ellis spent 8 often-traumatic years in an orphanage in Ireland, healed from it by meditation, music, & love, and through his newly released book, A Boy at the Gate, shares the pain, humor, love, & music of his story. A beautiful voice & great music, & a true story on top of it - what's not to love?