Mother Banjo is Ellen Stanley, an incredible voice and talented songwriter of the folk/gospel/Americana/down-homey variety. When Ellen is not promoting other great musicians for Red House Records or being a DJ for Womenfolk on KFAI, you may be lucky enough to see her perform as Mother Banjo.

James Olson is the author of The Whole-Brain Path to Peace about the role of left and right brain dominance in the polarization and reunification of America. It's an investigation into the effects of brain perspective on government, corporate life, war, and our personal lives. James Olson is a management-trained philosopher with studies in business, engineering, art, eastern and western religion, yoga, qigong, neuro-linguistic programming, philosophy and brain perspective. Plus, he's a former farmer & church deacon.

Featured Music:
All The World Is One - Peter Mayer
We Are Not Alone - John McCutcheon

Living off the grid and connecting best with the mystery through contact with nature, Pine Wilson leads Maritza, a band that touts itself as producing "Balkan Boogie, Romany Romp, Klezmer Kut-Ups".

Robin Bernstein traces the roots & mechanisms of racism in Racial Innocence: Performing American Childhood from Slavery to Civil Rights. Robin's piercing analysis and thorough research ferret out gems of both fact and insight, providing powerful resources for those working to reduce racism and its propaganda. Robin Bernstein is an associate professor at Harvard University in African and African American Studies and of Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality.

Featured Music:
Number One In America - David Massengill

Matt Wahl's deep voice and gentle spirit carry the listener to a soothing, joyous, place, replacing the tempting distractions of the world with the things of true value - family, connection, peace and the present moment.

In this episode, Spirit in the Digital Age, producer Madeline Schaefer takes a look at the role of technology in spirituality and, specifically, with Quakers. Included are interviews with Martin Kelley about QuakerQuaker.org and the convergent Friends movement; Stephen Dotson and Facebook; Chris Pifer and Aaron Crosman on what makes a Quaker website, "Quaker"; and the diary of a one week "Technology Fast."

Madeline Schaefer produces a series, Friend Speaks My Mind, out of Philadelphia.

Pat Humphries & Sandy O are Emma's Revolution and they use their music in the service of activism and, as their web site notes, they're "like Rachel Maddow and Jon Stewart with guitars". Their latest CD, Revolutions per Minute, chronicals & participates in many of this year's dramatic movements & concerns - like Iraq, Arab Spring, the Wisconsin Uprising & the Occupy Movement. They think and sing powerfully, providing fuel for change we really can believe in!

Jane Dwinell's third and newest book is Freedom Through Frugality: Spend Less, Have More, an inspirational in very practical guide to saving your life's energy through frugality. Jane is lively, insightful and spiritual -- she's a Unitarian Universalist minister.

2 passions of Joshua Brown's life are traditional folk music and West Richmond Friends Meeting, where he is pastor. Raised with a wealth of songs from Irish uncles and the rest of his family, he shares the riches in schools, nursing homes, for coffee houses - and at church.

Neal Swanger makes fine music with simple, earthy, lyrics & melodies, connecting listeners to the land & the heart. When mixed in with his work with Folk 'n' Thieves and with the kids of the ReUse Band, a project of the Urban Arts Academy of the Twin Cities, you're in for some great music and great fun.