Jan Frase & the Community Coalition for Nonviolence helped us celebrate the U.N. International Day of Peace by a gathering of artists & activists hosted virtually by the Pablo Center at the Confluence.

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.

Religious norms & habits can't stand in the way of a community faithful to the call of Radical Love. Dave Greenlund, pastor of Peace Lutheran Church - Lauderdale shares the story of a (formerly) Missouri Synod Church whose members traveled a path to greater & greater inclusion & love, squarely facing sexism, racism, Earthcare, and gifting themselves & their neighbors with Christmas in August.

Past/current religious/spiritual influences:
Lutheran

Johnsmith includes exactly the right mix of heart, wonder, & whimsy in the songs he writes, combined with a flawless voice and impeccable guitar. He has produced 8 solo CDs, was a Kerrville New Folk winner, & has decades experience performing all across the USA. In addition to his songsmithing workshops at Esalen, Kerrvile, & many other locations, he has years of experience leading sightseeing/cultural/musical tours of Ireland, and you can even join Johnsmith & other musician-river guides on a week-long rafting journey on the Salmon River. He is a captivating minstrel & a minister of song.

Each year there's a contest sponsored by the Renaissance Artists and Writers Association called Songs for Social Change, and today we have here the winner of last year's contest. Mary Lou Fulton rated number one out of many hundreds of submissions with her song Not Going Back. What makes it all the more remarkable is that she did it with the very first song she ever released! But it was but first in a healthy line of wonderful music, as she transitioned from telling stories through journalism and newspaper, to singing stories for the world. Mary Lou Fulton joins us from Los Angeles.

Climate change related work often comes down on one of two sides: 1. Mitigation to reduce or end human causes greenhouse pollution in order to slow down and lessen the impacts of global warming. 2. Adaptation of our communities and infrastructure in order to prepare for the impacts of climate change and respond to extreme weather and other consequences of climate change. 

Doug Parsons, the host of the America Adapts Podcast talks to us about what he has learned from nearly 100 episodes interview adaptation experts. He will discuss the difference between adaptation and resiliency. He highlights efforts to adapt to sea level rise, wildfires, and flooding, and points out an impact of climate change that will affect almost everyone at some point in their lives—extreme heat. 

A tribute to John Prine, with 6 guests, some singing songs by John, others singing songs about and inspired by John, all paying tribute to a great, truly unique, country-folk singer who died this past April. Carsie Blanton, Laura Farley, and Johnsmith will be singing originals, while Sammie Purcell of Foxes and Fossils, Tom Pirozolli, and Joe Jencks will be covering John Prine songs. Great originals & great renditions, seeded by John Prine.

Robert P. Jones is the founder and CEO of PRRI and the author of White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity. Combining theological and historical insight with rigorous statistical analysis, Robert P. Jones searches out the DNA of white supremacy in our churches, to expose the systemic racism and lead to change.

Peter Alsop's latest release is Camping With Dads, and it includes all the fun & profundity you expect from Peter, providing learning about all kinds of stuff, from racism to listening to violence to gorillas.

Thom Hartman just released his latest book, The Hidden History of Monopolies: How Big Business Destroyed the American Dream.