Linda Allen was called to my attention by Peter Alsop. Linda has all the credentials that speak to me. She has 5 decades of experience as a people's musician. She combines a piercing mind & and capacious heart, with room enough for all. And she won her Doctor of Ministry degree with a dissertation called, “The Bridge Between the Earth and Sky: The Spirituality of Voice”, leading to her ordination as an interfaith minister in 2006. And, of course, Linda's songs are moving and memorable, crafted so that her listeners can sing along and carry the songs home ringing in their hearts and vibrating in their throats. Linda Allen joins us from Bellingham, Washington.
Past/present religious/spiritual influences: Baptist, Lutheran, UU-United Universalist, UCC-United Church of Christ, Creation Spirituality, Matthew Fox
I've seen alternative & sustainable energy technology evolve tremendously in my lifetime, and yet I know there are applications, like hydroelectric energy, that continue to be valuable contributors to our world. One that, sadly, has diminished mightily in most of our eyes, is the water-pumping windmills. At one time they were spread widely across our country, but now they are mostly broken, non-functional, and rusty relics seen here-and-there. Today's guest is Bryce Black, and he has worked for almost 45 years under the name LoTec Windmill Service. We're going to explore this still-valuable energy source with Bryce, and it's role in American life, past and present. Besides Bryce's windmill work, he makes music with Yata and with The Sliced Bread Jug Band.
Our guest is Suzanne Parry (and on Instagram), and she is the author of a historical fiction novel, The Communist’s Secret, the 2nd of a trilogy centered on events during WW2 around Russia. It might be enough to talk about the history of that time in terms of lessons and implications we can draw for our times about tyrannical governments, oppression, & the necessary self-examination for truly understanding what we are serving and upholding by the actions of our country. That might be enough to make this visit with Suzanne valuable, but, in addition, Suzanne was also an arms control negotiator in the mid-1980's, near the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Katie Dwyer is absolutely one of the top surprises & joys of 20 years I've been doing this program, no exaggeration. Katie is unassuming & modest, even though she has every reason to be proud of the wonderful music she creates & performs. She's all about real life, real pains and glories, all song with passion & compassion. Maybe it's fitting that she doesn't live among coastal elites, but right in South Dakota. I'll forewarn you that there are other Katie Dwyer performers, so follow our link to find the best Katie I know of. Katie has performed as part of The Sunrise & The New Perspective, Owl Chaser, Moon & Sea (with her husband, Andrew), and she's been part of the February Album Writing Month (FAWM.org).
Many of us have been deeply concerned about domestic violence and been heart-broken at people we've known who've suffered, and maybe died, within a violent marriage, unable to leave. Today's SIA guest is Michael Neely, and he has testifying power about domestic abuse because of his many years in a marriage where he was badly abused. He'll talk about that today, but you can also find portions in his book, Black Eyes and Sweet Talk. While most violent abuse is male on female, when Michael has shared his story, it has freed so very many women, and also some men, to find a way to freedom from the torment and fear. In particular, Michael has worked to help churches move away from keeping abused spouses in violent marriages.
Though he tried a strenuous life on the music circuit in his 20s, Mike Green found a better path for him, at the time, was helping other musicians in organizing & scheduling their tours. Though Mike continued to hone his own guitar skills, occasionally playing with other bands like the rock & roll band called Rooster Soup, he channeled his energies into assuring success for American roots, Celtic, and folk artists, like John McCutcheon, Carrie Newcomer, David Wilcox, and others. About 5 years ago Mike discovered a burgeoning songwriting passion, leading to his first album, Listening For The Bell, in preparation for his retirement from his work as a booking agent.
Our guest-host today is Jan Spencer and this is his 7th time sharing an episode of Creating A Preferred Future, and this is a rather picturesque guided tour of what kind of change will prepare us for a better future. Many of us have at least ideas of parts of what will make for a healed world in ecological balance, but have are hard time synthesizing the pieces into a coherent picture of life, and so Jan is going to help us do that today. He'll be voyaging from his home in Eugene, Oregon, up to Portland, Oregon to visit the Kailash Eco Village.
Lucy Kaplansky is, in some ways, very much a road-less traveled person. For example, after starting a successful career as performing Americana musician with the likes of Shawn Colvin, Suzanne Vega, and many more, she detoured through a decade as a clinical psychologist. Her own inner work led her back to the path she most loves, music, and she has released a total of 11 albums, I think, the last 4 on her own, including avoiding streaming services and other devices that impoverish most musicians - another road less traveled. You'll find her heartful and engaging, poignant and insightful.
Past/present religious/spiritual influences: Jewish, Non-affiliated
All featured music is written & performed by Lucy Kaplansky, unless otherwise noted:
Sonita Alizada grew up in Afghanistan under that Taliban, and then later in Iran, in a culture where females faced all kinds of trials, including forced marriage for young girls, and much more. Sonita found refuge and nurture via education by NGOs working in Iran, and through which she discovered a talent as a rap artist, with songs like Daughters For Sale. These and many more stories are told in her new book, SONITA: My Fight Against Tyranny and My Escape to Freedom. The wild rise of her music has given her an ever-larger platform for her work for gender equality, combining her voice as a rapper and an activist, what she calls a raptivisit. Although she thrived during her high school and college education in the USA, she resides in Europe, visiting her family regularly in Canada, where they were able to immigrate.
(From left to right: Annie Patterson, Wendi Bourne, Lauren Janson)
Wendi Bourne's journey with music began at 6, her first instrument was an accordion which was almost bigger than she was, and while she was definitely influenced by the folk music revival of her early years, she was especially caught by the jazz and swing bug and it grew and multiplied is so many ways in her life. She's made music with so many different folks, among them the Skippack Cindies, Big Nite Out, The Girls from Mars, the Lost Boys, Beats Walkin', W&E Swing and more. Wendi Bourne is all about the groove and rhythm and the harmonies, so prepare yourself.
Past/present religious/spiritual influences: Presbyterian, Buddhism, Non-affiliated