Blue O'Connell uses her music to heal with her training in Therapeutic Music and as a Certified Music Practitioner, this in addition to her stagework and other singing/songwriting. Perhaps the most astonding fact - for roughly half her life she's been profoundly deaf!
John Noltner is photographer and author of a new book, A Peace of my Mind: Exploring the meaning of peace, one story at a time, a captivating inquiry into how common folks - and some not-so-common folks - think about peace. It attempts to bring diverse, sincere, voices into a big tent, to do the work of listening for possibilities.
Mary Miche has been sharing values-rooted music with children for decades, connecting them to the plants, animals and people of the entire globe.
Aaron Ableman & Dave Room have founded Balance Edutainment to use a wide range of media in order to light young people's dreams with a vision of making a better world. They've just released Pacha's Pajamas and are rolling it out in many different forms - video, audio, app and book - with prominent names like Talib Kweli & Mos Def taking part.
Larry Tye's recent book is SATCHEL: The Life and Times of an American Legend. Satchel Paige was a trail-blazer in the times when African-Americans were segregated from whites in their neighborhoods, schools, drinking fountains and on the ball field and Larry Tye chronicles Satchel's long march to color-blind recognition with the feel of an gripping adventure.
Gordon Bok is one of the greats of folk music, with many songs coming from the sea, or the edge of the sea, where he lives. He delivers them with a depth and a resonance that echos deep in the soul. With 22 of his own recordings, plus collaborations with Ann Muir, Ed Trickett, Cindy Kallet, among others, Gordon Bok has created and passed on an immense wealth of balladry and inspiration.
Vasu Murti asks a disturbing question - if world hunger, climate change, and, importantly, abortion are the karma for our animal-based diet, can we get liberals and conservatives to come together to affirm the sanctity of all life? Vasu Murti is author of The Shall Not Hurt or Destroy: Animal Rights and Vegetarianism in the Western Religious Traditions and also The Liberal Case Against Abortion.
Music included in this program:
Do No Harm - Carrie Newcomer
A Piece of Paper - Gladstone
Cheryl Wheeler does music and life her own way - openly, honestly, and comfortably - and the result is a lot of stunning music and messages. Her songs have been covered by folks like Peter, Paul & Mary, Garth Brooks, and even Bette Midler, a testament to real quality, appealing across the musical spectrum.
Vasu Murti is a powerful liberal voice for "consistant peace", and he supports his concerns by extensive research of eastern religious thought, western religious thought, and the best of secular thought & reasoning. In this 2-part interview he speaks about global warming, war, karma (and many more topics) and their relationship to vegetarianism & abortion. He's author of The Shall Not Hurt or Destroy: Animal Rights and Vegetarianism in the Western Religious Traditions and also The Liberal Case Against Abortion.
Sue Orfield is a dynamo of music in the Chippewa Valley and far beyond, performing with a double-digit number of groups. Her musical tastes and skills are equally wide-ranging, although her instrument of choice is the sax and she's especially renowned for her swing & jazz music. Whether it's with the Sue Orfield Band, the Tiptons Saxophone Quartet or AcoustiHOO, the music has energy and creativity.