A Peace of My Mind’s work happens in seasons. We gather stories, we edit stories, and we share stories. Most often, the lines are blurred and we do all of those things all of the time, but one of those things always leads the way, and those seasons shift.

During the pandemic, we were on the road for two and a half years. Most of 2023 was a season of editing and producing our newest book and exhibit. This year has been spent—mostly—on programming and sharing the stories in communities across the country. It’s all good, but there’s always room for something new and room for something more. So that leads me to the obvious question, “What’s next?”

The answer is, “Plenty!” A Peace of My Mind is getting bigger than what just one person (me) can do, and we are planning to grow to respond to the needs we see around us.

We’ve been quietly putting the pieces in place for a season of growth and this fall is going to look a little different. We’ll be doing all the usual programming with colleges, conferences, and communities. We will lead professional development with Extension professions in New York, North Dakota and Louisiana, with faith leaders in Minnesota, interfaith leaders in Wisconsin, and Farm Bureau staff in Nebraska. We will work with students at St. Olaf College in Northfield and will be featured in the programming of the International Storytelling Festival in Tennessee. 

A New Home

SO we will be on the move as usual, but we are also going to start sinking our roots more deeply into the Twin Cities with our new physical space in Saint Paul. We are all moved in with our neighbors and roommates and will start putting some artwork on the walls in the coming weeks to call it home. In the new year, we plan to lead public programming and events from our new home, but this fall we will host an open house to celebrate the new space, show off some new storytelling art, and let you meet some of our neighbors who are doing good work, including Saint Paul Neighborhood Network, Sahan Journal, and Listen Up Youth Radio.

We’ll share more about the open house as we get closer, but for now, save the date on your calendar. Thursday, October 24, from 7-9 pm. Hope to see you there!

Growing The Team 

We are also adding to the team. Nick Theisen started working with us as an intern almost a decade ago (we all look younger in this photo…that’s Nick on the left as we were working with Brian Konkol at Syracuse University.) Nick had gone on to other things, but has always stayed in our orbit. We are excited to announce that he is joining us part time starting this fall to help promote, book, and ship our exhibits and to eventually develop and lead additional programming built around our stories. It turns out I am going as fast as I can, and there is more potential than I have the time to respond to on my own, so I am excited to have Nick’s help.

Also, we are starting to gather stories about addiction and recovery. You’ve seen some of it in individual stories in our previous books and exhibits and you’ve seen some of it in the series we did at the sober powwow near Sawyer, Minnesota earlier this month. But there is more in the works, and as we move into the fall and the new year, we will be creating a body of work that can used as a source of encouragement and healing for others who are on the journey as well as a tool and resource for prevention professionals who are working to reduce harm and lead people to programs and skills that can help along the way.

International Work

And as we continue to grow, we have our sights set on international work in the years ahead. We’ve got leads and connections in communities around the world and for years, I’ve kept the thought of these international stories in my back pocket, just waiting for the right time. (we thought 2020 was going to be the year, but then the pandemic redirected us.) Some of these things percolate and incubate and mature in the background for years and when the time is right, you know it. 

You probably saw some of the work we did in Northern Ireland earlier this summer. That visit shifted the notion of international work from a concept to a possible reality. That time making connections and exploring issues moved things from a notion to a goal and now we are steadily moving toward a plan. These things take time, but the wheels are turning.

It all feels big and daunting and filled with potential. That’s become the methodology for A Peace of My Mind through the years. At first it was enough to gather our initial stories. Then make an exhibit. Then a book. Then another and another. First in Minnesota, then across the country. Eventually, we sold our house and hit the road. All because we saw a need and we saw potential and when opportunities presented themselves, we responded by saying, “Yes.” And all because people helped us make it possible.

Now, it’s time to explore the bigger world. I was talking with our son Jordan the other day and I said, “I feel like every time I get to the top of a mountain, I enjoy the view for a minute, but then I see another mountain to climb. I’m starting to think I just like climbing mountains.”

But here’s the thing. The world needs healing and A Peace of My Mind offers it. We’ve seen that this model works. It works for the people who share their stories and it works for the people who encounter the stories. We keep seeing that and learning that in new and powerful ways.

And there are lessons to be learned for all of us. You can tell stories about addiction and recovery and learn lessons in forgiveness and grace. You can tell stories about the environment and learn lessons about working together. And you can tell stories about the ways other nations and societies have moved through conflict and learn lessons about how we can live better together right here in this country.

It’s all big. And it’s time. A Peace of My Mind is moving into a season of growth and we’ll need your help to see just how far we can go. We’ve done it before and we’ll do it again. Stay tuned for more.