Eric Menzel always had a fascination with food. In the pursuit of healthier food and healthier living, Eric began farming on a small scale with his wife, Eve, in rural Iowa. Although he recognizes his new career will never make him rich, he has found meaning in his daily routine of hard work and healthy living. Eric finds peace through simple living that reflects his … Continue reading Eric Menzel
Elaine Baker grew up in Mound Bayou, Mississippi. Founded in 1887 by former slaves, Mound Bayou is the oldest self-governing all-black municipality in the United States. Elaine grew up in an era of segregation, with “white only” and “black only” signs in neighboring communities, though she didn’t experience day-to-day racism in Mound Bayou. She learned that her value and worth were not determined by others. … Continue reading Elaine Baker
Tony Thomas was born and raised in the Cumberland Mountains of eastern Tennessee. He worked in the coal mines and never finished high school. Tony records folk musicians in rural areas in an effort to preserve the local culture. He is also a singer and a songwriter himself. Tony says he has written more than 200 songs and when he dies, they are all going to … Continue reading Tony Thomas
Cesar is an undocumented immigrant who lives in Riverside, California. He was born in Mexico and crossed the border on foot when he was 16 years old. On the journey, he was robbed, nearly died of dehydration, and was almost caught by border patrol agents. He works odd jobs and hopes to move toward citizenship one day. Although Cesar told me his full name, I … Continue reading Cesar
Donna Watts is president and CEO of the South Baldwin County Chamber of Commerce in Foley, Alabama. She has worked in business development for 30 years and takes great pride in helping people pursue the American Dream. Donna says the triple punch of hurricanes, recession, and the BP oil spill brought people in the region to their knees. She says there is a sense of community that … Continue reading Donna Watts
Kenneth Theriot is a third-generation Cajun shrimper from Chauvin, Louisiana. His son has taken to shrimping, adding a fourth generation. In the off-season, Kenneth builds shrimp boats. He says you don’t get rich shrimping, but it is in his nature. He describes the process like this: “Well, you go out there and you find shrimp. You catch them, clean them, ice them, and you just do … Continue reading Kenneth Theriot
More than anything, I find that A Peace of My Mind is a project about listening. It’s a skill that’s in short supply these days. We listen with the goal of responding, correcting, debating, convincing or coercing, but what if we simply listened for the sake of understanding? And another thing… 😉 We are quick to point out things that are wrong…ways we have been … Continue reading Listening
Tuesday night was a great celebration of a long effort to produce our new book, A Peace of My Mind: American Stories. Thanks to everyone who came out to Squirrel Haus Arts for the release party. There were people who’ve been in my books, people who helped support and fund the books, friends, family, and more. If I could judge it right from up front, … Continue reading We did it!
This is the way things happen. A friend said, “You’ve got to meet a woman named Beth Howard. She has a project called The World Needs More Pie.” It sounded interesting. Beth uses pie baking as a way to connect people…as a way to make peace. She has traveled around the world baking pies in 10 countries. She has delivered pies to a grieving community … Continue reading Pie-deology
