Last week I spent a few days in the Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens, New York. I’ve been frustrated with the angry rhetoric about immigration and immigrants in the political cycle. There is no doubt that we have a broken system in our country. I’ve seen first-hand the humanitarian crisis at our southern border and there are people smarter than me who have not yet … Continue reading American stories
I was in Northern Ireland with a group and students and staff that was convened by the Conversation Project at Willamette University, an initiative on campus to “cultivate capacity for honest, transformative dialogue.” Also in the room were folks from the Center for Engaged Compassion, the Center for Inclusion and Belonging, and the Corrymeela Community, who hosted our gathering and has been involved in reconciliation … Continue reading Corrymeela
I’m catching up with posting new content. We’ve been so busy doing the work lately that I haven’t found time to talk about the work. This spring we spent time at NWTC in Green Bay. It’s the 4th time we’ve been to that campus and this time we spread out to include engagements at their Shawano and Marinette campuses. We installed exhibits in each community … Continue reading NWTC
Lessons on the Road to Peace won the Minnesota Book Awards for best general non-fiction earlier this month. It was a wonderful affirmation of our 2-½ years on the road gathering stories from across the country and the daunting pace of writing and producing a 304-page book during most of 2023. It was also a welcome recognition of the power of the stories that people … Continue reading Winning
At Kutztown University we asked, “How can you be an advocate for others?” Life is hard and sometimes it takes all we have just to make it through the day. But in all of the people I have interviewed through the years, I have seen that the magic happens when we can take our eyes off our own needs and think about the needs of … Continue reading Advocate
“When have you felt a sense of belonging?” That’s the question we asked in a small rural town in Minnesota. I’ve worked with the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center in the past. They hosted one of my earliest exhibits there a decade ago. I spent a couple weeks there for an artist residency while I was editing our American Stories book. So, when I … Continue reading Belonging 2.0
Here’s how the book was looking in the wee, dark hours of the morning today. All the pages have run through the press and are stacked on pallets, waiting to be assembled. I’ve spent much of my career producing images for magazines and newspapers, so there’s something familiar…comforting even…about walking out onto the pressroom floor, smelling the ink and hearing the hum of the rollers … Continue reading Press check
We spent a few days this fall with K-State Research and Extension professionals in Manhattan Kansas and asked, “When have you been inspired to engage with your community?” And this is what people said. What inspires you to engage with your community? Continue reading Engage
We are about a month away from the delivery of our new book, Lessons on the Road to Peace. I’m pretty sure I understood that an 11-month turnaround to write, edit, design, and produce a 304-page book was a ridiculous pace, but I decided to do it anyway. In part, to help process the enormity of this 2-½ year journey Karen and I took across … Continue reading The home stretch
Today is Easter. We woke up for the first time in our rented townhome. On a mattress on the floor. After two and a half years on the road…900 days and 93,000 miles…we have our own place again. I’ve been looking far and wide for beauty and I’ve found it. But now it’s time for a new season. We’ve come home to be closer to … Continue reading Day 1
