Summer 2009 Calendar
Here is a link to the PDF version of the 2009 program. It's about 2 MB. You need Adobe Reader (or Adobe Acrobat) to read this document.
The HTML program is below.
Writer/director David Novack examines the explosive conflict between the coal industry and residents of West Virginia. Confronted by emerging "clean coal" energy policies, local activists watch a world blind to the devastation caused by coal's extraction. Faced with toxic ground water, the obliteration of 1.4 million acres of mountains, and a government that appeases industry, our heroes demonstrate a strength of purpose and character in their improbable fight to arouse the nation's help in protecting their mountains, saving their families, and preserving their way of life. The film will be followed by a discussion with David Novack. Fun Night! July 24, 7:30 PM Angels Of Austria July 25, 10 AM All her adult life in America, Trudy, a Jewish refugee from Austria, blamed herself for failing to rescue her father from the Nazis. Just as she began to share her father's letters that she had tucked away for over fifty years, she received an unusual invitation from a church in Austria asking her to return to her hometown for a week of friendship, seeking forgiveness for their country's crimes of the Holocaust. But how can Trudy forgive them, when she hasn't even forgiven herself? Is it possible to heal from the Holocaust? The daughter, Judy Faust, tells the story and explores the difficult and challenging journey to forgiveness. An engaging discussion, a question and answer period, and a reading from the author's book will follow the screening. The Thinking Heart July 25, 7:30 PM "Let me be the thinking heart of these barracks. . . . The thinking heart of a whole concentration camp." —Etty Hillesum October 3, 1942
The Thinking Heart is an original arrangement of writings, constellated as poems, by Martin Steingesser, based on the journal and letters of Etty Hillesum, a young Dutch woman who died at Auschwitz in 1943. Presented in two voices by Martin and Judy Tierney, with the cellist Robin Jellis. Etty's journal and letters, An Interrupted Life (the diaries, 1941-1943) and Letters from Westerbork, chart an extraordinary journey, not only because of the moment and terrain but because of the light in which she holds the experience. We move with her from a place of paralyzing fear to one in which Etty refuses escape to travel east into the darkness, to share the fate of her people and to be of help, to be, as she said, "a balm to all wounds." Heart and The Dragon: Poetry & Politics July 26, 10 AM Heart and the Dragon is a presentation of poems touching on social and political issues that aims at sharing the writer's experience and vision rather than selling an abstract system of value for a political agenda, which, as George Orwell noted, is more often "designed to make lies sound truthful." The poet, as William Carlos Williams stated, endeavors to celebrate "the reader's responses and values." Capoeira: Youth Program and Body Movement July 26 - August 2 Capoeira Angola is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines dance movements, acrobatics, fighting, music, history and philosophy. Enslaved Africans from the Bantu region of Africa brought the movements of Capoeira Angola to Brazil, disguising the martial elements of Capoeira Angola by adding music and singing. After the abolition of slavery, Capoeira Angola continued to develop as an instrument of resistance and freedom, serving as a political weapon against oppression and a tool to retain and celebrate African traditions and philosophies. Today, Capoeira Angola groups flourish across Brazil and around the world. Storytelling as an Entry into Social Change July 27, 7:30 PM We will hear and explore stories both ancient and modern, biblical and personal, that speak of peace and justice. We will discuss how the stories we tell change us and have the power to change our communities and world. Can Liturgy be Radical? July 28, 7:30 PM Rabbi Talya Weisbard Shalem and Josh Schreiber Shalem (Feldenkrais® teacher and musician) engage with liturgies from Rise Up Singing to progressive Jewish prayer-books to explore how the words we recite shape our thoughts, perceptions, and actions. Capoeira and the Spirituality of Resistance July 29, 7:30 PM Courtney Mark Grey (Capoeira Angola facilitator), Winston Cox (headmaster of Boston's Social Justice Academy, and Kilombo Novo youth reflect on the roots and personal relevance of this Afro-Brazilian martial art form. Faith, Social Change and Jazz July 30, 7:30 PM Willie Sordillo works part-time on the staff of the Massachusetts Conference of the UCC and is a professional musician. A longtime social activist and founding member of the nueva canci'n ensemble, Flor de Ca'a, Willie currently leads the music for two weekly jazz/alternative worship services in addition to taking jazz into worship spaces throughout Massachusetts on Sunday mornings. Fun Night! July 31, 7:30 PM A Change We Can Believe In: An Arab-American Reflection August 1, 10 AM Nabil Migalli, president of the Arab-American Forum, a non-partisan, non-sectarian New Hampshire non-profit organization. JC and Enfusion August 1, 7:30 PM James "JC" Carr has been honing his tribute performance to the revolutionary James Brown since witnessing the master at the Boston Garden in 1964, when JC was only 11 years old. Putting his lightning hot backing band Enfusion through the paces, JC consistently rocks the house with the sound, the look, the intricate dance moves and the soul of James Brown.' Bring your dancin' shoes and remember who saved Boston when Dr. King was assassinated! 194 Days In: What is The Progressive Landscape? August 2, 10 AM Chris Owens, a past candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives and City Council of New York, is president of the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats and hosts a program on Air America Radio, "Black Politics with Chris Owens". Soccer Week August 3 - August 7 Join coach Stu Ball on the field for afternoon drills, encouragement, and great games. All age, all levels. Competition at its best! Social Class and Education August 3, 7:30 PM With Donna San Antonio, Program Development Specialist, Appalachian Mountain Teen Project. View from the classroom August 4, 7:30 PM A panel of teachers reflects on the pros and cons of state standards and testing. Including Howie Fain, Worcester, MA middle school science teacher. Funding the New Deal: From the Pentagon Budget to the People's Budget August 5, 7:30 PM A key challenge facing President Obama will be to craft the 2010 federal budget — in the midst of an unprecedented federal stimulus initiative and while fighting two wars. What can we do to maximize the stimulus and achieve a sustained re-set of our national priorities? What kind of federal budget shifting will it take? Jo Comerford, National Priorities Project Executive Director. Reaching the Light Within: Yoga's Transformative Power August 6 - August 9 A three-day yoga workshop surrounded by the natural beauty of Whitton Pond and 450 acres of lush, verdant woods. In this beautiful setting we will explore how yoga postures, breathwork and meditation guide us into a place of self-understanding and transformation, to reach harmony, happiness and inner peace. Two yoga classes are offered each day. You may attend any or all classes; full or partial registration is available. Morning classes will awaken us to the luminous beauty within through gentle yoga postures, yogic breathing, and short meditations. Afternoon classes will refresh and restore energy after the day's activities of hiking, swimming, canoeing, biking, or just relaxing. Reclaiming the Light Within August 6, 7:30 PM Short lecture and guided chair yoga practice and meditation, 7:30 PM. If you are new to yoga or are not able to enjoy regular classes due to physical limitations, or if you'd just like to come and meditate and experience some of the joy of yoga, please join in! Fun Night! August 7, 7:30 PM Nueva Cancion: Tradition, Resistance and Song in Latin America August 8, 10 AM With Brian and Rosi Amador; leaders of the pan-Latin ensemble Sol y Canto, they have been a part of the nueva cancion movement since 1984. Sol Y Canto August 8, 7:30 PM Sol y Canto...joyful, original Latin roots music that moves, delights, excites and connects! Sol y Canto is the nationally-touring and Boston Music Award winning Pan-Latin ensemble led by Puerto Rican/Argentine singer and bongo player Rosi Amador and New Mexican guitarist and composer Brian Amador. Featuring Rosi's crystalline voice, Brian's lush Spanish guitar, and virtuoso musicians from Uruguay, Peru, Panama and Argentina on piano, winds, bass, and percussion, the sextet has established a reputation for their quirky original compositions that address matters of the heart, social and global aspiration, and for their unique and driving interpretations of contemporary Latin music. The American Left August 9, 10 AM A discussion with Ken Brociner. Brociner's essays and book reviews have appeared in Dissent, In These Times and Israel Horizons. He also has a biweekly column in the Somerville [MA] Journal. Reflect and Strengthen August 9 - August 16 Youth program with this grassroots collective of young working class women from the urban neighborhoods of Boston who take a holistic approach to organizing in order to create personal and social transformation. Our programming focuses are political education, healing from trauma, creative expression, community building, and campaign work to end racial disparities in the juvenile justice system. Living a Joyful Activist Life August 10, 7:30 PM Hillary Rettig is an activist, coach and author of The Lifelong Activist: How to Change the World Without Losing Your Way (Lantern Books, 2006). Learn more about her life and work at http://www.lifelongactivist.com/. Reflect and Strengthen's Street Theater August 11, 7:30 PM In Street Theater, members draw on our personal experiences and political awareness to create, direct and perform over 300 productions in the last five years. We educate, inspire and celebrate the power of culture through dance, theater, song, step, poetry, visual art, drumming, photography, videography, hip-hop and other means of creative expression. We perform at protests, theaters, rallies, jails, schools, cultural centers, youth groups, subways, theaters and hip-hop shows. Climate Change: No longer an "Inconvenient" Truth.... but a Global Imperative August 12, 7:30 PM Marc Sussman is an approved presenter for The Climate Project, a group of volunteer presenters, that has evolved after Al Gore's landmark film "An Inconvenient Truth". Mr. Sussman's show, "The Money Message" has aired on the Air America Radio network for the past 3 1/2 years. He is an advocate for systemic reform and social change, with a specific focus on alternative energy and climate change issues.' Laundry: An Inconvenient Chore" August 13, 7:30 PM Alex Lee, founder and executive director of Project Laundry List, a non-profit organization which demonstarte how personal choices can make a difference for the Earth and it's people. Fun Night! August 14, 7:30 PM Race Relations in the Age of Obama August 15, 10 AM Ophera Davis, PhD, African Studies and Psychology Assistant professor at Wellesley College leads this discussion. Aparna Sindhoor Dance August 15, 7:30 PM Aparna Sindhoor Dance Theater is a contemporary dance theater company founded by renowned dancer and choreographer, Aparna Sindhoor in 1991 in Mysore, India. Critics have hailed Sindhoor as a powerful new voice for creating breathtaking contemporary works of extraordinary artistry that challenge the boundaries of traditional Indian dance and yet contribute to strengthen the tradition. Queering Democracy August 16, 10 AM James Baldwin, Bayard Rustin and the Quest for Democracy Rev. Osagyefo Sekou, the author of the critically acclaimed UrbanSouls and a social justice minister at Middle Collegiate Church in New York City, reflects on the contribution to democracy in thought and practice by these two major black, gay thinkers and civil rights leaders. Men and Pornography August 17, 2 PM Inspired by the work of John Stoltenberg (Refusing to be a Man; What Makes Pornography Sexy?), Dugald McCullough, sometime menswork activist in Northern Ireland, will lead an experiential workshop for men (only!) to let them take a look at their relationship with pornography. Pornography tells lies about women, but...the truth about men August 17, 7:30 PM Starting with this quote from Stoltenberg, Dugald will provide an opportunity to discuss and debate issues of gender, sexuality and justice. Politics in 'Post Conflict' Northern Ireland August 18, 7:30 PM Dugald McCullough, an executive member of the Progressive Unionist Party of Northern Ireland, discusses how the peace process has led to a politics of institutionalised sectarianism in Northern Ireland. Tortured Logic August 19, 7:30 PM A discussion of the thematization of torture on "24" and "Battlestar Galactica" as they relate to larger debates about Abu Ghraib and the morality of torture in public discourse. With Isabel Pinedo, sociologist and Associate Professor of Film and Media Studies, Hunter College, CUNY. Ice Melt in Antarctica and Global Warming August 20, 7:30 PM A discussion based on slides from several scientific expeditions, with Frank Nitsche, Associate Researcher in Marine Geology and Geophysics at Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University. African/Indian practices with Urban Youth August 21, 10 AM Educator and yoga instructor, Lupe Family, Masters of Education has taught in the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo and the colonized streets of New York City. COME LISTEN AND SHARE ABOUT AFRICAN AND INDIAN practices healing our YOUTH Do you want to know how to hear about the lives of our youth of color from the working class? Do you desire to share in building the new leadership of our country and beyond? Do you have an interest in the awareness practices of Africa and India, like Yoga and Meditation? Come enjoy an informal question and answer after a very short talk. Lupe will engage us in dialogue and support us in finding our way to become involved or just find out the "NEWS" that is on a lot of California and New York lips. Fun Night! August 21, 7:30 PM Hip Hop 101 August 22, 10 AM A primer on hip hop culture and music with Eroc and Optimus of the Foundation Movement. The Foundation Movement August 22, 7:30 PM Not another rap group with watered down lyrics, and messages of misogyny and materialism. They're committed to addressing issues of injustice and oppression, while also entertaining crowds with hot beats and relevant lyrics. The Greening of the South Bronx August 23, 10 AM Zena Nelson, founder and executive director of the South Bronx Food Cooperative. For more info go to http://www.sbxfc.org/about_boardmemb.html. Rethink Afghanistan August 24, 7:30 PM NH Peace Action, Susi Nord "Rethink Afghanistan" is a ground-breaking documentary by filmmaker Robert Greenwald. Greenwald and his crew made several visits to Afghanistan, most recently in March of 2009, and interviewed many Afghan civilians as well as U.S. and Afghan political leaders and foreign policy experts. "Rethink Afghanistan" raises critical questions about the consequences of U.S. policy and the recent troop escalation that all Americans need to consider. After the 40 minute documentary, we will discuss what we have seen and learned and what we can do.NH Peace Action. Whither Israel? August 25, 7:30 PM Assaf Kfoury is a mathematician, computer scientist, and political activist. An Arab American who grew up in Beirut and Cairo, he is currently Professor of Computer Science at Boston University. Films to Make You Think! August 26, 7:30 PM The films will be introduced each evening by Tami Gold, filmmaker, and professor in the Department of Film and Media Studies at Hunter College (CUNY). "Juggling Gender: Politics, Sex & Identity" -- 27 minutes "Still Juggling" 15 years later with Jennifer Miller -- 27 minutes; "Out At Work: Lesbians and Gay men on the Job" -- 54 minutes For descriptions of the films check out www.andersongoldfilms.com. More Films to Make You Think August 27, 7:30 PM The films will be introduced each evening by Tami Gold, filmmaker, and professor in the Department of Film and Media Studies at Hunter College (CUNY). "Every Mother's Son" -- 53 minutes; "Land Rain and Fire"; Report from Oaxaca --30 minutes. For descriptions of the films check out www.andersongoldfilms.com. Fun Night! August 28, 7:30 PM Working Families Win August 29, 10 AM Beyond the Economic Meltdown, where do we go from here? We will examine the current state of the economy and the opportunities to work together at the local and national level towards an economy of shared prosperity. Jaime Contois, is the New Hampshire Organizer for Working Families Win, a national project of Americans for Democratic Action, has worked since 2006 to build an active progressive network in New Hampshire, that is working towards an economy of shared prosperity and healthcare for all. Red Diaper Baby Blues August 29, 7:30 PM What was it like to grow up on the Left side of Coney Island Avenue where Red was a Banner, not a color, And "strike!" was a battle cry, not an umpire's call? A new tale of love, passion and politics back in the day from Bob Reiser, who McFarland Press has listed among the "120 best contemporary English-speaking Storytellers." Reiser's books include Carry it On and Everybody says Freedom, written with Pete Seeger, and David Gets His Drum, with the late jazz drummer Panama Francis. The Jailing of Willard Uphaus: 50th Anniversary Reflections August 30, 10 AM Andy Davis is co-director of World Fellowship. For the past eight years, he has pursued a passionate avocation as a storyteller. Choral Workshop August 30 - September 5 Back by popular demand: Choral week with Bev Grant (Brooklyn Women's Chorus director). Focus on learning songs to perform in a multi-media show celebrating immigration, entitled "Mother of Exiles" to be presented on Saturday. Participants' photos of ancestors as well as short anecdotes, may be included. All singing levels and genders welcome. $75 fee. Harmonica Workshop August 30 - September 6 Always wanted to carry around a harmonica and actually be able to play? Been playing awhile and want to perfect your style? Explore this fine little instrument with Steven Weiss, former Maine Festival traditional music champion. Even beginners will play Blues and Traditional Tunes in all 4 positions in both Major and Minor Keys. All ages and skill levels welcome. Work up to joining Saturday night performance and the Sunday Conta Dance. Poetry Workshop August 31 - September 5 Participants will engage in improvisation activities to create a poetic presentation about US immigration past and present. Angela Lockhart is a theater director, poet, playwright and singer. Human Rights and Animal Rights August 31, 7:30 PM An opportunity to explore ways in which we can truly be peacemakers with everyday decisions each day of our lives. With Marian Kelner, a teacher, writer and radio show host who has been involved in animal rights issues for many years. Civil Union vs. Marriage September 1, 7:30 PM Ed Butler (New Hampshire State Representative of District 1) and Les Schoof, are Harts Location, New Hampshire innkeeper activists. Chased Like Outlaws, Rustlers, Theives September 2, 7:30 PM Rob McAndrews is a practicing immigration and asylum law attorney, professor of social work, and guitar-slinging lover of Woody Guthrie's songs. Immigration Reform: What's Next? September 3, 7:30 PM Patricia Montes, executive director of Centro Presente, Boston's immigration rights organization. Labor Day Music Weekend September 4 - September 5 Cocurrent music workshops. Rise Up Singing sing-a-long with skilled guitar player, expressive vocalist James Durst AND a children's sing-a long with Nancy Salwen a "Music Together" teacher who will lead playful singing and movement for families. Fun Night! September 4, 7:30 PM Mother of Exiles September 5, 7:30 PM Multi-media celebration of our immigrant nation created by Bev Grant and Angela Lockhart, performed with the Choral Workshop and James Durst and Mudhumita Chakrabartti. Celebrate the Harvest September 6 - September 13 Join in perserving the harvest from our organic gardens. Relish the zucchini, jelly the peppers, pesto the arugula, jam the berries or just preserve your sanity with a quiet week reading on the lawn or walking in the woods. Contra Dance with the Davis Hill Duo! September 6, 7:30 PM Listen to What's Calling You September 11 - September 13 Walk, breathe, and be (vs. do) with Keith Connors and Melody Nester at Uphaus Lodge. $150 registeration fee includes room and board.
