Today I am taking sides.

I am taking the side of Peace.

Peace, which I will not abandon

even when its voice is drowned out

by hurt and hatred,

bitterness of loss,

cries of right and wrong.

I am taking the side of Peace

whose name has barely been spoken

in this winnerless war…..

From Irwin Keller’s viral protest poem, “Taking Sides,” published in his recent volume of essays, memoir, and poetry: entitled Shechinah at the Art Institute: Words, Worry, Wonder.

Join Host Michael Lerner for another conversation with New School friend and sometimes-host Rabbi Irwin Keller. A former lawyer and drag queen, Irwin has released a long-awaited volume of essays, memoir, and poetry, entitled Shechinah at the Art Institute: Words, Worry, Wonder. In this book, Irwin, most recently known for his viral protest poem, “Taking Sides,” leads us on dazzling journeys into Jewish mysticism, love, loss, memory, gender, AIDS, and the Milky Way itself. Co-presented with the Mesa Refuge.

#shechinah #jewishmysticism #newschoolcommonweal #commonweal #irwinkeller

Find out more about The New School at Commonweal on our website: tns.commonweal.org. And like/follow our Soundcloud channel for more great podcasts.

Tara Geer, Program Director of Commonweal’s Visual Thinking Strategies program in conversation with host Susan Grelock Yusem

Around the world, people understand life and each other in vastly different ways. In "What Do We Know?," we will delve into profound ways of knowing often dismissed by Western thought, including intuition, artistic expression, empathy, and the wisdom of dreams. We will explore diverse, non-Western approaches to knowledge formation including interconnection, collective well-being, intuition, and other ways of knowing. Join us live for three 60-minute conversations followed by 1/2-hour shared community inquiry that could include breakout groups, writing prompts and sharing, demonstrations, or other processes. Hosted by Commonweal Narrative Director Susan Grelock Yusem.

– zen priest teaching the art of war, conflict

In this era of profound conflict and rupture, we are witnessing disharmony at every level of humanity---within ourselves, in our relationships, across our communities, within the nation, and across nation states. Group conflict can stretch and break us, but if we are willing to endure the pain, it can also lead us closer to existential realities that are uncomfortable, yet essential, for us to face. When collective conflict arises, it thrusts us into liminal spaces of uncertainty, loss, vitality, and initiation. In these moments, we must ask ourselves: how do we learn to listen to the individual and collective soul that is emerging?

This New School conversation series will weave perspectives from depth and transpersonal psychologies, somatics, cosmology, and consciousness into conflict transformation. We will learn from wisdom keepers who are deeply trained in both the technical craft of conflict resolution and the spiritual, ancestral, and traditional wisdom that allows us to see deeply into conflict---transforming shared suffering into opportunities for healing. In this conversation, Serena talks with Norma Wong, Zen priest and teacher about the art of war and conflict, who recently served to help facilitate a mutual path through the conflict between native culture/science and western discovery science posing as a dispute over the construction of a telescope on Mauna Kea.

Norma Wong (Norma Ryuko Kawelokū Wong Roshi)

Norma is a Native Hawaiian and Hakka life-long resident of Hawaiʻi. She is the abbot of Anko-in, an independent branch temple of Daihonzan Chozen-ji and serves practice communities in Hawai‘i, across the continental U.S., and in Toronto, Canada. She is an 86th generation Zen Master, having trained at Chozen-ji for over 40 years. In earlier years, Wong served as a Hawai‘i state legislator, working on the return of ceded lands and settlement of land issues.

In recent years, Wong has been called back into service to facilitate breaking the impasse and transforming policy and governance on issues of seeming contradiction. In the conflict between native culture/science and western discovery science posing as a dispute over the construction of a telescope on Mauna Kea, Wong was a team member narrating and facilitating a path forward through mutual stewardship. She is currently an advisor to Speaker of the Hawai‘i House of Representatives Scott Saiki, serving in policy development and facilitation roles on issues such as the protection of the aquifer from fuel contamination at Red Hill, and the long-term response to the Lahaina wildfires. Find out more about Norma on her website: normawong.com

Serena Bian

Serena is pursuing a life that remains attentive to the tenderness of a snail’s soft body and reverent to the miracle of its spiraled shell. Working with U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, Serena serves as a Special Advisor and brings a spiritual and systemic understanding to the public health crisis of loneliness and isolation. As a chaplain-in-training, Serena is pursuing questions of how we chaplain the end of extractive systems that isolate communities from themselves and one another. She is involved with multi-generational, multi-spiritual communities like the Nuns and Nones, devoted to courage, peacebuilding, and love. She participates on the Board of Commonweal and CoGenerate.

Find out more about The New School at Commonweal on our website: tns.commonweal.org. And like/follow our Soundcloud channel for more great podcasts.

Join Host Michael Lerner in conversation with Jeffrey J. Kripal, Rice University Department of Religion professor and author of more than a dozen books including The Superhumanities: Historical Precedents, Moral Objections, New Realities and The Flip: Epiphanies of Mind and the Future of Knowledge.

Jeffrey J. Kripal

Jeffrey is the J. Newton Rayzor Chair in Philosophy and Religious Thought at Rice University, where he also hosts the Archives of the Impossible collection and conference series. He co-directs the Center for Theory and Research at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, and sits on numerous advisory boards in the United States and Europe involving the nature of consciousness and the human, social, and natural sciences. Most recently, Jeff is the author of The Superhumanities: Historical Precedents, Moral Objections, New Realities (Chicago 2022), where he intuits an emerging order of knowledge that can engage in robust moral criticism but also affirm the superhuman or nonhuman dimensions of our histories and futures; and How to Think Impossibly: About Souls, UFOs, Time, Belief, and Everything Else (Chicago 2024), which thinks---with experiencers of the extreme--toward a future form of theory that does not separate the mental and the material. His full body of work can be seen at jeffreyjkripal.com. He thinks he may be Spider-Man.

Host Michael Lerner

Michael is the president and co-founder of Commonweal. His principal work at Commonweal is with the Cancer Help Program, CancerChoices.org, the Omega Resilience Projects, the Collaborative on Health and the Environment, and The New School at Commonweal. He was the recipient of a MacArthur Prize Fellowship for contributions to public health in 1983 and is author of Choices in Healing: Integrating the Best of Conventional and Complementary Therapies (MIT Press).

Around the world, people understand life and each other in vastly different ways. In "What Do We Know?," we will delve into profound ways of knowing often dismissed by Western thought, including intuition, artistic expression, empathy, and the wisdom of dreams. We will explore diverse, non-Western approaches to knowledge formation including interconnection, collective well-being, intuition, and other ways of knowing. Hosted by Commonweal Narrative Director Susan Grelock Yusem.

In the first conversation in the series, join Nigerian-born artist, storyteller, and pacemaker Okhiogbe Omonblanks Omonhinmin for a conversation about his work, life, and family.

Okhiogbe Omonblanks Omonhinmin

First things first, Okhiogbe Omonblanks Omonhinmin na the pikin of Victoria Elomese Omonhinmin and Cosmos Ijogbe Omonhinmin, E family big well well and e believe say all these things na very important reason wey make am the person wey e be today, because of the type of pikin wey e be to e mama and papa, the type of brother wey e be to e siblings and the nephew, cousin and uncle wey e be to e extender family and the different communities wey e don stay, all join to make am the very person wey dey do the type of work wey e dey do and difference nor dey between e work and daily life, all of dem joining together as storyteller and spacemaker.

Na for Benin City, for Nigeria naim dem born Okhiogbe Omonblanks Omonhinmin. Omonblanks na interdisciplinary creative or “ambassador of entanglement” wey dey use everything e fit use take make things happen, like form or position wey e need take do e project. He believe say the body na memory collector, and everything wey we dey do get e own life. The evidence dey show through e relationship with people, stories, spaces, spices, and cooking. Shared collected memories and food na key parts of e practice and e work get plenty elements of social engagement. https://theartconcept.org

Host Susan Grelock Yusem

Susan is a researcher, storyteller, and super-curious human. She believes that psychology can be a generative force for environmental sustainability and social justice. Susan is a depth-based community psychologist who has built teams and led communications for over 20 years in the regenerative food space. Her work is centered in the imaginal and narrative repair. She is a reader, writer, and runner. She serves as Commonweal's director of narrative development. susangrelockyusem.site

The New School at Commonweal is a collaborative learning community offering conversations about nature, culture, and inner life---so that we can all find meaning, meet inspiring people, and explore the beauty and grief of our changing world. tns.commonweal.org .

Find out more about The New School at Commonweal on our website: tns.commonweal.org. And like/follow our Soundcloud channel for more great podcasts.

Join Host Michael Lerner for a conversation with intuitive animal communicator, Joanna Bornowski. Michael and Joanna talk about consciousness, accessing deeper states of intuition, and the innate human ability to be in conversation with the natural world.

Joanna Bornowski

Joanna is an intuitive guide, teacher and animal communicator specializing in horses. The eldest daughter of two artists from Portland, Oregon, she has spent most of her life either in the art studio or in the saddle. Art has given Joanna the unique perspective of opening her mind to the creative process and allowing inspiration to guide her throughout her life. This guidance has and continues to support a cultivation and interest in deeper states of awareness, connection to the divine and communication with the natural world. Joanna now speaks with over 400 horses a year and is fascinated by how these vibrant animals offer equestrians an opportunity to explore their own consciousness and connectivity to the natural world in a sport that is highly physical, emotional, and surprisingly spiritual.

Host Michael Lerner

Michael is the president and co-founder of Commonweal. His principal work at Commonweal is with the Cancer Help Program, CancerChoices.org, the Omega Resilience Projects, the Collaborative on Health and the Environment, and The New School at Commonweal. He was the recipient of a MacArthur Prize Fellowship for contributions to public health in 1983 and is author of Choices in Healing: Integrating the Best of Conventional and Complementary Therapies (MIT Press).

#newschoolcommonweal #commonweal #animalcommunicator #healingwithhorses

Find out more about The New School at Commonweal on our website: tns.commonweal.org. And like/follow our Soundcloud channel for more great podcasts.

~Co-presented with Bolinas Museum~

Kevin Opstedal, author of Dreaming as One: Poetry, Poets and Community in Bolinas, California, from 1967-1980, in conversation with editor, critic, and ethicist (and New School Host) Steve Heilig at the Bolinas Museum.

Bolinas has a long and vibrant history as a haven for poets and writers seeking an alternative lifestyle and creative environment away from urban centers. In Dreaming as One, Kevin Opstedal tells the story of the unique poetic community that lived and worked in Bolinas from 1967 to 1980. Kevin’s narrative, enriched with photos of and interviews with many of those featured, captures the spirit of rebellion, experimentation, and communal living that characterized their ethos, activism, and artistic commitment. The book features Joanne Kyger, Lew Welch, Philip Whalen, Robert Creeley, Tom Clark, Bill Berkson, and Robert Duncan, among many others.

Kevin Opstedal

Born and raised in Venice, California, and currently residing in Santa Cruz, Kevin Opstedal is a poet whose line leaves three decades of roadcuts across the entire imaginary West. His twenty-five books and chapbooks include two full-length collections, Like Rain (Angry Dog Press, 1999) and California Redemption Value (UNO Press, 2011). Blue Books Press, one of many of his “sub-radar” editorships, belongs in the same breath as the great California poetry houses (Auerhahn, Big Sky, Oyez...) that his own poems seem to conjure like airbrushed flames on a murdered-out junker carrying Ed Dorn, Joanne Kyger, Ted Berrigan, and some wide-eyed poetry neophyte to a latenite card game in Bolinas. “His poems,” writes Lewis MacAdams, “are hard-nosed without being hard-hearted.” As identity and ideas duke it out in the back-alley of academia, Opstedal surfs an oil slick off Malibu into the apocalypse of style.

Host Steve Heilig

Steve Heilig is an editor, epidemiologist, ethicist, environmentalist, educator, and ethnomusicologist trained at five University of California campuses. He is co-editor of the Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics and of San Francisco Marin Medicine at the medical society he has long been part of. A former volunteer and director of the Zen Hospice Project, AIDS Foundation, and Planned Parenthood, he has helped improve laws and practices in reproductive and end-of-life care, drug policy, and environmental health. He is a longtime book critic and music journalist and emcee of the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival. He’s been part of Commonweal for 30 years now.

Find out more about The New School at Commonweal on our website: tns.commonweal.org. And like/follow our Soundcloud channel for more great podcasts.

Part of the Building Community Resilience Series at The New School

"Resilience" is an essential part of individual and societal response and preparation these days, yet it's become a bit of a buzz word. What does it mean from the perspective of someone who's been helping prepare groups for resilience since before the word was trendy? How do we mentor others in this idea and how do we sustain a sense of hope?

Join us for a unique conversation on resilience, with Michael Fischer, a volunteer for multiple organizations, amateur radio guru K6MLF, formerly an environmental executive and consultant, philanthropic director, and city planner. Michael talks with long time TNS audio and video producer, and first time TNS Host, Ken Adams, from atop Mount Barnabe in West Marin, California, at the historic Dickson Fire Lookout.

Michael Fischer

Michael Fischer has volunteered for decades in the service of local organizations and groups that either support  or foster community resilience or community histories and traditions, like the Marin Amateur Radio Society, Marin County Sheriff's RACES, Mill Valley CERT, Marin County Fire Department Fire Lookout, and many others. Professionally, Michael has served as an Environmental Consultant, Sr. Fellow and Program Officer/Director at The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Executive Officer at the California Coastal Conservancy, Senior Consultant at the Natural Resources Defense Council, Executive Director of the Sierra Club, Executive Director of the California Coastal Commission, and many years years as an environmental policy consultant and urban planner. Michael likes to be known these days as student, saunterer, lover of poetry and music at Retired For Good.

Ken Adams

Ken Adams is a long time TNS audio and video producer who has recorded, edited, mixed, live streamed and podcasted our conversations since 2007. Ken is a long time audio/recording engineer, singer, voice and theatrical actor, songwriter and wrote music for commercials. Ken is a licensed amateur radio operator as well, radio lead for the SGVERG (San Geronimo Valley Emergency Readiness Group), and a MCFD Fire Lookout volunteer as well. Ken lives in West Marin with his wife and two kids and loves cooking and mountain biking through the hills of the San Geronimo Valley.

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Find out more about The New School at Commonweal on our website: tns.commonweal.org. And like/follow our Soundcloud channel for more great podcasts.

On the Nature of Healing: Healing Circles at Commonweal / Diana Lindsay and Host Michael Lerner

Storytelling for Thriving Communities: A Spiritual Biography / Jerry Millhon and Host Michael Lerner

Join host Michael Lerner for an exploration of Jerry Millhon's life and work—his life journey to founding Thriving Communities and the many other projects he helped found or nourish in a life dedicated to service.

Jerry Millhon

Jerry Millhon founded Thriving Communities as an initiative of the Whidbey Institute while he was the Institute’s Executive Director from 2010-2015. His skill in organizing and managing projects and mentoring leaders helped the Institute through a challenging time of transition. He launched Thriving Communities in 2011 to focus on connecting, filming, encouraging, and celebrating people within organizations who make their communities thrive because of their work. It is his hope that our stories will inspire others to start similar projects in their community. In a challenging world, there is an inordinate amount of good news! 

Host Michael Lerner

Michael is the president and co-founder of Commonweal. His principal work at Commonweal is with the Cancer Help Program, CancerChoices.org, the Omega Resilience Projects, the Collaborative on Health and the Environment, and The New School at Commonweal. He was the recipient of a MacArthur Prize Fellowship for contributions to public health in 1983 and is author of Choices in Healing: Integrating the Best of Conventional and Complementary Therapies (MIT Press).

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The New School at Commonweal is a collaborative learning community offering conversations about nature, culture, and inner life---so that we can all find meaning, meet inspiring people, and explore the beauty and grief of our changing world. The New School at Commonweal . Please like/follow our Soundcloud channel for more great podcasts.