Meet Kevin Johnson, Cassidy Hall, and Carl McColman. We are the hosts and co-creators of Encountering Silence.

This podcast emerged from our friendship, the friendship of three people with a shared interest in the many important ways silence makes a difference our lives — looking at silence in terms of spirituality, of health, of art and aesthetics, of psychology and wisdom. Silence matters, and yet it is a difficult topic to talk about, let alone to deeply and truly understand.

We realize that "talking about silence" is paradoxical, and yet we think it's also vital, especially given how increasingly noisy our society is. We hope that this pilot episode represents the first few words in an ongoing conversation about what silence is, why silence matters, and how we can all learn to encounter silence more truly and deeply.

Some of the resources we mention in this episode:

Martin Buber, I and Thou

Audre Lorde, Your Silence Will Not Protect You

Jean-Luc Marion, God Without Being

Thomas Merton, Selected Essays

Maggie Ross, Silence: A User's Guide, Volume 2: Application

Patrick Shen (director), In Pursuit of Silence documentary film

Our dream for this podcast is to make connections — with people everywhere who love silence, who seek more silence in our lives, who wish to understand and appreciate more fully and be able to speak of the gift of silence in our lives more beautifully. We hope you will connect with us, not only by subscribing to the podcast through iTunes or Google Play, but also by connecting with us via our Facebook Page or Twitter. Thank you.

Kevin Johnson is a university professor, writer, speaker, and retreat leader based on the Connecticut shoreline.

Cassidy Hall is a writer, photographer, and filmmaker based in Los Angeles.

Carl McColman is a contemplative author, speaker, retreat leader, and spiritual companion based in Atlanta.

Episode 0: Pilot Episode

Hosted by: Carl McColman

With: Cassidy Hall and Kevin Johnson

Date Recorded: September 25, 2017