Stars in the Rafters

Hello, everyone. This is just a quick update to say that Stars in the Rafters will be going on pause for a couple weeks while I deal with a situation. Unfortunately my apartment was flooded recently, and I have to relocate on short notice. Once life settles down back to normal and I can set up my home recording studio again, Stars in the Rafters will be back! Take care, everyone. - Julie

This week, we have music from Dave Wiesler, Airdance, Cindy Kallet, and Owen Morrison. Julie reads an excerpt from T.H. White and a poem by Jones Very, and Ben Williams reads a poem by Susan Reid. We’re getting into the heart of winter now, and so I just try to keep moving and keep my momentum up. If we’re outside in the cold we will keep moving to stay warm. I try to keep learning new things, find new ways to connect with people, keep myself inspired. All knowing that someday things will be better, whenever that day comes. And when we don’t have energy, we can ride on the momentum that we had, or the friends around who carry us. Take care, everyone.

This week we have music from Lissa Schneckenburger, Airdance, Nightingale, Alchemy, and Andrew and Noah VanNorstrand. Julie reads poems by Rumi and Susan Reid, and Charis Boke reads a poem by Rumi. This week is Valentine’s Day. It’s an opportunity to be reminded to take a moment to tell the people around us that we love them, whatever our relationship is. This has been a weird year for a lot of our friendships and relationships, as they navigate new circumstances in this pandemic . And yet, I am also immensely grateful for those people in my life who have constantly been there, as constant as the moon. Rumi says: “Love rests on no foundation. It is an endless ocean, with no beginning or end.” You can reach out to me at starsintherafters.com. Take care, everyone.

This week we have music from lydia ievins, Keith Murphy, George Wilson, and Tidal Wave. Margaret Youngberg reads a poem by Thomas Campion, and Julie reads a poem by John Keats and an excerpt from a poem by John O’Donohue. I love the cold clear nights of winter. On a really clear night, it seems like the stars go on forever. Once the sun has gone down, we can finally see the stars which have been waiting patiently, shining constantly this whole time. They are always shining, whether we can see it or not. You can reach us and find our Patreon at starsintherafters.com. Take care, everyone.

In this time of stress and difficulty, sleep can be a restorative place where we can retreat into our inner world, connect with our spirit, and get a brief respite from the cares of the world. Yet a lot of us have found our sleep disrupted this year. And it’s sometimes hard to leave the day’s stresses behind. So this episode is devoted to songs and poems about sleep and nighttime. To that end, we have music from Wild Asparagus, Elixir, Eloise & Co., and Cindy Kallet. Julie reads poems by Sir Charles George Douglas Roberts and Rumi, and Ben Williams reads a poem by John Crowe Ransom. Take care, everyone.

This week, we have music from Jeff Warner, Keith Murphy, Bare Necessities, and Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem. Julie reads poems by Pádraig Ó Tuama and Denise Levertov, and Ben Williams reads a poem by Grace Hazard Conkling. This week it’s the presidential inauguration, and a time of great change in our country. No matter who our elected officials are, we have to keep working to create the society that we want to build, where everyone has freedom and opportunity, where we have strong communities and neighborhoods and families, and where we learn to walk better with the earth. Civil rights icon John Lewis said in 2019, “Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Do not become bitter or hostile. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble. We will find a way to make a way out of no way.” Take care, everyone.

This week, we have music from Jeremiah McLane, Cindy Kallet and Grey Larsen, Eloise & Co., and Cardamom Quartet. Julie reads a poem by Susan Reid, Margaret Youngberg reads a poem by Emily Dickinson, and Ben Williams reads a poem by Anna Akhmatova. This winter, we can put conscious energy into finding the wonderful good things of the season, despite our current isolation. This is the time of winter, after the holidays, when I crack open the first mason jar of tomatoes from the garden that I put up back in August. It tastes like summer in a bottle and reminds me that the warmth of summer will come back. But first, to hunker down and stay safe and keep our hearts and hearths aglow the best we can. Take care, everyone.

This week, we have music from Andy Davis and family, Crowfoot, Mary Lea, and Becky Tracy. Ben Williams reads an excerpt from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, Julie reads a poem by Naomi Shihab Nye, and Charis Boke reads a poem by Ghalib. Joy and sorrow always come hand in hand, but this year a lot of us have felt that more than ever. While we might be tempted to run from it, sorrow is a universal feeling, and can allow us to gain a better understanding for others and be more connected to the human experience. Sorrow only deepens my gratitude for the joys of my life. As always, you can reach out to me at starsintherafters.com. Take care, everyone.

This episode we celebrate the new year and a fresh start. We have music from Bright Wings Chorus, Nightingale, Tim Eriksen, and Julie Vallimont. Julie reads poems by Emily Dickinson and Tony Hoagland, and Ben Williams reads a poem by Sarah Hirsch. It’s an honor to start the new year with you all. We often use the turn of the year as a chance to make changes. But of course all of that has a different context when so much of our lives is out of our control right now. So we have to be gentle with ourselves, do what we can, and pick some goals that feel approachable right now. Sometimes treading water is good enough. And when things are really overwhelming, I imagine myself just floating on my back, letting the waves carry me where they will until I have the energy to start swimming again. Wishing you all the best this year. As always, you can reach out to me at starsintherafters.com. You can send in music or poetry, send in suggestions of what you would like to hear on the podcast, or just say hello. You can also find links for our Patreon and our musicians’ fund there. Take care, everyone.

This week, we have music from Rani Arbo and daisy mayhem, Owen Morrison, and Tim Eriksen. Julie reads poems by Pádraig Ó Tuama and Susan Cooper, and Ben Williams reads a poem by James Agee. This week is the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. From here on out, the days will only be getting longer, and we are preparing for a new year and the promise that it holds. It’s been a hard year for many of us, and there is still a lot of the winter to come, but we can get through this. The first doses of the vaccine are coming out and things are slowly beginning to turn, even while they feel like they are at their darkest. I’m inspired by this quote from Hafiz: “I wish I could show you, when you are lonely or in darkness, the astonishing light of your own being.” Take care, everyone.