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I speak with three writers and activists from Massachusetts. Carolyn Cushing, the former poet-laureate of Easthampton, Rachel Teferet, young adult fiction writer, and Carolyn Zaikowksi, current poet-laureate of East Hampton. These three friends and neighbors continue to work passionately on behalf of the Palestinian people amidst the genocide that continues. Carolyn, Rachel, and Carolyn share their motivations, strategies, and the vital importance of community in the context of activism. 

THE WHIMSY FARM PODCAST September 1, 2025 

SHOW NOTES FROM CAROLYN CUSHING, RACHEL TEFERET, AND CAROLYN ZAIKOWSKI

Links to Speakers

Carolyn Zaikowski

• Substack: http://carolynzzz.substack.com
• Website: http://www.carolynzaikowski.com 
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/carolynzaikowski/ 

Carolyn Cushing

• Website: https://soulpathsanctuary.com/ 
• Substack: https://soulpathsanctuary.substack.com 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carolyn_cushing/ 

Rachel Teferet

• Instagram + activism: http://instagram.com/rachelteferet/
• Creative writing blog: http://lettersandfeathers.wordpress.com 

Calls to action

Fundraising/Mutual Aid:

• Donate to Sameer Project: https://opencollective.com/the-sameer-project
• MECA’s (Middle Eastern Children’s Alliance) emergency campaign for Gaza: https://secure.everyaction.com/b00t33wD-EOVJ1cNTyHixg2
• PCRF’s (Palestine Children's Relief Fund) emergency campaign for Gaza: ​​https://pcrf1.app.neoncrm.com/forms/gaza-recovery?_gl=1*rf6ycr*_gcl_au*MTA0NjgyNTgzMC4xNzU1NTI2MjA2*_ga*MTkwMDA4NTkyOS4xNzU1NTI2MjA2*_ga_1DBT989QE4*czE3NTU1MjYyMDYkbzEkZzAkdDE3NTU1MjYyMDYkajYwJGwwJGgw
• The Sumud School through Friends of the Sumud School on Insta and FB https://www.instagram.com/friendsofsumudschool/?hl=en

Rachel also mentioned one of their fave mutual aid projects on the podcast: 

Jamal Abu Al-Ata, General Director of the" FOOD NOT BOMBS" project in Gaza, who does incredible work. Learn more about him at https://www.instagram.com/jamal_fromgaza/ and please contribute to his Go Fund Me: https://www.gofundme.com/f/jamalfromgaza 

For more extensive show notes, visit Carolyn Crane and Whimsy Farm on YouTube and see Episode Ten. 

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Coming up September 1 on the Whimsy Farm Podcast, 

I speak with three writers and activists from Massachusetts. Carolyn Cushing, the former poet-laureate of Easthampton, Rachel Teferet, young adult fiction writer, and Carolyn Zakowksi, current poet-laureate of East Hampton. These three friends and neighbors continue to work passionately on behalf of the Palestinian people amidst the genocide that continues. Carolyn, Rachel, and Carolyn share their motivations, strategies, and the vital importance of community in the context of activism. 

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Today I talk with Barb Barton, author of Manoomin: The Story of Wild Rice in Michigan. Barb is a woman of myriad talents, from singing and songwriting to filmmaking. She’s a scientist and a student of the cosmos. And she’s a passionate activist for social and environmental justice. She lives a couple hours from the farm in Lansing, Michigan’s capital. 

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Today I talk with Barb Barton, author of Manoomin: The Story of Wild Rice in Michigan. Barb is a woman of myriad talents, from singing and songwriting to filmmaking. She’s a scientist and a student of the cosmos. And she’s a passionate activist for social and environmental justice. She lives a couple hours from the farm in Lansing, Michigan’s capital. 

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I talk with best selling biographer Larry Tye. His latest effort is The Jazzmen, How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America. And—because jazz reminds me of poetry--our resident poet and poetry expert Maryam Barrie will join us after we hear from Larry Tye. She and I will share poems about jazz and the Black experience on Poetry Sustains. 

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Coming August 1: I talk with Best Selling Biographer Larry Tye. His latest effort is The Jazzmen, How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie transformed America. And—because jazz reminds me of poetry--our resident poet and poetry expert Maryam Barrie will join us after we hear from Larry Tye. She and I will share poems about jazz and the Black experience on Poetry Sustains. 

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I talk about the life and death importance of thinking with philosopher Elizabeth Minnich. She recently released the expanded edition of her 2017 book The Evil of Banality. Minnich received her doctorate at The New School, where she was Hannah Arendt’s teaching assistant. For twenty-five years she was a professor at the Union Institute. She also wrote Transforming Knowledge, and with community organizer Si Kahn wrote The Fox in the Henhouse: How Privatization Threatens Democracy. 

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Coming up July 15th on the Whimsy Farm Podcast, we talk about the life and death importance of thinking with philosopher Elizabeth Minnich. She recently released the expanded edition of her 2017 book The Evil of Banality. Minnich received her doctorate at The New School, where she was Hannah Arendt’s teaching assistant. For twenty-five years she was a professor at the Union Institute. She also wrote Transforming Knowledge, and with community organizer Si Kahn wrote The Fox in the Henhouse: How Privatization Threatens Democracy. 

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In Episode 6 we talk about gun violence and gun safety legislation.with two women, Gwendolyn LaCroix of Michigan and Amanda Wilcox of Colorado. Gwen and Amanda are mothers who suffered the most horrible loss. Each of them lost a child to gun violence. What’s incredible is that through this loss they became change agents, working as activists to help save the lives of other children. They share their stories with me, as well as what they are doing today to reduce gun violence. 

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