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Anya Achtenberg
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Valerie Brown
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Barbara Lundblad
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Demetria Martinez
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Joe Reilly
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Monique Savage
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Sarah Addae |
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Brent Bilodeau
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Sarah Cleaver
Sarah has performed in various parts of the country and the world including India, Thailand, the Philippines, North Carolina, Colorado, Michigan, Philadelphia, Allentown, Pa., Boston, Atlanta, and New York. Sarah has completed her debut album, "From Where I Stand" (October 2003). The album is available through the indie loving folks at CD Baby and the inspiring, hardworkin' ladies at Goldenrod. |
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Nancy Eisland
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Laura Hershey
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Lisa Hunter
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Pat Madden
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Carolyn McDade
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Holly Near
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Sally Potter
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Michael Zimmerman
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Selected background graphics and buttons courtesy of Arttoday, Cyberwright, and Webpix. |
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Anya
Achtenberg lives in Minnesota, teaches creative writing and is creator
of the Writing for Social Change: Re-Dream a Just World workshops.
Her numerous literary prizes in fiction and poetry, include Coppola’s
Zoetrope: All-Story, New Letters, Southern Poetry Review and
Another Chicago Magazine. Her works include: The Stone of
Language (West End Press, 2004); The Stories of Devil-girl,
(novella on CD, 2003); and a completed novel, Floor Plan of Paradise,
excerpted in Harvard Review. She is writing a novel centered
on a Cambodian woman born as the bombing of Cambodia begins.
Valerie
Brown's life is an embodiment of spiritual and professional balance.
On the spiritual side, she is a Quaker and a member of Solebury Monthly
Meeting, Solebury, PA, and an ordained lay person in the Tien Hiep Order
by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. She is a certified Kundalini yoga and
meditation teacher, and received graduate training in holistic spirituality.
She has led numerous retreats at many centers, including Pendle Hill
, Kirkridge Retreat and Study Center, the Leaven Center, and others.
She has written for many publications, including Faith@Work,
Friends Journal and for the Fellowship for Reconciliation.
Pendle Hill publications recently published her essays, entitled The
Mindful Quaker and Bless This Body, Nurturing Right Relations
From Within. Her faith is informed by a deep connection to the land.
She is widely traveled and has led spiritual pilgrimages to India and
New Mexico, and is completing a book on pilgrimage. Professionally,
Valerie is an attorney admitted to practice law in New Jersey and Pennsylvania,
a registered lobbyist , and a court -trained mediator. 
In
1997 Lundblad joined the faculty of Union Theological Seminary as Associate
Professor of Preaching. She has been one of the Lutheran preachers on
The Protestant Hour radio program since 1983. Over the years she has
taught preaching at Yale Divinity School, Princeton Theological Seminary,
Hebrew Union College, and the Doctor of Ministry program in preaching
at the Association of Chicago Theological Schools. In October 2000 she
gave the Beecher Lectures at Yale under the theme: "Marking Time: Stories
Remembered at the River's Edge." Her book Transforming the Stone:
Preaching through Resistance to Change was published by Abingdon
Press.
Demetria
Martinez of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is the author of a novel, Mother
Tongue, winner of a Western States Book Award for fiction; and three
collections of poetry, including Breathing Between the Lines.
Her autobiographical essays, Confessions of a Berlitz-Tape Chicana,
was the winner of the 2006 International Latino Book Award in the category
of Best Biography. She is summer writing faculty at the William Joiner
Center for the Study of War and Social Consequences at UMass Boston.
She lectures widely and writes a column about social justice issues
for the National Catholic Reporter.
When
Joe Reilly creates music, he draws on folk, blues, his own heritage,
and his life experience to birth songs of power, wisdom, and compassion.
When Joe Reilly sings, his rich bass-baritone voice is supported by
a strongly-rooted spirit that expresses more than just words and notes.
This is why Joe has earned the nickname "Spirit Boy," to reflect
his musical expression of self. An accomplished musician and songwriter,
Joe weaves ideals of love, peace, social, and environmental justice
into stylistic acoustic melodies with a smart sense of humor. He has
shared philosophies of the heart with listeners as a solo performer
for over seven years and as a member and co-founder of the acoustic
hip-hop group the Long-Hairz Collective for two years.
Monique Savage, M.S.W., is director of Counseling Services at
Adrian College. She has been teaching, presenting and dialoguing about
diversity and multicultural issues since the mid-1970s. Monique specializes
in issues that impact African American women and has spoken on these
issues across the country. She has worked as a multicultural consultant
and is a part of the Michigan State University Extension (MSUE) diversity
training team.
Still Point Zen Buddhist Temple is a community of Zen practitioners
committed to awakening hearts of great wisdom and compassion. Brahana
Sarah Addae is a graduate of Brown University (History) and has a teaching
certificate from the University of Michigan and is Waldorf Certified.
Sarah Addaie was a class teacher at the Detroit Waldorf School, and
her Zen training occurred at Still Point under the guidance of P'arang
Geri Larkin. Urban farmer, poet, mother, dharma teacher, she is extremely
grateful for the chance to practice with sangha and create ongoing transformation
in Detroit.
Bilodeau
was appointed assistant for the MSU Office of Lesbian, Bi, Gay and Transgendered
Concerns when itwas formed in 1994. Since then, the office has added
graduate assistants and, most recently, the LBGT leadership scholars
program, where one student each semester is supported in independent
research. Bilodeau works closely with the Multicultural Center and is a leader
of the Multicultural Awareness Program, which runs for six weeks each
fall. "He has this astute understanding of how race, gender identity,
sexual orientation and abilities all fit together," Multicultural Center
Coordinator Maggie Chen Hernandez said. "He challenges people and transforms
their way of thinking."
With
her unique quirkiness and interesting life experiences, Sarah Cleaver
engages audiences with the spirit of her performances, bursting with
fiery lyrics and personal angst. She's not just another girl with a
guitar, but a woman with intelligent words to share and a perspective
on life that's thoughtful and compassionate. 
Professor
Nancy Eiesland's research focuses on suburbanization and religious change
in the United States, gender and religion, global trends in religion,
and sociological and theological aspects of illness and disability.
She is Associate
Professor of Sociology of Religion at Emory University.
Laura
Hershey''s poetry has been well-received by a wide variety of audiences
throughout the United States, as well as in Canada and China. She has
performed her poetry at numerous bookstores, peace rallies, gay pride
parades, schools, and conferences. Her presentations blend poetry, history,
and street-level activism to educate audiences about the radical power
of the Disability Rights Movement.
stone
circles helps individuals and organizations integrate faith, spiritual
practice, and reflection into their work for social change. It is a
nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization based in Durham, North Carolina. The
work is based on values and lessons from historical movements, political
realities, and personal journeys." We honor the power of strength,
spirit, stories, and silence."
Lisa
Hunter's reputation as a captivating and dynamic live entertainer has
her spending most of her time touring nationally and playing over 250
shows yearly. She comes equipped with her voice, an acoustic and/or
electric guitar, and a band when venue-appropriate. Her voice has been
described as soulful, gritty, quirky, silky, rich, and honest. She has
a unique way of strumming her guitar that causes people to look for
the rhythm section when there is none. When she is not playing shows,
she can be found writing songs, listening to music in her Honda Civic
a.k.a. Ruby-Red-Car-From-Mars, or eating her favorite food, avocados.
Well, there's more to her than that, but you'll have to come to a show
to see what we mean! In the spirit of music.
Pat
Madden's rich alto voice has enlivened the area folk music scene for
20 plus years, often lending support to an array of local and national
causes. As a member of the popular trio, Second Opinion, she has been
a spirited presence, reflecting the Celtic claim made upon her by a
musical Irish clan. Madden remembers a childhood where any combination
of relatives and friends would gather around a piano, whether in someone's
living room or someone's restaurant. The harmonies were full, the songs
were endless. 
"Carolyn
McDade is a lover of language and sound. A writer of sound, she is committed
to the power of the human voice singing and speaking truth to move society
to just and liberating transformation. Through song and singing she
helps us deepen human consciousness and understand ourselves as part
of a living planet. For nearly three decades she has brought women together
to sing songs rooted in women's experiences. A social activist, she
weaves together the spiritual and the political - integrating personal,
social, planetary, cosmic. She describes herself simply as a woman of
faith seeking with others to touch what matters. Her songs are sung
in faith communities in the United States and Canada, as well as feminist
and social justice groups." 
Holly
Near is a unique combination of entertainer, teacher and activist. She
was born to parents from North Dakota and New York who were political
activists, ranchers, and supporters of culture in the rural community
of Ukiah, California. Holly moves comfortably in this blend of west
coast sensibility and east coast sophistication. An immense vocal talent,
Near's career as a singer has been profoundly defined by an unwillingness
to separate her passion for music from her passion for human dignity.
Holly Near is an ambassador for peace inviting the audience to its best
self. She is a skilled performer who brings to the stage an integration
of world consciousness, spiritual discovery, and theatricality.
The
Mid-Winter Singing Festival in East Lansing and its inevitable spin-offs
are the natural consequence of Sally's deep love for singing and playing
the banjo. At home in the living room or on stage, Sally's resonant
voice and obvious enthusiasm for sharing the music she loves creates
an irresistible force. Sally has sung professionaly for over 25 years,
including 12 years with Pat Madden and Betsy Clinton in the popular
folk group, Second Opinion. More recently, she has sung with
an a cappella quartet, The Treble Makers, and the Arts Chorale
of Greater Lansing. 
Rabbi
Michael Zimmerman is a graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical
College in Philadelphia, where his studies and his heart were set on
congregational work from the outset. A Chicago native, he brings to
his rabbinic career a diverse background in consulting, human development,
and education, especially with adult learners and the elderly.