6 songs from 6 finalists in the Songs for Social Change 2021 contest, sponsored by the Renaissance Artists and Writers Association, founded by Ananda Marga, presented by one of the judges, Arun/Ed Glassman.
Ximena Yáñez Soto is the author of Healthy Planet, Healthy You: Simple Habits to Create a Brighter Future which is an exploration of the health connections between what we eat, why we eat it, how it affects us, & how these are linked to the well-being of other inhabitants of our globe & of the planet as a whole. As much as Ximena does not claim to be a scientist, she is organized, principled, insightful, & delightful, sharing the information & experience she has gathered while encouraging us to do our own research & exploration. She currently works as an integrative nutritional health coach & yoga instructor, but that's on top of the 20 years she spent as accountant & CFO of an environmental fund in Mexico.
Glimpses of 7 of our musical guests back in early 2020, before the pandemic became our country's focus, focusing on songs of each related to earth, air, water, fire, and other essential elements of creation.
Eleonora Bartoli & Ali Michael bring us a book about antiracism that actually helps equip people to do the work, & to do it in a way that is actually helpful & effective. Our Problem Our Path: Collective Antiracism for White People is insightful, compassionate, brave, & crucial for those who not only want to know or posture, but to help make progress against racism, in our nation & in ourselves. Eleonora is a licensed psychologist providing counseling & consulting services in trauma, resilience-building, & multicultural/social justice issues.
Despite having spent 6 years in Nashville, Kirsten Manville's true home is in the Boston area of MA. Raised with important influences from old-time, classical, folk, & rock music, country music has been foremost in Kirsten's heart since she was 8. She spent more than a decade releasing 3 albums & performing as half of the Kirsten & Dave duo, before she struck off as a solo artist, releasing 3 more albums of her own. She still brings her guitar, flute, voice, & songwriting to other collaborations, but will inspire you all on her own.
Past/present religious/spiritual influences: Catholic, UCC, Wicca, Non-affiliated
We featured the brand-new Climate Changed Podcast, in June, before it was released to the world, hosted by today's guest, Ben Yosua-Davis, and co-host Nicole Diroff, and that's how we first learned about The BTS Center in Portland, Maine. This amazing and creative spiritual institution grew out of the 2013 transfiguration of what was once the Bangor Theological Seminary.
Peterson Toscano of Citizen's Climate Radio guest-hosts today, on the topic of Queer Response to Climate Change. Foremost he speaks with Isaias Hernandez who provides training and media as Queer Brown Vegan.
Sage Leary has a gift & a passion for music that blossomed early and impressively, such that he released his first album of all-original music at the age of 14, his second at 16. He can rock it, he can blues it, and he can definitely acoustic Americana it. Raised in the outdoors and the woods, his music touches the Earth but reaches celestial heights, powered by a visible and almost symbiotic communion between Sage and his guitar, enhanced by his looping, vocal, and beat-boxing skills.
Randy Kehler & Betsy Corner have been standing strong against paying for war for more than 45 years. They were especially notable because their witness for peace led to an attempt by the govt to take their home, something that happens to very few resisters. The peace community, both locally in Colrain, MA, and nationally, gathered in a years-long occupation to protect Randy & Betsy's home. Just recently Randy & Betsy were aided by the WTRPF (War Tax Resistance Penalty Fund) as the IRS still pursued them.