Sandy Bishop & Rhea Miller were the 2012 Lopez Spirit Award winners for many of their works, including very notably their work with the Lopez Community Land Trust which nurtures the island in myriad ways, like producing net-zero-energy housing developments and the Seed Library. Rhea hosts a home church, drawing on, and continuing beyond, her training in Episcopal seminary.

James W. Douglass is author of a number of books including Gandhi & the Unspeakable: His Final Experiment With Truth. He's cofounder of the Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action in Washington State and Mary's House, a Catholic Worker house in Burmingham, Alabama.

Joe Wenke has just released You Got To Be Kidding: A Cultural Arsonist’s Literal Reading of the Bible, and with humor and sometimes sarcasm, he brings new, unjaded eyes to the writings of the Bible. He aims to disarm those who would use the Bible for oppression and domination and is seriously focused on making you laugh on the way to the unshackling. Joe has been a corporate speech writer, a stand-up comedian, and has trademarked the Cultural Arsonist moniker.

Marie Friedmann Marquardt is co-author of Living Illegal - The Human Face of Unauthorized Immigration, a book that combines head & heart to look at the realities around this political whipping boy of an issue. Marie is currently scholar-in-residence at Emory University's Candler School of Theology in Atlanta, Georgia.

Chuck Fager has served 11 years with Quaker House, situated right next to Ft. Bragg, the largest army base in the USA, and dealing daily with soldiers & the war machine, They provide peace education, advocacy & counseling, both directly & through the GI Rights Hotline (call  877-447-4487 ).

John Heagle, author of Justice Rising: The Emerging Biblical Vision, has been a Catholic priest for 48 years, early working as the first director of the Office of Justice & Peace in La Crosse, WI. He’s also a licensed psychotherapist and co-director of Therapy & Renewal Associates in Lincoln City, Oregon, and the author of seven books.

The Biodynamic Farming & Gardening Association is holding their North American conference in Madison, Wisconsin, on November 14-18, 2012. Executive director, Robert Karp, speaks about the organization, biodynamics, and the conference, while keynoter & workshop leader Dennis Klocek shares about Sacred Agriculture and alchemy.

Glen Retief paints vivid pictures and addresses vital questions of identity & social justice in The Jack Bank: A Memoir of a South African Childhood. His stories deal with race, apartheid, homosexuality and homophobia, physical violence, sexual abuse - and much more - and he leads us on a journey of discovery and insight. And I learned that Post-Apartheid South Africa was the first country to protect the right of same-sex marriage.

Dan Dieterich is a founding member of ICE - Interfaith Community for the Earth, an organization formed to fight global warming and promote ecological well-beling. ICE is a member of Wisconsin Interfaith Power & Light. Working at the local level, ICE is a good example of how a small group of folks can harness their energy, in community, to bring about the big changes our world needs.

Dan Dieterich is a founding member of ICE - Interfaith Community for the Earth, an organization formed to fight global warming and promote ecological well-beling. ICE is a member of Wisconsin Interfaith Power & Light. Working at the local level, ICE is a good example of how a small group of folks can harness their energy, in community, to bring about the big changes our world needs.