Quakers Today (Friends Publishing Corporation)

In this episode of Quakers Today we ask, “What is a fictional story that has inspired you or challenged your world view?” 

Writer Anne E.G. Nydam reads an excerpt from her short story, “The Conduits.” You can read the entire story in the November 2022 Fiction edition of Friends Journal. Click here to hear Anne reading the whole story. Visit nydamprints.com to learn about Anne E.G. Nydam’s block prints and books. 

Cai Quirk, a trans and genderqueer photographer, focuses on the intersections of gender diversity and spirituality throughout history. Through the QuakerSpeak video, The Spirituality of Storytelling, they talk about the power of stories we can experience through words and images. In the September 2022 issue of Friends Journal you can see some of Cai’s photos from their book Transcendence. The book is now available for pre-orders. You can hear an extended interview with them on a brand new podcast, The Seed. In the episode Cai considers the question, What can the natural world teach us about ourselves? The Seed is an excellent show hosted by Dwight Dunston. It is a project of Pendle Hill Study Center.

We also look at a new graphic novel about a radical, eccentric prophet against slavery. Marcus Rediker told the story in his 2017 book, The Fearless Benjamin Lay: The Quaker Dwarf Who Became the First Revolutionary Abolitionist. And now there is the graphic novel, Prophet Against Slavery. It is authored by Rediker along with Paul Buhle. David Lester drew the dynamic and moving images. Read Gwen Gosney Erickson’s review of the graphic novel in Friends Journal. You will also find an interview with David Lester, the illustrator of the graphic novel. 

Click Here to read a transcript of this episode.

After this episode concludes we share listener voicemails in answer to the question, What is a fictional story that has inspired you or challenged your world view?

Question for next month: Today in the twenty-first century, what does redemption mean to you? We would love to hear and share what you have to say. Leave a voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317-QUAKERS, that's 317-782-5377 (+1 if calling from outside the United States or Canada). Please have your answers in by December 5, 2022. 

Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online. 

Season One of Quakers Today is sponsored by Quaker Voluntary Service (QVS.) 

Are you a young adult between 21 and 30 years old? Do you know a young adult who is looking for community and purpose-driven work? QVS is a year-long fellowship for young adults. Fellows work at nonprofits while building community and exploring Quakerism. Visit quakervoluntaryservice.org or find QVS on Instagram @quakervoluntaryservice. 

Feel free to send comments, questions, and requests for our new show. Email us at podcast@friendsjournal.org.

In this episode of Quakers Today we ask, How has your view of Jesus God or religion changed since you were young? 

• Hayden Hobby was raised in an evangelical church. He reflects on leaving an abusive God and finding a new way of expressing faith. For Quakers today Hayden talks about the experience that led him to write the essay "Surviving Religious Trauma, How I left an Abusive God." Today he studies in a program taught jointly by Bethany Theological Seminary, and Earlham School of Religion.
• Calliope George, a young adult and lifelong Quaker, continues to find her place in Quaker meetings. She talks about community within her age group and beyond.  You will find the full video and other QuakerSpeak videos at the QuakerSpeak YouTube channel, or visit Quakerspeak.com
• You will also hear about a new book that explores forests around the world. In The Tree Line, The Last Forest and the Future of Life on Earth, Ben Rawlence connects with indigenous leaders who have been guardians of threatened wild spaces. He hopes his readers will learn how to think like a forest. 

You will find a complete transcript of this episode over at QuakersToday.org.

After this episode concludes we share voicemails from listeners who answered the question, How has your view of Jesus God or religion changed since you were young?

Question for next month

In the March 2023 issue of Friends Journal various writers will share their experiences, insights, and opinions about the many ways people found or failed to find community on-line during the COVID-19 Lockdown. They raise questions about the merits and limitations to virtual Quaker meetings for worship, and they highlight best practices that worked for some. 

What about you? What are your thoughts and feelings about virtual on-line communities or worship? Leave a voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317-QUAKERS, that's 317-782-5377. 317 Quakers. +1 if calling from outside the USA.

Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online. 

Season One of Quakers Today is sponsored by Quaker Voluntary Service (QVS.) 

Are you a young adult between 21 and 30 years old? Do you know a young adult who is looking for community and purpose-driven work? QVS is a year-long fellowship for young adults. Fellows work at nonprofits while building community and exploring Quakerism. Visit quakervoluntaryservice.org or find QVS on Instagram @quakervoluntaryservice. 

Feel free to send comments, questions, and requests for our new show. Email us at podcast@friendsjournal.org.

Music from this episode comes from Epidemic Sound. You heard Timelapse by Phello, Sweeping Grounds by Major Tweaks, Pray by Gamma Skies, Final Wish by Dreem, and Smoky Smoky by John Runefelt.

In this episode of Quakers Today, we ask, "When it comes to activism, do the ends justify the means?"

A Barbie Hoax with a Message

Actress and eco-activist Daryl Hannah speaks with host Peterson Toscano about her announcement that "Mattel intends to go 100 percent plastic-free by 2030 in all their toys. They hope to support a global ban on plastics."

Unfortunately, the excitement was short-lived. Hours after People Magazine's story celebrated Mattel's eco-conscious move, the toy company contacted The New York Times to clarify the situation.

In an email, Mattel described the campaign as a “hoax” that had “nothing to do with Mattel.” The company said that the activists had also created fake websites made to look as if they belonged to Mattel. “Those were duplicates — not Mattel actual sites,” it said.

This elaborate hoax was perpetrated by Daryl Hannah and the Barbie Liberation Organization (BLO) against the Mattel Corporation and the media. Yet, behind this public trickery was a broader, poignant message: the need to address the environmental crisis wrought by plastic waste.

One of the tricksters behind the hoax graduated from Greenwood Friends School, a Quaker elementary and middle school. As a boy, he attended Millville Friends Meeting. Operating under the pseudonym Jeff Walburn, this member of the artist-activist group the Yes Men describes the methodology behind their "mischief performances."

"I helped write a lot of the materials, which includes press releases and websites. And we had a press conference. We made a fake product commercial for this new line of Barbies that would, instead of being made of plastic, be made out of mycelium and mushrooms. It's a little far-fetched because it's not being done yet, but it's also still very feasible."

The Yes Men not only impersonate corporations but also suggest that these corporations are finally doing the "right thing." In doing so, they engage in what they refer to as "identity correction."

In a world where conversations around activism are often steeped in solemnity, the latest episode of the Quakers Today podcast injects an element of whimsy while navigating the moral complexities inherent in social change. Host Peterson Toscano delves into a topic that straddles the lines between activism, ethics, and trickery, raising a tantalizing question: "When it comes to activism, do the ends justify the means?"

Dig Deeper

• Read Peterson Toscano’s article, “Speaking Lies to Power: Daryl Hannah, Barbie, and Quaker Tricksters” and learn about Quaker tricksters Bonnie Tinker and Benjamin Lay. 
• See Peterson’s full video interview with Daryl Hannah
• Check out the videos “Jeff Walburn” and The Yes Men created for the Barbie Liberation Organization hoax this year and 30 years ago.
  • Eco-Warrior Barbie fake TV Commercial
  • Plastic Free with Daryl Hannah parody video
  • Fake press conference with Daryl Hannah 
  • BLO Vs. Climate Doom
  • 1993 BLO Hoax to protest gender-based stereotypes
  • Short Documentary about the BLO’s successful action to swap out the voice boxes of Barbies and GI Joes in 1993.  

Welcoming a New Generation of Quakers

The September issue of Friends Journal explores how to welcome a new generation into the Quaker community. The episode features an audio collage of five writers who shared their insights and experiences around the theme.

• Olivia Chalkley argues that progressive Christians, including young "Christ-curious" individuals, could find a home in Quakerism by reclaiming their faith from its association with reactionary politics.
• Madison Rose emphasizes that the Quaker commitment to social justice and individual spiritual journeys has consistently drawn them back to the community. Quakerism, for them, is a space of "respite" that allows a direct, personal relationship with the divine, free of any intermediaries.
• Nikki Holland shares how Quakerism allowed her and her husband to bring their "full, true selves to worship," a stark contrast to their previous faith communities where they felt marginalized.
• Sofia Williams enjoys the weight of Quaker history and the sense of both immediate and long-term community felt during meetings.
• Annie Bingham found solace and a sense of timeless wisdom in Quaker meetings, particularly as a break from the imbalances felt in their college community.

Question of the Month

For this episode of Quakers Today, we ask the question, "When it comes to activism, do the ends justify the means?"

Leave a voice memo with your name and the town where you live, and we may include your message in our October 17th episode. The number to call is 317-QUAKERS, that's 317-782-5377. Dial +1 if calling from outside the U.S.

Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online.

Season Two of Quakers Today is sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee. 

Do you want to challenge unjust systems and promote lasting peace? The American Friends Service Committee, or AFSC works with communities worldwide to drive social change. Their website features meaningful steps you can take to make a difference. Through their Friends Liaison Program, you can connect your meeting or church with AFSC and their justice campaigns. To learn more, visit AFSC.org 

Feel free to send comments, questions, and requests for our new show. Email us at podcast@friendsjournal.org.

Music from this episode comes from Epidemic Sound. You heard Next To Me by LVLY, Sneaking Into the Kitchen by Arthur Benson, Young Mystery Detectives by Trailer Worx, Meet myCelia EcoWarrior Barbie takes on plastic polluters by Jeff Walburn, Confidence is Key by Arthur Benson, Rewind time by Clarence Reed, Stay with Us by Sleeping Vines, Clockmaker’s Daydream by 369, A Beginning by Rymdklang Soundtracks. 

In this episode of Quakers Today we ask, What are your thoughts and feelings about virtual online worship communities? 

• Writer Linda Seger talks about the essential work of centering into quiet as part of her regular writing process. In her QuakerSpeak interview, “Quakerism, Creativity, and the Artistic Process,” Linda shares about her approach to creativity and spirituality and how it is shaped by her Quaker faith.
  • “Being able to center allows you to go to the computer to start that process without being in a frenetic desperate state.”
  • Linda also wrote the article “Nothing Can Separate Us from the Light” for the March issue of Friends Journal, in which she asks the question, “How isolated are we?”
• Ann Jerome shares with us the success of creating and maintaining a sacred online gathering. She wrote the Friends Journal article, “We Listen as God Listens: Cultivating Sacred Space Online.”
  • “The format is similar to worship sharing. What distinguishes it as unique is a handful of elements. One is the nature of the queries, which are written to be especially deeply searching and broadly welcoming.” Ann agreed to share some of the queries with us.
    • What is silence, in addition to the absence of sound?
    • When have you experienced rebirth?
    • How do you know when you’ve entered sacred space, or when sacred space has entered you?
    • How has God surprised you lately?

Click here to listen to Ann Jerome read her entire article.

• And Anita Bushell talks about the many ways she believes Zoom fails to provide the connections Quakers need. You can read her article, Zoom Spells Doom and Gloom: The False Promise of Virtual Meetings.
  • “When we are present, fully 100% present with each other in person, we are not doing anything else. I think that social skills and social interactions always excite me.”

You will find a complete transcript of this episode at Friends Journal

After the episode concludes we share voicemails from listeners who answered the question, What are your thoughts and feelings about virtual online worship communities?

Question for next month

In the April issue of Friends Journal we will consider revival and personal spiritual growth. 

What about you? What is a daily practice that clears your head and steadies you for the day?

Leave a voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317-QUAKERS, that's 317-782-5377. +1 if calling from outside the USA.

Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online.

Season One of Quakers Today is sponsored by Quaker Voluntary Service (QVS).

Are you a young adult between 21 and 30 years old? Do you know a young adult who is looking for community and purpose-driven work? QVS is a year-long fellowship for young adults. Fellows work at nonprofits while building community and exploring Quakerism. Visit quakervoluntaryservice.org or find QVS on Instagram @quakervoluntaryservice.

Feel free to send comments, questions, and requests for our new show. Email us at podcast@friendsjournal.org.

Music from this episode comes from Epidemic Sound. You heard “Tell It Later'” by Kikoru, “A Thousand Moons Ago” by Johannes Bornlog, “Company Keeper” by Frank Johnson, “School Days” by John Runefelt, “Breeze U” (instrumental version) by Collin Lilm, “Water Mirrors” by More Sugar, “The Big Let Down” by Curiosity, and “Stoked” by FElix Johansson Carne.

Co-hosts Peterson Toscano (he/him) and Miche McCall (they/them) explore concepts of spiritual optimism and pessimism while navigating turbulent times. The episode features Adrian Glamorgan, who suggests Quakers can stay grounded and act faithfully during difficult times by embracing devotion. Additionally, we highlight the life of Minerva Hoyt, a pioneering conservationist who played a pivotal role in establishing Joshua Tree National Park.

Optimism and Pessimism: A Quaker elder shares lessons for staying steady in turmoil.

Miche chats with Adrian Glamorgan, a longtime activist who, before becoming a Quaker, powered his work through anger.  He provides insights for young activists who face growing challenges. How do we stay strong and steady in the face of human cruelty and violence? 

Glamorgan also talks about the Quaker concept of "New Creation," a vision of the world marked by human potential for good, cooperation, peace, and interconnectedness with the environment. While achieving New Creation might take time, it can serve as a compass, guiding Quakers toward a better future. He shares how, even in the nuts and bolts of serving on a committee or task force, we can find meaningful connections. 

Adrian Glamorgan wrote the article “The Devoted Path: Holding Fast to the Promise of New Creation.” It appears in the December 2024 issue of Friends Journal and at FriendsJournal.org. 

Adrian Glamorgan is a member of Western Australian Regional Meeting and Fremantle Recognised Meeting. He serves as the executive secretary of the Asia-West Pacific Section of Friends World Committee for Consultation, supporting the Section's diverse yearly meetings, groups, fellowships, and communities of interest, such as Quaker learning, peace, climate, and language inclusion. 

The Quaker Simplicity of Talking to God

Pradip Lamichhane from Bhaktapur Evangelical Friends Church in Nepal emphasizes that Quakers don't need elaborate rituals or intermediaries to connect with the divine. Talking to God can be as simple as expressing gratitude, a practice of thanking God upon waking up and before sleeping. George Fox's teaches that God resides within, Pradip encourages us to look inward for peace and blessings. 

You will find the full video featuring Pradip Lamichhane and other QuakerSpeak videos at the QuakerSpeak YouTube channel, or visit Quakerspeak.com. 

Book Review

Cactus Queen: Minerva Hoyt Establishes Joshua Tree National Park, written by Lori Alexander and illustrated by Jenn Ely.

Cactus Queen tells the story of Minerva Hoyt, a pioneering conservationist who played a crucial role in protecting the Mojave Desert's unique ecosystem; her efforts in 1936 led to the preservation of over 825,000 acres of desert. The book provides supplemental information about Minerva Hoyt's life, the various plants and animals of Joshua Tree National Park, and guidance for young environmental activists. Desert Cactus is recommended for readers aged 7 to 10 and is available as a hardcover or an eBook. Read Tom and Sandy Farley’s Friends Journal review.

Read more Friends Journal book reviews.

Quotes

• “If someone's got a passion for ballet, F1, or being a horticulturist, a teacher, or an accountant, follow your passion. Better still, follow your leading as it arises because that will be part of the solution.” - Adrian Glamorgan 
• “I'm not advocating Quaker for health purposes, but actually, it's quite healthy to do.” - Adrian Glamorgan 
• “Silence is a power of many things. The silence will stop the war, silence will restart the joy, and the silence will restart the love.” - Pradip Lamichhane

Question for next month: What are some unexpected ways you find yourself drawn to repair?

How and when have you found joy and meaning in mending things?  In a world that often prioritizes the new, do you mend clothes, address debt, work toward restorative justice, or repair damaged relationships? What are some unexpected ways you find yourself drawn to repair?

Leave a voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317-QUAKERS, that's +1 317-782-5377.

Hi I’m Peterson Toscano. I am a Quaker and a podcaster. Whenever I tell someone that they thought I think they imagine some dude sitting behind a microphone in quiet contemplation. 

Ah, no. For me podcasting is all about sounds. It is also about people and the stories they have to tell. 

For over 10 years I have produced or hosted nearly 10 podcasts. They have touched on a variety of issues. LGBTQ+ liberation, faith, Bible scholarship, climate justice, and storytelling. I come to all of these shows as a Quaker seeking to encounter the humanity, insight, wisdom, and world views of the people I feature. And as a member of the Religious Society of Friends I approach each episode with questions. Lots of questions. 

While hosting these shows I have not shied away from my Quaker faith and practice. And I never produced a show specifically about Quakers and the issues that draw us into deeper discussion and reflection. That was until now. I am thrilled to announce that starting on November 15th 2022 I will host the first season of a new Quaker podcast. Quakers Today is a monthly podcast that will feature people and stories from Friends Journal, QuakerSpeak videos, and content generated by listeners. The first season of Quakers Today is made possible through the generous support of Quaker Voluntary Service. 

I will feature Quakers and other seekers who share their questions and their journeys with us. You will also hear reviews about books, films, music, games, and more. 

Each episode begins with a question. Throughout the 15 minute show guests reveal their perspectives and insights. Listeners also have the chance to share their thoughts and feelings by leaving voicemails. Just call 317-QUAKERS.

In our first episode we consider the question,

“What is a fictional story that has inspired you or challenged your world view?”

It may be a story you read in a book or a magazine. It might be a TV series or a film. “What is a fictional story that has inspired you or challenged your world view?” Call 317-Quakers that’s 317-782-5377. 

Quakers Today is a project of Friends Publishing Corporations, an independent nonprofit Quaker organization that publishes Friends Journal magazine. They also produce the QuakerSpeak video series on YouTube. You will find excellent information about Quakerism on their website Quaker.org. Learn more about Friends Publishing's work at Friendsjournal.org and Quakerspeak.com. 

And many thanks to Quaker Voluntary Service for sponsoring Season One of our show. QVS is the only organization in the United States dedicated solely to the spiritual and vocational needs of young adult Friends and seekers. Learn about the year-long fellowship program for young adults. Or find QVS on Instagram. 

The first episode of Quakers Today will premiere on November 15th 2022. It is available wherever you listen to podcasts. Or visit QuakersToday.org. 

Thank you Friend. I look forward to spending some time with you. 

In this episode of Quakers Today, we ask, What does bird watching have to do with Quakers?

You will find a complete transcript of this episode at www.quakerstoday.org

Lessons from Birds about Nature, Community, and Racial Justice

Birdwatching may seem like a serene, perhaps even solitary activity, but in the latest episode of the Quakers Today Podcast, we discover it's a window into much larger conversations about community, justice, and spirituality. Rebecca Heider, a white birder from Philadelphia, shares her Quaker guide to birdwatching, revealing the profound lessons she has learned from birding. Her concept of a 'spark bird' – the one that ignites a birder's passion is a beautiful anecdote and a metaphor for those transformative moments in life that guide our paths.

Rebecca Heider discusses her article, "A Quaker Guide to Birdwatching: Eight Lessons for Friends and Seekers." This discussion also highlights the importance of respecting nature and the profound joy that can be found in everyday moments of observation. Miche McCall crafted the sound design.

#BlackBirdersWeek

Tykee James, a Black birder also originally from Philadelphia, opens up about the joys and dangers of birding while Black. In May 2020, a video from Central Park's "The Ramble" went viral, showing a white woman, Amy Cooper, calling the police on a black birdwatcher, Christian Cooper (no relation) after he asked her to leash her dog as required by park rules. 

Despite his calm approach, Amy escalated the situation by threatening to report an African American man was threatening her life. The incident, captured on video and viewed over 40 million times, sparked widespread discussions about racial bias and the history of false accusations against black individuals.  

This incident led Tykee and other Black birdwatchers to create Black Birders Week, an event that celebrates diversity in birdwatching and challenges the stereotypes and racial injustices that still exist in outdoor activities. Tykee views the week as a celebration of joy, resilience, and diverse experiences within the Black community.

Tykee shares how his experiences with urban birding as a teen exposed him to community connections and the stark realities of racial and environmental injustices. These observations led him to co-found Amplify for the Future and become the president of the DC chapter of the Audubon Society. Tykee is currently part of a campaign to rename the Audubon Society to better reflect its values, acknowledging its historical context. The theme for the 2024 Black Birders Week is "Wings of Justice: Soaring for Change," and it is hosted by Black AF in Stem.

You can hear a longer version of Tykee’s interview on Episode 59 of Citizens Climate Radio. 

Reviews and Recommendations

In this segment of the Quakers Today podcast, Miche McCall and Peterson Toscano delve into recent book reviews from Friends Journal. Peterson shares his enthusiasm for Ruth Todd’s new book Exploring Isaac Penington: Seventeenth-Century Quaker Mystic, Teacher and Activist. He highlights Penington's influential role in early Quakerism and his spiritually led writings, noting Todd's unique approach, including metaphors from nature and experiential exercises for readers.

Miche shares their intrigue with Altar to an Erupting Son by Chuck Collins, a novel that challenges notions of pacifism through its provocative opening scene and subsequent exploration of the impact of violence. This leads to a broader discussion on pacifism and activism within the context of creating a better world.

Additionally, Peterson is curious about Daybreak, a cooperative board game focused on climate change solutions, emphasizing the game's community-building aspect and eco-friendly design. Miche shares their recommendation of the Headspace app's Sleepcasts, particularly those with a Star Wars theme, highlighting their effectiveness in aiding relaxation and sleep.

Find more reviews at Friends Journal online. 

Question for next month

When you walk into a new space, what do you see, hear, or experience that makes you feel welcome? What might be present that leads you to conclude you may not be welcome? The space may be a library, a place of worship, or someone’s home. It might be a town, a business, or a school. 

Leave a voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317-QUAKERS, that's 317-782-5377. +1 if calling from outside the U.S. You can also send an email: podcast @ friendsjournal.org

Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online. It is written, hosted, and produced by Peterson Toscano and Miche McCall.

Season Three of Quakers Today is sponsored by American Friends Service Committee. 

Do you want to challenge unjust systems and promote lasting peace? The American Friends Service Committee, or AFSC, works with communities worldwide to drive social change. Their website features meaningful steps you can take to make a difference. Through their Friends Liaison Program, you can connect your meeting or church with AFSC and their justice campaigns. Find out how you can become part of AFSC’s global community of changemakers. 

Social Media

Feel free to send comments, questions, and requests for our new show. Email us at podcast@friendsjournal.org. Call our listener voicemail line: 317-QUAKERS.

Music from this episode comes from Epidemic Sound.

In this episode of Quakers Today we ask, What do you expect and need from a leader?

• Kat Griffith steps out of her comfort zone and runs for local office. The lessons she has learned about herself and her community will encourage, inspire, and challenge you. Learn more about her experience through her article,  “One Quaker’s Excellent Adventure in Politics.”
  • Kat is a former high school teacher, homeschooler, and yearly meeting co-clerk. She describes her current circumstances as “cheerfully unemployed but awfully busy! Interesting times and no lack of meaningful work!” She is primary caregiver to her 91-year-old mother-in-law, is active in Northern Yearly Meeting, clerks the vibrant Winnebago Worship Group in east-central Wisconsin, writes regularly for Friends Journal, interprets (Spanish/English) for FWCC, and is editing an antiracist clerking manual—a work in progress. She is also busy with county board work and a range of local social justice, community building, and environmental initiatives. Personal joys include kayaking, snowshoeing, writing, cooking, tending a ridiculous profusion of houseplants, being a news junkie, and most recently, learning ASL.

• Windy Cooler shares a review and a reflection about the award winner film, Women Talking. See Windy’s longer written review of the film, “A Thought Experiment in Sympathy and Love.” Windy Cooler, is currently the convener of Life and Power, a discernment project on abuse in Quaker community.
  • Windy Cooler (she/her) is an embraced public Friend and the assistant clerk of Sandy Spring (Md.) Meeting of Baltimore Yearly Meeting. Her ministry has long centered on Quaker caregiving in times of crisis and in group discernment: finding the wisdom in communities to address sticky issues. A regular guest of Quaker communities in the United States, and more recently in the United Kingdom, she is also Pendle Hill’s 2020 Cadbury Scholar and a 2022-23 fellow of Odyssey Impact, a change-making organization that centers story-telling as a strategy for building social justice.

• Jean Parvin Bordewich tells us about Bayard Rustin and other Pacifists who revolutionized resistance. She reviewed the book War By Other Means: The Pacifists of the Greatest Generation Who Revolutionized Resistance by Daniel Akst.
  • Jean Parvin Bordewich is a member of San Francisco (Calif.) Meeting, now attending Friends Meeting of Washington, D.C. She is a trustee of Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C. A former senior staff member in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives and local elected official in New York's Hudson Valley, she now writes plays about politics and history.

You will find a complete transcript of this episode and more show notes on the Quakers Today page at Friends Journal. 

Question for next month

In the July episode of Quakers Today we ask, What do you desire?

The question comes from listener Glen Retief. Glen asks us to consider this question, What do you desire? It is a broad question that you can answer in lots of ways. What do you desire for yourself? Your future? Your relationships? It could also be connected to the wider world around you. What do you desire for your community? The place where you worship? Or for other earthlings? What do you desire?

Here is our question for you to consider. What do you desire? 

Leave a voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317-QUAKERS, that's 317-782-5377. +1 if calling from outside the U.S.

Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online. It is hosted by Peterson Toscano, and  it is produced for Friends Journal through Peterson Toscano Studios. 

Season Two of Quakers Today is sponsored by American Friends Service Committee.

Do you want to challenge unjust systems and promote lasting peace? The American Friends Service Committee, or AFSC works with communities worldwide to drive social change. Their website features meaningful steps you can take to make a difference. Through their Friends Liaison Program, you can connect your meeting or church with AFSC and their justice campaigns. Find out how you can become part of AFSC’s global community of changemakers. Visit AFSC dot ORG. That’s AFSC dot ORG

Send comments, questions, and requests regarding our podcast.. Email us at podcast@friendsjournal.org.

Music from this episode comes from Epidemic Sound. You heard In Love with Myself (Instrumental Version) by Katnip, Hidden Fields by Clarence Reed, Shinjuku by Leimoti, Rising Hope by Reynard Seidel, Work Together by Isola JamesGuuter Gator by Benjamin King

Lucy Duncan and Rob Peagler from Reparation.Works discuss the questions that help guide their work. Lucy has been involved with groundbreaking reparations efforts in Philadelphia's Green Street Friends Meeting. Later this month Lucy and Rob will co-lead an online workshop called Exploring a Quaker Commitment to Reparative Justice. It is sponsored by Pendle Hill Quaker Center in collaboration with the Woodbrooke Centre in Birmingham, England.

We share an edited excerpt of the conversation. Click Here to listen to the complete conversation.

Links

• (video) Rob and Lucy chatting with Quaker Earth Witness' Beverly Ward 
• A Quaker Call to Abolition and Creation By Lucy Duncan (Friends Journal)
• Dr. David Ragland, Reparations Are a Peace Treaty (Yes Magazine)
• Germantown Quakers plan to give $500,000 as reparations to Black neighbors over the next decade. (Billy Penn) Green Street Friends is starting with a series of legal clinics to help preserve the wealth of Black homeowners.
• Reparations leaders demand Biden act on H.R. 40 (Evanston Roundtable)
• A Quaker Take Podcast: What Are Reparations?
• Rethinking William Penn By Trudy Bayer (Friends Journal)
• Bruce’s Beach heirs to sell land back to Los Angeles county for $20m. (The Guardian) California had returned land seized from Willa and Charles Bruce in 1920 to their heirs last year as part of its reparations policy
• (video) Rise up for Reparations: a Juneteenth Revival

Avis Wanda McClinton talks about Manumissions and her mission to identify the Africans enslaved by Quakers in Philadelphia. The Quaker and Special Collections archive at Haverford College contains documents for 339 enslaved Africans who were freed between 1765 and 1790 by slaveholding families in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. Avis Wanda McClinton explains that “The goal of the project is to be a restorative, healing force that connects modern descendants with their enslaved ancestors, and to understand the lives of these first generations of ‘freemen.’”

Last year Avis Wanda McClinton had a conversation with Martin Kelley, the senior editor of Friends Journal. You can see the entire conversation at the Friends Journal YouTube page.

Links

• Confronting the Legacy of Quaker Slavery by Avis Wanda McClinton. (Friends Journal)
• Inside Haverford’s Manumission Archives: An Interview with Mary Crauderueff and David Satten-López by Martin Kelley (Friends Journal)

Review: Overground Railroad: The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America By Candacy Taylor. 

This book is about the Green Book, one annual traveler’s guidebook but so much more. It is the story of a lost civilization: one that deserves to be lost but never forgotten. It tells the story of Black resistance to White repression, harassment, and tyranny. It tells about a subversive project: one that was designed to subvert Jim Crow but also contributed to the subversion of legal segregation and the denial of basic civil rights. 

-Paul Buckley, Friends Journal book review

Click Here to read a transcript of this episode.

After this episode concludes we share voicemails from listeners who answered the question, What are your thoughts, feelings, and understandings about reparations?

Question for next month

How has your view of Jesus, God, or religion changed since you were young? This question is raised in Margaret Kelso's article about Lent, which will appear in the February 2023 issue of Friends Journal.

Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online. 

Season One of Quakers Today is sponsored by Quaker Voluntary Service (QVS) 

Are you a young adult between 21 and 30 years old? Do you know a young adult who is looking for community and purpose-driven work? QVS is a year-long fellowship for young adults. Fellows work at nonprofits while building community and exploring Quakerism. Visit quakervoluntaryservice.org or find QVS on Instagram @quakervoluntaryservice. 

Feel free to send comments, questions, and requests for our new show. Email us at podcast@friendsjournal.org.

Music from this episode comes from Epidemic Sound. Tracks include: Soakin up the Sun (Instrumental Version) by Ludlów, Humbot by Wave Saver, A Dark Road to Nowhere by DEX 1200, Brand New Beginning by Öman, 

In this episode of Quakers Today, we ask, How do you process memories, experiences, and feelings?

In this special episode of Quakers Today, you will learn about what we have in store for you in Season Three. We also look back to share highlights from Season Two. These include:

• An episode featuring actress and environmental activist Darryl Hannah as she discusses a bold campaign against the use of plastics in toys—a campaign that turned out to be an elaborate hoax designed to provoke real change. Hannah and the mischief-making group The Yes Men organized the elaborate hoax on the Mattel Corporation. One of the hoaxsters grew up Quaker and shares how his group uses lies to get corporations to admit that they mislead the public. 
• Timothy Tarkelli, a Kansas-based Quaker who finds spiritual resonance in the silence of nature and the practice of hunting—raising questions about the intersection of faith and lifestyle.
• Linda Seger discusses “Circle Thinking, a Quaker Model of Leadership.”  With her insights on circle thinking, Linda Sager challenges the traditional corporate hierarchy, proposing a more inclusive and collaborative approach to leadership that resonates with Quaker values.
• A conversation between two Quakers who draw on unexpected sources for inspiration. Sara Wolcott talks about paganism, witchcraft, and Quakers. Andy Stanton-Henry considers how Charismatic worship gets him to think deeply about his faith and practice. 
• One of the season's gems is an original short story, “Sabbatical,” by Vicki Winslow, who brings her narrative to life with a reading accompanied by sound effects and music, creating an immersive experience for the listener. Hear the entire episode, Quakers, Fiction, and Virginia Woolf. 

After the show notes, you will find a complete transcript of this episode below.

Question for next month

How do you process memories, experiences, and feelings? 

For some people, they chat with a friend, or they write in a journal. What about you?

Leave a voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317-QUAKERS, that's 317-782-5377. +1 if calling from outside the U.S.

Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online.

Season Three of Quakers Today is sponsored by American Friends Service Committee. 

Do you want to challenge unjust systems and promote lasting peace? The American Friends Service Committee, or AFSC, works with communities worldwide to drive social change. Their website features meaningful steps you can take to make a difference. Through their Friends Liaison Program, you can connect your meeting or church with AFSC and their justice campaigns. Visit AFSC and find out how you can become part of AFSC’s global community of changemakers. 

Feel free to send comments, questions, and requests for our new show. Email us at podcast@friendsjournal.org.Music from this episode comes from Epidemic Sound. You heard Gravy by Jobii, Dead as a Doornail by T. Morri, The Busted Swing, and Lost in Translation by Wendy Marcini and Elvin Vanguard, Exhibit A by J.R. Productions, Calmar Adiós by Authohacker

Writer Vicki Winslow appears in this month's episode of Quakers Today. As part of that episode, this is bonus audio of Vicki reading her story. Music and sound design by Peterson Toscano.

After experiencing the loss of her father, Silena Yancey travels from North Carolina to the American Southwest to find inspiration, which she hopes leads to equilibrium. Vicki shares, "My story 'Sabbatical' is largely a collage... In many ways, we're all on a sort of pilgrimage." This narrative invites listeners into the internal pilgrimage of its protagonist, providing a window into the process of self-discovery and reflection.

Vicki Winslow is a writer who currently serves as clerk of the Friends Meeting in Liberty, North Carolina. Her publications include Follow the Leader for middle readers, a novella called The Conversion of Jefferson Scotten, and short stories in both literary and online journals including the story The Last Bear in Deep South Magazine.

Read the full story in the November 2023 issue of Friends Journal or on FriendsJournal.org. Hear the complete episode, Quakers, Fiction, and Virginia Woolf by visiting QuakersToday.org

In this episode of Quakers Today, we ask, “Who is a historical figure you admire but whose words or actions trouble you?”

Co-hosts Peterson Toscano (he/him) and Miche McCall (they/them) discuss the complex legacies of two notable Quakers: George Fox and Richard Nixon. 

George Fox

Johanna Jackson and Naveed Moeed are a part of this year's cohort of the Quaker Coalition for Uprooting Racism. They co-authored the Friends Journal article George Fox Was a Racist: How do Fox’s writings on slavery impact Quakers today? to explore Fox’s legacy on his 400th birthday. 

Johanna and Naveed discuss how George Fox, a revered Quaker founder, held and expressed pro-slavery views. Fox's writings showed his alignment with the status quo of the time, defending the institution of slavery rather than challenging it. The authors explore how contemporary Quakers cannot undo the harm caused by historical figures like George Fox but can address it through acts of reparation. They also stress the importance of facing Quaker history honestly, recognizing the patterns of oppression that have persisted, and striving to transform behaviors and systems that perpetuate inequality and injustice today.

Naveed says, 

Kintsugi is the art of repairing something that is broken with a gold powder that is combined with an adhesive. And what it does is it doesn't repair in the way that we traditionally think of repair…What we need as Quakers is a form of Kintsugi, where we don't choose to paper the past, or repair it, or replace it or fix it so that it never happened. We need to acknowledge that it happened and how it happened, and where the break occurred, and then put some gold where the break was to bridge the gap.

Johanna Jackson is a white Friend and member of Three Rivers Meeting (New England Yearly Meeting), a group reclaiming Quaker practice for today’s time. Her ministry is Forward in Faithfulness. 

Naveed Moeed is a British-born Pakistani and a Muslim-Quaker member of Chapel Hill (N.C.) Meeting. He is part of the American Theatre Critics Association and a semi-professional photographer. You can find his work at fractalsedge.net. 

Richard Nixon

Larry Ingle describes how Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United States, grew up in a Quaker household. However, Larry points out that Nixon's political career often contrasts these principles.

Larry Ingle is the author of Nixon’s First Cover-up: The Religious Life of a Quaker President, a biography of Nixon's religious ideologies and background, and First Among Friends: George Fox & the Creation of Quakerism. He retired from the History Department at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and now lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

This discussion features an excerpt from the video Was Richard Nixon a Quaker? See more videos like this on the QuakerSpeak YouTube channel or at QuakerSpeak.org. 

Reviews and Recommendations

Quakers in Politics by Carl Abbott and Margery Post Abbott describes a Quaker approach to politics and encourages Friends to leverage our unique willingness to listen and seek common ground. The book is part of the Quaker Quicks, a series of short paperbacks useful for outreach and religious education.  Paul Buckley reviewed Quakers in Politics for the June/July 2024 issue of Friends Journal. You can read the review for free and hundreds of others at Friends Journal Book Reviews. 

Question for next month

Here’s our question for next month: What does Quakerism have to offer society in 2024? Quakers Today seeks wisdom and understanding in a rapidly changing world. What do you think Quakerism has to offer society in 2024?

Leave a voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317-QUAKERS, that's 317-782-5377. +1 if calling from outside the U.S.

You can now follow Quakers Today on Instagram, TikTok, and the platform now known as X.

Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online. It is written, hosted, and produced by Peterson Toscano and Miche McCall.

Season Three of Quakers Today is sponsored by American Friends Service Committee. 

Do you want to challenge unjust systems and promote lasting peace? The American Friends Service Committee, or AFSC, works with communities worldwide to drive social change. Their website features meaningful steps you can take to make a difference. Through their Friends Liaison Program, you can connect your meeting or church with AFSC and their justice campaigns. Find out how you can become part of AFSC’s global community of changemakers. Visit AFSC dot ORG. 

Social Media

Feel free to send comments, questions, and requests for our new show. Email us at podcast@friendsjournal.org, or call our listener voicemail line at 317-QUAKERS.Music from this episode comes from Epidemic Sound.

In this episode of Quakers Today we ask, What is a daily practice that clears your head and steadies you for the day?

• The host of Quakers Today, Peterson Toscano, speaks with Karla Jay, the global ministries coordinator for Friends United Meeting. Her husband, Michael Jay, is the pastor of Raysville Friends Church. Karla has been on the pastoral team at Iglesia Amigos de Indianapolis, where her father, Carlos Moran, is pastor. Karla was an eye-witness to a modern revival in Wilmore, Kentucky, a spiritual event that made national news. Was it a hoax? Group hysteria? Or was this a genuine spiritual encounter? Karla Jay tells us what she heard and saw on her visit to Asbury University.
  • The Aftershocks of the Asbury Revival (Inside Higher Ed) 
  • A Quaker Experience at the Asbury Revival by Karla Jay
• Anthony Kirk, a transgender pastor at a Friends Church, shares a Bible passage that has been central to his spiritual and gender journey. Hear more in the QuakerSpeak.com video Made in the Image of God: A Transgender Pastor Shares Psalm 139
• Kathleen B. Wilson dusted off and reformatted the writings of an early twentieth-century mystic and created the free on-line pamphlet Quaker Thomas Kelly: Life from the Center. We share readings of excerpts by Alissa Vanderbark, a Quaker Voluntary Service fellow, and Jonah Sutton-Morse, a member of Concord (N.H.) Meeting and a member of the Society of Friends Discord group. 

You will find a complete transcript of this episode below after the show notes.

After the episode concludes we share voicemails from listeners who answered the question, What is a daily practice that clears your head and steadies you for the day?

Question for next month

In the June episode of Quakers Today and the June issue of Friends Journal we consider the topic leadership. 

The world is changing rapidly and these include changes in how we view our leaders in the political realm and in religious spaces. With so many people working remotely, even the relationships between managers and workers have changed. 

Here is our question for you to consider. What do you expect and need in a leader? This could be a leader on the job, in a religious space, in your community or in the political world. 

Leave a voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317-QUAKERS, that's 317-782-5377. +1 if calling from outside the U.S.

Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online.

Season One of Quakers Today has been sponsored by Quaker Voluntary Service (QVS).

QVS is the only organization in the United States dedicated solely to the spiritual and vocational needs of young adult Friends and seekers. Learn about the year-long fellowship program for young adults. Visit quakervoluntaryservice.org. And Follow QVS on Instagram @quakervoluntaryservice.

Feel free to send comments, questions, and requests for our new show. Email us at podcast@friendsjournal.org.

Music from this episode comes from Epidemic Sound. You heard Get a Hold on Me by Martin Klem, Revive Us by JOYSPRING, Toward Success by From Now On, Dear Friends and Gentle Hearts (Instrumental Version) by Roy Williams, Be This Way by Hallman, Got Nothing to Worry About by Garden Friend

Transcript for Quakers and Revival

SPEAKERS

Karla Jay, Alissa Vanderbark, Sunny, Jonah Sutton-Morse, Anthony Kirk, Peterson Toscano

Peterson Toscano  00:00

In this episode of Quakers Today we ask, What is a daily practice that clears your head and steadies you for the day?" I speak with an eyewitness to a modern revival in Wilmore, Kentucky, a spiritual event that made national news. Was it a hoax? Group hysteria? Or was this a genuine spiritual encounter? Karla Jay tells us what she heard and saw on her visit to Asbury University. Anthony Kirk, a transgender pastor at a Friend's Church shares a Bible passage that has been central to his spiritual and gender journey. And Kathleen B Wilson dusted off and reformatted the writings of an early 20th century mystic. You will hear readings from the new pamphlet, Quaker Thomas Kelly, Life from the Center. 

Peterson Toscano  00:49

I am Peterson Toscano. This is the sixth episode of Quakers Today, a project of Friends Publishing Corporation. This first season of Quakers Today has been sponsored by Quaker Voluntary Service. 

Peterson Toscano  01:05

Karla Jay serves as the global ministries coordinator for Friends United Meeting or fu M. Her husband, Michael Jay,is the pastor of Rayville Friends Church. Karla has been on the pastoral team at Iglesia Amigos de Indianapolis, where her father Carlos Moran is pastor. Like many people, it was online that she first learned about the Asbury revival.

Karla Jay  01:30

I just thought, oh, you know, these are people that probably want attention or just want to say that you know, the spirit is being poured over them.

Peterson Toscano  01:40

On February 8 2023, after an on campus chapel service, a group of Asbury students decided to stay in the chapel to pray and sing. For the next two weeks students, community members and visitors from around the USA attended impromptu worship services. During that time classes were suspended online and in the media, people called it an outpouring of the Holy Spirit or the Asbury revival. According to Inside Higher Ed, "Asbury is part of the Wesleyan theological tradition, which emphasizes transformational encounters with the Holy Spirit." This year during the two weeks of nearly constant prayer and worship, over 50,000 visitors joined the students. Karla Jay was not interested in traveling the three hours to the Asbury campus. But her sister, who Karla doesn't get to see often, proposed they meet up and visit together. Karla shared with me what she saw and heard. And she reflects on what revival means to her.

Karla Jay  02:47

It wasn't hard to find; the campus is not that big. We found it, and we saw that it will be a while before we got in. There was maybe 2000 people outside at the time we went there. Being already suspicious of what was happening, I was looking for like, are there any other Latinos? Are there other Black people here, you know, people that are different from regular white people? Or is this just like a white people movement? There was some other Latinos maybe not as many as I would have liked there to be. But there were some other Latinos in the crowd. The majority of the crowd was white. 

Karla Jay  03:28

We waited about 45 minutes to get in. And in the meantime, an usher came in. He asked us, What did we need? And what were we doing there? Like, did we come for anything in particular? And we said, we just came to feel the presence and to be here. He said, Are there any needs that you have that you would like me to pray for you? And we said just that we feel the presence that he prayed for us, that we may feel the presence and that we may be blessed?  

Karla Jay  04:03

It was just very quiet, even though there was music being played in the background. The worship leaders weren't not really leading people into worship. They were there. There was background music, people were praying, some people were singing to the music that was being played. Some people, if they felt like it, they went up and gave testimony. People were allowed to go in and out as they felt led. It almost felt like in a programed Meeting for Worship with background music. It wasn't organized. It was spontaneous. 

Karla Jay  04:44

We were there for about an hour and a half. And I felt like we had only been there for 15 minutes. I didn't feel bored or anxious then. I usually feel that in a lot of church meetings, I'm bored. I'm anxious that I want to leave. I believe I've already sang these hymns before. I probably already heard that sermon before, whether the person that I'm listening to is new, but I probably already heard the sermon in some way or another. I did not feel that at Asbury. I just felt like there was peace there. And that whatever was happening, a genuine experience for most of the people there. 

Karla Jay  05:26

Growing up Evangelical and Holiness, I did see adults making a plea for a revival to happen. But I'd never seen them asking for repentance or turning around. The church has been asking for revival to happen. But at the same time, I don't see many leaders of the church recognizing the sins that the church has been a part of . And some of that sin has to do with issues of justice. What I saw in Asbury is that this movement, or it might be too soon to call it revival, but this outpouring happen in very young people. I mean, these are college kids, they're not older than I don't know, twenty-three. They don't have any influence. They don't have any positions of power. This spontaneous worship happened among them. It didn't happen and an older generation that is not recognizing the sins and you know, like, the younger generation, it's been more honest about the injustice that is happening in this country. That might have something to do with you know, recognizing that not everyone in this country has the same justice and being able to recognize that and be able to say we are going to make a difference. I think that in itself is the movement of the Holy Spirit. God is not going to do an outpouring, and people that are not repenting and calling for justice in this country. If they're not calling against racism, if they're not calling against misogyny, the Holy Spirit is not going to move  in that. Our relationship with God also has to do with a relationship with others around us and how we seek justice for our brothers and sisters.

Anthony Kirk  07:48

My journey with religion and spirituality has been completely intertwined. In my relationship with my gender identity and coming out as transgender. My name is Anthony Kirk, I use he/him pronouns. I live in Klamath Falls, Oregon, and I am currently the pastor of Klamath Falls friends church.

Anthony Kirk  08:18

There's actually a Psalm that has really helped me. I reflect on it a lot. I use it for Transgender Day of Visibility events, and I share it with those who are exploring their identity, exploring their gender, their sexuality, and wondering, Well, where do I fit? The scripture that I use comes from Psalm 139, verses 13 through 16, from the New Revised Standard Version

Anthony Kirk  08:52

For It was you who formed my inward parts, you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I'm fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works, that I know very well. My frame was not hidden from you. When I was being made in secret. Intricately woven in the depths of the earth, your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In your books were written all the days that were formed for me when none of them as yet existed. And it's the beautiful reminder that God knew us since our conception, as we were formed, God knew us and loved us and created us long before society put labels on us and made assumptions. And that's brought so much comfort to me and so many people in my life.

Peterson Toscano  09:55

That was Anthony Kirk, in an excerpt from the QuakerSpeak Video Made in the Image of God, a Transgender Pastor shares Psalm 139. You will find the full video and other QuakerSpeak videos at the QuakerSpeak channel on YouTube, or visit Quakerspeak.com.

Peterson Toscano  10:12

Quaker Thomas Kelly Life from the Center is a free online pamphlet that includes excerpts from two of Kelly's books, Testament of Devotion, and The Eternal Promise. While reading Kelly's writing, Kathleen B. Wilson started copying excerpts verbatim and arranging sentences and phrases. The format helped her savor each word and phrase Alissa Vanderbark, a Quaker Voluntary Service fellow, and Jonah Sutton-Morse, a member of Concord Monthly Meeting in New Hampshire. Join us to read passages from the pamphlet.

Alissa Vanderbark  10:56

I have no interest in silence as a form. But I know that devotion and dedication arise in the deep communing of the heart, in dwelling with a silence in the center of our being in periods of relaxed listening and expectancy. The silence within us seems to merge with a creative silence within the heart of God. And we hear eternity's whispers, and we become miracles of eternity, breaking into time, live a listening life. Order your outward life, so that nothing drowns out the listening.

Jonah Sutton-Morse  11:39

The second spring of hope, business, we simple humble people can bear the seed of hope. No religious dictator will save the world, no giant figure of heroic size, will stalk across the stage of history today as a new messiah. But in simple, humble, imperfect person, like you and me, wells up the spring of hope. We have this treasure of the seed in the earthen vessels, very earthen vessels, yield yourselves to the growth of the seed within you. In these our days of suffering. Sow yourselves into the furrows of the world's pain and hope will grow and rise. Be not overcome by the imposing forces of evil and of might. Be of good cheer as Jesus I have overcome the world.

Peterson Toscano  12:59

That was Alissa Vanderbark and Jonah Sutton Morse reading excerpts from the free online pamphlet Quaker Thomas Kelly Life from the Center. You can read the full version and the introduction written by Kathleen B. Wilson at the website QuakerThomasKelly.org.  And you can connect with Quakers like Jonah at the Society of Friends Discord group. I will have links for you in our show notes. 

Peterson Toscano  13:29

Thank you for listening to Quakers Today. This podcast is written and produced by me Peterson Toscano. I receive a lot of assistance and input from the Friends Journal staff Gabe, Gail, Martin, and Ron Thank you Friends. 

Peterson Toscano  13:42

For articles and blog posts related to this episode visit FriendsJournal.org. Music on today's show comes from Epidemic Sound. This is the end of season one. But fear not Friends Publishing Corporation has renewed this show for another season. I will continue to produce it with the possibility of a co-host. We will premiere Season Two on June 13th 2023. 

Peterson Toscano  14:10

Season One of Quakers Today was sponsored by Quaker Voluntary Service. Thank you so much. QVS is the only organization in the United States dedicated solely to the spiritual and vocational needs of young adult friends and seekers. Learn about the year long fellowship program for young adults, visit QuakerVoluntaryService.org and follow QVS on Instagram at QuakerVoluntaryService. If you have a comment or suggestion for this podcast or just want to say hi, you can email me podcast@friendsjournal.org. Stick around after the closing to hear voicemails from listeners who share their daily spiritual practices. Thank you Friend. I look forward to spending more time with you soon

Peterson Toscano  15:15

In a moment, you will hear voicemails from listeners about their daily spiritual practices. But first, I want to share with you the question for our June episode, and it is a question about leaders and leadership. The world is changing rapidly. And these include changes to how we view our leaders in the political realm and religious spaces. With so many people working remotely, even the relationships between managers and workers have changed. So here's our question for you to consider. What do you expect and need in a leader? This could be a leader on the job, in a religious space, in your community, or in the political world? What do you expect and need in a leader? I would love to hear and share your thoughts. Leave a voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317 Quakers. That's 317.7825377. 317 Plus one if you're calling from outside the USA. You can also send an email. I have these contact details in our show notes over at QuakersToday.org. Now we hear answers to the question what is a daily practice that clears your head and studies you for the day

Sunny  16:36

I'm Sunny in Virginia. I attend Richmond Friends Meeting. And thank you for the query. It helped me think through what it is that starts my day. After reading today books in the luxury of my bed without hot coffee and a dog, I go for movement in the fresh air. This morning I swept the desk with a sturdy broom while the pollen was still damp so the mask wasn't needed. Some mornings I'd like to scoop leaves or rake or follow the dog around the meadow. But breathing and moving awakens my body and pulls things together. I add a little yoga, maybe a hot shower, but the thing is the motion of leaving my body with the breath that gathers my mind, body and spirit into the center. And there I can face today. Thank you for that query again. I'm gonna watch myself with more consciousness but not obsession.

17:33

Sharlee from Allentown Pennsylvania, I worship at the Lehigh Valley Friends Meeting. So the daily practice that clears my head and steady for the day is praying a prayer a member of my meeting shared with me. She was the convener of a group that met to walk with me during a time of aa upsetting spiritual doubt. And the prayer is God most high and glorious, come into the shadows of my heart. Give me a generous spirit and let me always live in the light of your love. Thank you goodbye.

In this episode, co-hosts Peterson Toscano (he/him) and Miche McCall (they/them) explore the deep connections between Quaker spirituality, nature, and Indigenous wisdom. This episode features Gail Melix, an Indigenous Quaker who shares how walking in the woods transformed her experience of burnout into a practice of prayerful meditation. Paula Palmer examines the legacy of Quaker-run Indigenous boarding schools and the painful losses experienced by Indigenous children. We also hear about Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book The Serviceberry, which invites us to reimagine our relationship with abundance, reciprocity, and the natural world.

Gail Melix (also known as Greenwater,) a member of Sandwich Meeting in Massachusetts and a member of the Herring Pond Wampanoag tribe, shares how she found healing through daily woodland walks. Facing burnout from social justice work, Gail sought guidance from Quaker and Indigenous elders and turned to nature for restoration. Through walking meditation, she discovered deep stillness, a renewed sense of peace, and even moments of profound connection with wildlife.

In The Delight of Being a Walking Prayer: Meditation for Healing, published in the February 2025 issue of Friends Journal, Gail reflects on the gifts of nature, the importance of listening to the land, and how slowing down can restore inner balance.

Paula Palmer, a Quaker researcher and activist, delves into the historical trauma inflicted by Quaker-run Indigenous boarding schools. Through an excerpt from a QuakerSpeak video, Paula describes how Indigenous children were forcibly separated from their families and stripped of their cultural identity. Many Quakers at the time failed to recognize the value of Indigenous cultures, blinded by the assumption that assimilation was an act of benevolence.

Paula reminds us that true healing requires listening, truth-telling, and ongoing dialogue with Indigenous communities. You can watch the full QuakerSpeak video, The Lasting Trauma of Quaker Indigenous Boarding Schools, on YouTube or at QuakerSpeak.com. Many thanks to Layla Cuthrell, producer of QuakerSpeak.  

In The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World, Robin Wall Kimmerer explores the idea that wealth is not measured by accumulation but by generosity. She describes harvesting serviceberries alongside birds, witnessing the mutual exchange that defines a healthy ecosystem. Drawing from Indigenous knowledge, Kimmerer challenges the scarcity-driven mindset of capitalism and invites readers to embrace a gift economy—one where all flourishing is mutual.

To read Ruah Swennerfelt’s full review of The Serviceberry, visit FriendsJournal.org.

In our last episode, we asked: "What is your relationship with nature like?"

Listeners shared stories of finding peace in the woods, experiencing the divine through the changing seasons, and feeling responsible for the land they live on. Thank you to everyone who called in, emailed, or commented on social media!

For next month's episode, we invite responses from those who identify as neurodivergent or have neurodivergent children or students.

What are some best practices you have experienced or would recommend for places of worship or schools supporting neurodivergent people?

Leave a voice memo or text with your name and location at +1 317-782-5377. You can also comment on our social media channels or email us at podcast@friendsjournal.org.

Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation content. It is written, hosted, and produced by Peterson Toscano and Miche McCall.

Since 1898, Friends Fiduciary has provided values-aligned investment services for Quaker organizations, consistently achieving strong financial returns while upholding Quaker testimonies. They also assist individuals in supporting beloved organizations through donor-advised funds, charitable gift annuities, and stock gifts. Learn more at FriendsFiduciary.org.

Vulnerable communities and the planet are counting on Quakers to take action for a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world. AFSC works at the forefront of social change movements to meet urgent humanitarian needs, challenge injustice, and build peace. Learn more at AFSC.org.

For a full transcript of this episode, visit QuakersToday.org. Follow us on TikTok, Instagram, and X (Twitter) for more Quaker content.

In this episode of Quakers Today, co-hosts Peterson Toscano (he/him) and Miche McCall (they/them) explore how queer Quakers respond to climate change with joy, creativity, and radical inclusion. The episode features Damon Motz-Storey and Lina Blount, who delve into the intersection of queerness, spirituality, and climate activism. Miche and Peterson also review two books that provide fresh perspectives on environmentalism and queer ecology.

Queer Quaker Responses to Climate Change with Damon Motz-Storey and Lina Blount

Damon Motz-Storey (they/them), a genderqueer Quaker, discusses the importance of radical joy, play, and community in climate work: “We’re going to save the earth, and we’re going to do it in six-inch heels and full makeup.”

Damon Motz-Storey became the Chapter Director of the Oregon Chapter of the Sierra Club in 2023. They have a wealth of experience leading environmental and climate justice campaigns in the Pacific Northwest. Their achievements include blocking major new coal, oil, and gas expansions, pioneering the Portland Clean Energy Fund initiative, and contributing to Oregon's 2021 state legislation for low-income utility bill discounts, home energy retrofits, and a commitment to 100% clean electricity by 2040. Damon also worked with the Coalition of Communities of Color, managing communications for Portland's successful 2022 city government reform measure and organizing record-breaking fundraising events to support racial justice efforts. They live in East Portland near Powell Butte and enjoys hiking, cycling, weightlifting, cooking, and performing in drag.

Lina Blount highlights the role of interconnectedness and reciprocity in climate justice: “Our liberation is bound up in each other's, especially in climate work, because it’s how ecosystems work.”

Lina Blount is an organizer, trainer, and nonviolent action strategist who has been involved in environmental justice campaigns in the Philadelphia area for over fifteen years. She currently serves as the Director of Strategy and Partnerships with the Earth Quaker Action Team. Lina has previously worked with the Divestment Student Network and has extensive experience as a canvas director and anti-fracking organizer in Pennsylvania. She identifies as a Quaker and considers the Earth Quaker Action Team, her primary spiritual community.

Book Review: Queer Ecologies and Sustainable Futures Books Reviewed:

• Deviant Hollers: Queering Appalachian Ecologies for a Sustainable Future Peterson and Miche review this collection of essays edited by Zane McNeil and Rebecca Scott, which critiques environmental exploitation and maps alternative futures through queer perspectives.
• Smarter Planet or Wiser Earth? by Gray Cox Miche introduces this book, published by the Quaker Institute for the Future, which examines the ethical implications of smart technology and its role in building a sustainable global community. Read Brad Gibson's Friends Journal review.

• "It is our superpower to insist upon joy, even in a world insistent on pushing us back into the closet." – Damon Motz-Storey
• "Chosen family and ecosystems both offer models of connection that are life-giving and generative." – Lina Blount
• "We can laugh and dance through climate action because that’s how we’ll keep going." – Damon Motz-Storey
• "Ecosystems don’t just work locally. There’s this incredible web of interconnection." – Lina Blount

After a short break, Quakers Today will return to producing regular programs on November 12, 2024. Look out for extra features and announcements in October that will appear in your podcast feed. 

Here is a question for you: What novel, film, or television series changed your relationship with the world? The world of fiction can alter the way we see ourselves, each other, the natural world, the political order, history, and society. What work of fiction shifted your perspective or altered your worldview? 

Leave a voice memo or text with your name and the town where you live. The Quakers Today number is 317-QUAKERS. +1 if calling from outside the U.S. You can also answer on any of our social media pages: Instagram, X, or TikTok. 

Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online. It is written, hosted, and produced by Peterson Toscano and Miche McCall.

Season Three of Quakers Today is sponsored by American Friends Service Committee. 

Do you want to challenge unjust systems and promote lasting peace? The American Friends Service Committee, or AFSC, works with communities worldwide to drive social change. Their website features meaningful steps you can take to make a difference. Through their Friends Liaison Program, you can connect your meeting or church with AFSC and their justice campaigns. Find out how you can become part of AFSC’s global community of changemakers. Visit AFSC dot ORG. 

Feel free to send comments, questions, and requests for our new show. Email us at podcast@friendsjournal.org. You can also call or text our listener voicemail line at 317-QUAKERS.

This episode’s music comes from Epidemic Sound. 

In this special interim episode of Quakers Today, host Peterson Toscano (he/him) talks with Wendy Sanford (she/her,) one of the original creators of the groundbreaking book Our Bodies, Ourselves. Wendy shares her role in writing the first edition and reveals how each subsequent edition reflected the input from diverse voices.

She discusses the importance of addressing issues of race, class, sexuality, and gender identity in the evolving landscape of women’s health and activism. This episode also includes insights from her memoir, These Walls Between Us, a story of friendship across race and class.

Featured Segments:

• Wendy Sanford and the Evolution of Our Bodies, Ourselves Wendy Sanford reflects on the book's origins in the 1970s when it sought to provide trustworthy health information for women. Over the decades, the book has expanded to include voices from diverse communities, addressing issues such as sterilization abuse, prenatal care, and transgender health. Wendy discusses how the book’s evolving content reflects the shifting landscape of feminist health activism.
• Memoir: These Walls Between Us Wendy recently published her memoir These Walls Between Us, which explores her friendship across race and class and the deep personal transformations it sparked. You can find more about Wendy's work on her website.

Quotes:

• "The work is needed as much as ever. The questions are still there: Is it trustworthy information? Is it from a woman’s point of view?" – Wendy Sanford
• "We were a group of white middle-class women. Our book said it was for all women, but the critiques taught us otherwise, and that was a real wake-up call." – Wendy Sanford.
• "Each time we redid the book, we widened the understanding of who ‘we’ meant." – Wendy Sanford.

How to Follow Wendy Sanford: You can learn more about Wendy and her work by visiting her website: wendysanford-thesewallsbetweenus.com. Her memoir These Walls Between Us is available delves into her experiences with race, class, and social justice.

Friends Journal reviewed Wendy Sanford's memoir These Walls Between Us in August 2022, in a double review alongside another book. You can read the review here: These Walls Between Us review.

Friends Journal published a personal essay by Wendy in January 2006. Titled "Musings of a Universalist Friend" in the print edition, the essay reflects on her and her partner’s decision to marry in 1999. It discusses her views on the tie between Christian Scripture and anti-Semitism. You can find it here: January 2006 essay.

Announcing Season Four:

After this special episode, Quakers Today will return with Season Four on December 17, 2024. Expect more inspiring guests and thought-provoking content. Stay tuned for special features and announcements in your podcast feed in October.

Question of the Month:

What novel, film, or television series changed your relationship with the world? Fiction has the power to alter the way we see ourselves and the world around us. What story has shifted your perspective?

Leave a voice memo or text with your answer at 317-QUAKERS (+1 if calling from outside the U.S.), or respond via Instagram, X, or TikTok.

Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation content online. This episode was written, hosted, and produced by Peterson Toscano. This episode’s audio of Wendy Sanford comes from Peterson's personal podcast Bubble&Squeak episode titled Female Body, available wherever you get podcasts. 

Feel free to send comments, questions, and requests for our new show. Email us at podcast@friendsjournal.org. You can also call or text our listener voicemail line at 317-QUAKERS.

This episode’s music comes from Epidemic Sound.

This bonus episode of Quakers Today features a reunion of Quaker leaders from the U.S. and the U.K., discussing how Quaker organizations work towards a just world. Recorded during American Friends Service Committee's annual Corporation meeting in  Philadelphia in April 2023, the episode includes Joyce Ajlouny, Bridget Moix, Oliver Robertson, and Sarah Clarke. T

They explore responses to global challenges and the importance of Quaker values in a turbulent world. The episode emphasizes non-violence, listening, and engagement as core Quaker principles. The discussion also covers the impact of COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine, highlighting the Quaker approach to peace and justice. The episode, hosted by Marisa Mazria Katz, showcases the Quaker practice of creating safe, inclusive spaces for dialogue and action towards global peace and justice.

Joyce Ajlouny: General Secretary of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). A Palestinian-American, she focuses on issues like education, gender equality, economic development, and humanitarian support. Ajlouny has led initiatives supporting peace and justice efforts in the U.S. and abroad, including places like Jerusalem, Gaza, Guatemala, and Somalia.

Bridget Moix: General Secretary of the Friends Committee on National Legislation. She works on deeply fractured politics in America, leveraging Quakerism as a tool for change. Moix focuses on nonpartisan engagement, seeking solutions and common ground in a divisive political environment.

Oliver Robertson: Head of Witness and Worship with Quakers in Britain. His work includes responding to global crises such as COVID-19, focusing on peace education and collaboration across borders. Robertson emphasizes the importance of pacifism in Quakerism, especially in times of war.

Sarah Clarke: United Nations Representative and Director of the Quaker UN Office. Clarke's role involves creating spaces for dialogue at the UN, focusing on listening and engagement. She has been instrumental in spotlighting issues and countries often overlooked at the UN, maintaining a focus on Quaker values in her work.

You will find a complete transcript of this episode at our showpage www.QuakersToday.org 

Special thanks to Brian Blackmore, Director of Quaker Engagement

Question for next month

How do you process memories, experiences, and feelings?

You may think to yourself, Oh, I want to answer that question, but you are running or cooking or traveling, and it is not convenient to call at that moment you are listening to this episode. Then life crowds in and you forget to call. If you have been thinking of leaving a message, this might be the perfect question for you.  How do you process memories, experiences, and feelings?  For some people going for a walk alone in the woods helps or chatting with a friend or some other way. What about you? How do you process memories, experiences, and feelings?

Leave a voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317-QUAKERS, that's 317-782-5377. +1 if calling from outside the U.S.

Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online.

Season Two of Quakers Today is sponsored by American Friends Service Committee 

Do you want to challenge unjust systems and promote lasting peace? The American Friends Service Committee, or AFSC works with communities worldwide to drive social change. Their website features meaningful steps you can take to make a difference. Find out how you can become part of AFSC’s global community of changemakers. Visit AFSC.org.

Feel free to send comments, questions, and requests for our new show. Email us at podcast@friendsjournal.org.

In this episode of Quakers Today, we ask, “What does Quakerism have to offer society?”

Co-hosts Peterson Toscano (he/him) and Miche McCall (they/them) explore the concept of prefigurative practice within a Quaker classroom and beyond. What happens when students don't just learn about the future but begin to live it? They also feature queer Jewish poet Jessica Jacobs, who in her new book of poetry, interacts with the ancient book of Genesis. 

Sam Thacker and Zoe Levenstein

Sam Thacker is a history teacher at Germantown Friends School. Every January, GFS offers “mini-courses” that provide teachers and students a space for experimentation, investigation, and reflection. In his Friends Journal article “Let Your School Speak: The Power of Prefigurative Practice in Friends Education,” Sam wrote about his course, “Another World is Possible.” Through it, he invites students to engage deeply with hopeful and ambitious visions for social change. Sam and one of his students, Zoe Levenstein, explore how they brought prefigurative practice to life in their classroom. 

Sam explains that prefigurative practice is about more than just learning about change; it's about living it. We don't have to wait to build the institutions that will bring about the change we seek. Instead, we can start creating those institutions and practices now, making sure they align with the inclusive, just, and loving world we envision for the future.

Sam says, “If, for example, we are working toward a just, inclusive future, our institutions now should be just and inclusive. Prefigurative practice is proactive, courageous, and true to itself. In Quaker parlance, its life speaks.” 

Sam reasons that prefigurative practice is nothing new for Quakers, “I see Quaker institutions as examples of prefigurative practice. By and large, I mean in my article, I discuss meetings for business. Quaker meetings are prefigurative, both in their organization and in the form of worship: Prefigurative practice is vital.

Zoe shares her experiences of engaging with this radical educational approach. Through readings from influential thinkers like George Lakey, Joanna Macy, and Adrienne Maree Brown, the students were encouraged to reimagine the world and consider how they could contribute to creating it. 

I imagine a world where everyone is engaged because I think what really dampers my hope a lot is that it seems like people don't care in 20 years, my hope would be that even on the street level, I see people actively working to help each other. I also kind of imagine a world where song and music is more incorporated and like groups singing because I think it just kind of boosts the mood. I imagine a world in which doing activities like that is more encouraged. Yeah, I think it all comes down to human connection, and that makes people care.

Sam Thacker (he/him) teaches high school history at Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia, where he works with students on sustainability and climate action. He lives with his wife, Pam, and two young children; they are pursuing membership at Germantown

Meeting in Philadelphia, Pa. He is a songwriter, musician, artist, and lover of nature. In this episode, you heard Sam singing Purple Dreams.  Hear more of his music on his BandCamp page: 2xtruck.bandcamp.com

Zoe Levenstein is a rising junior at Germantown Friends School, a member of the Quaker Unity & Inclusivity Team (QUILT) at GFS, and helped to plan the 2024 Quaker Youth Leadership Conference in partnership with Penn Charter. Next year, Zoe will be the Environmental Action Club's student leader and participate in the community-wide Campus Climate Coalition. Zoe’s passion is music—listening, singing, and playing the oboe.

Jessica Jacobs 

In the August 2024 issue of Friends Journal, Michael S. Glazier reviewed Jessica Jacobs’ latest poetry collection, Unalone: Poems in Conversation with the Book of Genesis. Jessica Jacobs shares her journey as a writer, teacher, and editor, including founding Yetzerah, the first literary organization in the U.S. dedicated to supporting Jewish poets. Jessica reflects on her secular Jewish upbringing, her return to spirituality through studying the Torah, and the seven years she spent immersed in the Book of Genesis. She reads her poem  "Prayers from a Dark Room," where Jessica reimagines Gehenna—not as a place of torment but as a mirrored space of self-reflection and repentance. 

Jessica Jacobs (she/her) is the author of “unalone, poems in conversation with Genesis” (Four Way Books, March 2024); Take Me with You, Wherever You’re Going (Four Way Books, 2019), one of Library Journal’s Best Poetry Books of the Year and winner of the Devil’s Kitchen and Goldie Awards; and Pelvis with Distance (White Pine Press, 2015), winner of the New Mexico Book Award and a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award; and is the co-author of Write It! 100 Poetry Prompts to Inspire (Spruce Books/Penguin RandomHouse, 2020). Jessica is the founder and executive director of Yetzirah: A Hearth for Jewish Poetry.

Learn more about Jessica through her website, jessicalgjacobs.com, on X @jessicalgjacobs, Facebook, and Instagram @jlgjacobs

You will find a complete transcript of this episode at www.quakerstoday.org 

Question for next month

Here are our questions for next month: What is a Quaker response to climate change? What is a queer Quaker response to climate change? ​​By looking at climate change-related issues through multiple lenses, like queerness and/or Quakerism, we can discover fresh ways of responding. Answer the question that calls to you, or both! 

Leave a voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317-QUAKERS, that's 317-782-5377. +1 if calling from outside the U.S.

Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online. It is written, hosted, and produced by Peterson Toscano and Miche McCall.

Season Three of Quakers Today is sponsored by American Friends Service Committee. 

Do you want to challenge unjust systems and promote lasting peace? The American Friends Service Committee, or AFSC, works with communities worldwide to drive social change. Their website features meaningful steps you can take to make a difference. Through their Friends Liaison Program, you can connect your meeting or church with AFSC and their justice campaigns. Find out how you can become part of AFSC’s global community of changemakers. Visit AFSC dot ORG. 

Follow us on Social Media

Feel free to send comments, questions, and requests for our new show. Email us at podcast@friendsjournal.org. You can also call or text our listener voicemail line at 317-QUAKERS.

This episode's music comes from Epidemic Sound. We also heard Purple Dreams from Sam Thacker and his band Double Truck.

In this special episode of Quakers Today, we share a conversation from The Seed: Conversations for Radical Hope. Host Dwight Dunston speaks with Dr. Riyam Kafri Abu Laban, an educator, writer, and former principal at Ramallah Friends School. From her home in Ramallah, Dr. Kafri Abu Laban reveals how Palestinian cuisine is deeply tied to identity, history, and resilience. Despite the challenges of forced displacement and cultural appropriation, Palestinian food remains a bridge to the past and a testament to memory, resistance, and celebration. The Seed podcast is a project of Pendle Hill, a Quaker study, retreat, and conference center welcoming all for Spirit-led learning and community.

About Dr. Riyam Kafri Abu Laban: Dr. Kafri Abu Laban is a writer and educator whose work spans essays, poetry, and articles on Palestine, motherhood, and education. Formerly a chemistry professor, she transitioned to educational leadership as a principal and now leads initiatives at AlNayzak Organization. A proud Ramallah Friends School and Earlham College graduate, Quaker values continue to shape her life and faith. Follow her on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Special Music: This episode features “Sada” by the Sada Trio—Ahmad Al Khatib, Pedram Shahlai, and Feras Sharestan—Middle Eastern virtuosos keeping their cultural roots alive in Sweden.

Friends Journal Fiction Issue: Explore Quaker-themed fiction in Friends Journal’s November 2024 issue, including “Bread of Life” by Vicki Winslow and “Penns Spring” by our co-host, Peterson Toscano. Read more at FriendsJournal.org.

Monthly Question: What novel, film, or television series changed your relationship with the world? Share your answer by calling 317-QUAKERS or responding on social media.

Follow Quakers Today on TikTok, Instagram, X, and visit us at QuakersToday.org.

Selected Quotes:

1. “Our cuisine is a direct extension of the land…we hold on to our food because it’s really our identity.” — Dr. Riyam Kafri Abu Laban.
2. “Food is resistance, memory, healing, and celebration for displaced people.” — Dwight Dunston.

Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online. It is written, hosted, and produced by Peterson Toscano and Miche McCall.

Feel free to send comments, questions, and requests for our new show. Email us at podcast@friendsjournal.org. Call our listener voicemail line: 317-QUAKERS.

Music from this episode comes from Epidemic Sound.

In this episode of Quakers Today we ask, “What does redemption mean to you?” 

Attorney, coach, mediator, and Quaker thought leader, Adria Gulizia, speaks with Peterson Toscano about evil. Adria’s article “Facing Evil, Finding Freedom: How Christ's Victory Over Sin Is Ours to Share Today” appears in the December 2022 issue of Friends Journal. To read more of Adria Gulizia’s writing visit Shadow of Babylon. 

Click here to hear a longer version of this conversation

We hear from a group of Quakers in New England who decided to meet regularly on-line to talk about White supremacy and the sin of separation. With the support of Beacon Hill Friends Meeting they created a  community where they could be honest with each other. Lisa Graustein, Aiham Korbage, Emma Turcotte, Jennifer Higgins-Newman, and Briana Halliwell talk about this experiment in community conversations. To learn more watch “Healing From the Sin of Separation” on YouTube. For more QuakerSpeak videos visit Quakerspeak.com. The series is produced by Rebecca Hamilton-Levi. New videos come out every other Thursday

We also look at reviews for the new memoir by longtime peace activist George Lakey. Dancing with History: A Life for Peace and Justice is published by Seven Stories Press and is available at FGC QuakerBooks or wherever you get books. Read Doug Gwyn’s review in Friends Journal.  

Click Here to read a transcript of this episode.

After this episode concludes we share voicemails from listeners who answered the question, What does redemption mean to you?

Question for next month

Our question is inspired by Jeff Hitchock’s essay Quakers and Reparations for Slavery and Jim Crow. It appeared in the June 2008 issue of Friends Journal. Hitchcock opens his article, “Out of the silence a woman asked, ‘Why don’t Friends take reparations more seriously? It’s the kind of issue Quakers take on.’”  In his piece Hitchock asks more questions about reparations. What are Reparations? Why are Reparations a Quaker Issue? How Does Reparations Work Benefit Quakers? What can Quakers do? 

What about you? What are your thoughts, feelings, and questions about reparations? Leave a voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317-QUAKERS, that's 317-782-5377. 317 Quakers. +1 if calling from outside the USA.

Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online. 

Season One of Quakers Today is sponsored by Quaker Voluntary Service (QVS.) 

Are you a young adult between 21 and 30 years old? Do you know a young adult who is looking for community and purpose-driven work? QVS is a year-long fellowship for young adults. Fellows work at nonprofits while building community and exploring Quakerism. Visit quakervoluntaryservice.org or find QVS on Instagram @quakervoluntaryservice. 

Feel free to send comments, questions, and requests for our new show. Email us at podcast@friendsjournal.org.

Music from this episode comes from Epidemic Sound. You heard Getting Frisky by John Runefelt, Sneaky Sam by Jerry Lacey, Magnified by From Now On, Crab Boys by Auxjack and JOBII, Those Things You Do by Grip City Cronies, Soul on Fire by Nightcap, Through to You by Aluvio, and Excursions by Justnormal. 

The episode introduces Timothy Tarkelly, a Quaker in Chanute, Kansas with a deep love for nature. Tarkelly draws parallels between the stillness of Quaker worship and his experiences in the outdoors, emphasizing the power of silence and anticipation in both settings. He wrote the Friends Journal article, Allowable Diversions: A Friend Explores the Morality of Hunting. 

Timothy published several books of poetry including On Slip Rigs and Spiritual Growth (OAC Books), Objects We Know We Don’t Deserve: Poems on Dutch Art (Alien Buddha Press), and Gently in Manner, Strongly in Deed: Poems on Eisenhower (Spartan Press). He recently collaborated with Elena Samarsky, a Ukrainian visual artist, on a work of paintings and poems entitled All Other Forms of Expression. When he’s not writing, he teaches English and Debate to students who, according to Timothy, are far more talented and interesting than he is.

You can find Timothy’s squirrel quiche recipe below. 

Follow Timothy on Twitter/X and Instagram.

Erin Wilson's story shines a light on LGBTQ inclusion within Quakerism. She demonstrates how questioning and embracing equality are integral to both her Quaker faith and her journey of self-discovery. Wilson's tale underscores the significance of creating space for diverse identities within the community. You can see Erin Wilson’s QuakerSpeak video and other QuakerSpeak videos at the QuakerSpeak YouTube Channel or at QuakerSpeak.com. 

Mark Russ' reflections on the intersection of Christianity and Quakerism offer insights into the complexities of his faith. Russ, who lives in Birmingham, United Kingdom, candidly shares his experience as a Christian within the Quaker community in the UK, exploring the struggle of reconciling his identity with the broader Quaker ethos.

His queerness adds another layer to his journey of embracing his Christianity which he explores in his book Quaker-Shaped Christianity, How the Jesus Story and the Quaker Way Fit Together. Read William Shetter’s review of Quaker Shaped Christianity on Friends Journal online. 

Mark Russ is a writer, theologian and teacher. Since 2013 Mark has written useful, Quaker-shaped Christian theology on his blog jollyquaker.com. From 2015 to 2022 he was a member of the Learning and Research Team at The Woodbrooke Centre, an international Quaker learning and research organization based in Britain. Before retraining as a theologian, Mark enjoyed a successful decade as a music teacher in London, and spent a year visiting and living in various faith-based intentional communities in the UK and USA. He is currently a full time PhD student at the University of Nottingham, researching liberal Quaker theology and whiteness. He lives with his husband in Birmingham, England.

Follow Mark on Twitter/X and LinkedIn.

You will find a complete transcript of this episode at QuakersToday.org.

After the episode concludes we share voicemails from listeners who answered the question, What was a time when you rebelled and why?

Question for next month

Here is our question for you to consider. Who is someone who has inspired your faith or worldview?

Leave a voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317-QUAKERS, that's 317-782-5377. +1 if calling from outside the U.S.

Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online.

Season Two of Quakers Today is sponsored by American Friends Service Committee 

Do you want to challenge unjust systems and promote lasting peace? The American Friends Service Committee, or AFSC works with communities worldwide to drive social change. Their website features meaningful steps you can take to make a difference. Through their Friends Liaison Program, you can connect your meeting or church with AFSC and their justice campaigns. Find out how you can become part of AFSC’s global community of change makers. Visit AFSC.org. 

Feel free to send comments, questions, and requests for our new show. Email us at podcast@friendsjournal.org.

Music from this episode comes from Epidemic Sound. You heard Noche de Sueños by Lawd Ito, Against a Paler Sky by Hushed, Es Solo by Mimmi Bangoura, Keep Together by Indigo Days, Could Have Been Us, by Blue Topaz

Squirrel Quiche is a two-part process. Before you can make the quiche, you need to cook the squirrel. I developed this recipe on my own. Once you get it down, you can use the meat to make a variety of dishes: quiche, pizza, bbq sliders, soup, tacos, etc.

Slow Cooked Squirrel

Ingredients:

1-2 Squirrels, skinned and gutted

As many cloves of garlic as you can handle

1 tbsp each of salt, pepper, and oregano

Half an onion

1 peeled lemon (helps with gamey flavor - can also use lime, vinegar, or some other source of acid)

1 can of beer (I use NA Busch, as I don’t drink alcohol)

6 cups of water 

4 bullion cubes

Steps:

1. In a crockpot, place the squirrels in the crockpot. Add all other ingredients.
2. Cook on low for 6-8 hours (fox squirrels tend to take longer than gray squirrels).
3. Remove squirrels and place in a large bowl.
4. Let the squirrels cool until you can touch them without burning your hands.
5. Carefully remove the meat from the bones. Arms, legs, and back strap are the easiest and most enjoyable pieces, the rib, belly, and spine meat is much more difficult to get, is more stringy, and is optional. However, I always go for it. 
6. Discard bones and remove any bbs from the meat if you find any (only a problem if you hunt with a shotgun).
7. This meat can be used in a variety of dishes.

Squirrel Quiche

Ingredients:

3-4 strips of bacon

A cup of diced green onions

1 diced serrano or 1 small jalapeno

Salt & Pepper

Tony Chachare’s creole seasoning (or your own cajun blend of salt, pepper, oregano, paprika, and garlic powder).

1.5 cups of shredded cheese

6 eggs

Pre-made pie crust

Steps:

1. Preheat oven at 375
2. In a skillet, cook the bacon until desired crispiness (mine is basically burnt) and crumble into small pieces. 
3. Put the pie crust in a nine-inch pie pan (it helps to let the crust warm up on the counter for 20-30 minutes beforehand.
4. Add the bacon, green onions, squirrel, serrano, and 1 cup of cheese into the pan.
5. In a separate bowl, beat the six eggs until smooth and consistent.
6. Pour the eggs over all of the ingredients in the pie pan.
7. Add the remaining cheese on top.
8. Place in the oven for 40 minutes. 
9. Let cool, slice, and then serve.

How do prevailing cultural values affect your life? 

What is your understanding of the Divine and how it works in you?

What music, films, or games represent how you see yourself in the world?

Quakers Today are asking all sorts of questions. We decided to invite Quakers and other seekers to share their questions and their journeys with us. Hi, I’m Peterson Toscano, host of the new Quakers Today podcast.

Every month Quakers Today will feature writers, musicians, and thinkers who are seeking wisdom and understanding in a rapidly changing world. You will hear views and reviews from a variety of guests, some famous, and most just everyday people.

I realize there is a lot of content coming at us all the time. So we decided to create a short 15 minute show to share some of the people, media, and questions that help ground and guide us in our pursuit of a meaningful life. Each episode begins with a question. We do not pretend to have all the answers. Instead we have a place where you can hear people speak from the heart, grapple with faith, and share the insights they have found along the way. It is also a place where you will have the opportunity to share your own insights, reflections, and questions.

Join me each month as I feature people who are not afraid to ask and answer deep questions. Quakers Today premieres November 15, 2022. 

Quakers Today is a project of Friends Publishing Corporation. 

 Peterson Toscano (he/him) and Miche McCall (they/them) look at how Quaker meetings align their financial practices with their values. The episode features Joann Neuroth sharing how Red Cedar Meeting in Lansing, Michigan, has shifted its financial priorities to work towards racial justice. Alicia Mendonca-Richards discusses how Quakers can embrace mystical knowledge to rethink our economy. You will also hear Brian McLaren from an excerpt of Climate Changed, a podcast by The BTS Center. He considers how to maintain a vibrant life while navigating unavoidable losses and significant uncertainties. 

Moving From Hand Wringing to Agency: A Quaker Meeting Uses Money as a Vehicle for Action

Joann Neuroth highlights how Quaker meetings can make financial decisions that align with their values. She emphasizes thoughtful stewardship, intentional action, and the potential to contribute to community well-being by using financial resources to address injustice and meet community needs.

Red Cedar Meeting moved its long-term maintenance fund to Liberty Bank, a Black-owned bank in Detroit, to support Black communities. It makes annual payments to The Justice League of Greater Lansing Michigan as reparations, acknowledging that these resources belong to those harmed by slavery, segregation, and white supremacy. Red Cedar Meeting also created a tiny pantry to provide free food to the community. This project began with a few members bringing extra groceries and grew to distribute approximately $11,000 worth of food annually.

Joann Neuroth wrote the article “Putting Our Money Where Our Hearts Are.” It appears in the January 2025 issue of FriendsJournal.org. Joann is a member of Red Cedar Meeting in Lansing, Mich. She has served on the boards of American Friends Service Committee and the School of the Spirit Ministry, where she will co-teach an upcoming spiritual nurture class, "God's Promise Fulfilled: Encountering and Embodying Grace in the Shadow of Empire”.

How Quakers Can Rethink the Economy

Alicia Mendonca-Richards shares her insights on how Quakers can rethink the economy. She argues that the current system, based on unsustainable growth and competition, distracts from what truly matters. Mendonca-Richards connects economic thought and mysticism, suggesting that mystical knowledge can be a foundation for courageous action and alternative economic models.

The full video featuring Alicia Mendonca-Richards and other QuakerSpeak videos can be found on the QuakerSpeak YouTube channel or at Quakerspeak.com. 

Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart by Brian McLaren.

In Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart, Brian McLaren explores the anxieties and uncertainties many people feel about the future of our planet and civilization. He acknowledges the serious challenges we face, including climate change, social and political divisions, and the decline of traditional institutions. However, instead of dwelling on despair, McLaren focuses on finding meaning and purpose in the face of these challenges. Audio with Brian McLaren comes from The BTS Center's podcast, Climate Changed, which offers intimate interviews and conversations around some of the most pressing questions about faith, life, and climate change. Thank you, BTS Center!

Read Pamela Haines’s Friends Journal review. Read more Friends Journal book reviews.

Answers for this month: In last month’s episode, we asked: What are some unexpected ways you find yourself drawn to repair?

Thank you to Callie, Lena, Erin, Micah, Maggie, and Joann for answering! 

Question for next month: What is your relationship with nature like?

Leave a voice memo or text with your name and the town where you live at +1 317-782-5377. You can also comment on our social media channels or send an email to podcast@friendsjournal.org.

Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online. It is written, hosted, and produced by Peterson Toscano and Miche McCall.

Season Four of Quakers Today is sponsored by American Friends Service Committee and Friends Fiduciary.

American Friends Service Committee:

Vulnerable communities and the planet are counting on Quakers to take action for a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world. The American Friends Service Committee, or AFSC, works at the forefront of many social change movements to meet urgent humanitarian needs, challenge injustice, and build peace. Find out more about how you can get involved in their programs to protect migrant communities, establish an enduring peace in Palestine, de-militarize police forces worldwide, assert the right to food for all, and more. Visit AFSC.ORG.

Friends Fiduciary:

Since 1898, Friends Fiduciary has provided values-aligned investment services for fellow Quaker organizations.  Friends Fiduciary consistently achieves strong financial returns while witnessing to Quaker testimonies. They also help individuals support organizations they hold dear through giving strategies, including donor-advised funds, charitable gift annuities, and stock gifts. Learn more about FFC’s services at FriendsFiduciary.org.

Feel free to email us at podcast@friendsjournal.org with​​ comments, questions, and requests for our show. Music from this episode comes from Epidemic Sound. Follow Quakers Today on TikTok, Instagram, X, and visit us at QuakersToday.org.

In this episode of Quakers Today we ask, Outside of Quaker Worship, where do Quakers seek inspiration, spirituality, and community?

Whether you're looking to understand the charismatic charm of megachurches, the deep-rooted history of Pendle Hill, England or the mysticism of Howard Thurman, this episode invites listeners to broaden their horizons and embrace the myriad ways the Spirit speaks to us.

You will find a complete transcript of this episode in the show notes at www.QuakersToday.org

Listen as host, Peterson Toscano and his guests delve into Quaker spirituality beyond the confines of traditional Quaker worship. 

Quakers and Mental Health: Join Carl Blumenthal as he shares an intimate connection between Quakerism, spirituality, and mental illness, revealing his personal struggles with bipolar disorder and how it intersects with spiritual highs and lows. This is just an excerpt from the QuakerSpeak video entitled, Quakers, Spirituality, and Mental Health. You will find a full version of this QuakerSpeak video on the YouTube QuakerSpeak channel.  Or visit Quakerspeak.com. Carl’s also has written about Quakers and mental health for Friends Journal.

"The reason I'm interested in the connection between Quakers and mental health is that George Fox himself, I think, was going through, you might call it an existential crisis, you might call it a severe depression when he found himself on Pendle Hill." -Carl Blumenthal

Intersections of Faith: Modern Reflections on Ancient Roots: Sara Walcott and Andy Stanton-Henry discuss their unique spiritual influences—charismatic worship and paganism—and how they find common ground in their differing beliefs. Can we listen without prejudice and let the Spirit move us in surprising ways?

We navigate the realms of Charismatic Christianity, embodied spirituality, and even witchy traditions, exploring how Quakerism might be embracing an animistic world view and listening to fresh winds of the Spirit from unexpected places.

The Pendle Witches from The History Press

“For a long time ‘witch’ hadn’t necessarily meant ‘evil’, and could often be used interchangeably as a term for a healer or wise woman, and though Demdike and her family had received accusations of casting curses from their neighbours before, it was an event in March 1612 that caught the attention of Pendle’s justice of the peace, Robert Nowell, and sealed the family’s fate.”

Quakers, radicals and witches: a walk back in time on Pendle Hill by Chris Moss for The Guardian

Sara Wolcott

• If Quakers Were (Also) Witches
• Workshop Sara led at Ben Lomond Center, If Quakers Were Witches

Sara Jolena Wolcott, M.Div., directs the eco-spiritual ministry, Sequoia Samanvaya. She teaches on circular time and origin stories, especially the intersections of colonization/climate change/spirituality. A member of Strawberry Creek Meeting in Berkeley, California, she lives with her partner alongside the River That Runs Both Ways (Hudson River). 

Andy Stanton-Henry

• All the Way Back To George Fox: Experimenting with Quaker Charismatics 
• Friends Journal Author Chat Video with Andy Stanton-Henry
• Ken Jacobsen’s review of Andy’s book Recovering Abundance: Twelve Practices for Small-Town Leaders

Andy Stanton-Henry is a writer, Quaker minister, and chicken-keeper. He holds degrees from Barclay College and Earlham School of Religion. He carries a special concern for rural leaders, leading to his recently published book, Recovering Abundance: Twelve Practices for Small-Town Leaders. A native Buckeye, Andy now lives in East Tennessee with his spouse, Ashlyn, blue heeler Cassie, and 11 laying hens.

A Spiritual Walk with Howard Thurman: Dive into Loretta Coleman Brown's new book, What Makes You Come Alive: A Spiritual Walk with Howard Thurman, which highlights the transformative spirituality of the black American theologian and mystic, Howard Thurman. Discover a road map to psychological and spiritual freedom. Read the review by Ron Hogan.

After the episode concludes we share voicemails from listeners who answered the question, When it comes to activism, do the ends justify the means?

Question for next month

Outside of Quaker Worship, where do Quakers seek inspiration, spirituality, and community?

In this episode you heard about Quakers looking outside the Religious Society of Friends for something more. They are asking, “Is something missing in Quaker worship?” It may be something we once had that is now lost. Some may be seeking new infusions of influences for a new time in history. Peterson has often heard Quakers say something like, “I attend Quaker meetings for worship, AND I also…” then they tell him about the other faith traditions or spiritual practices that feed them, center them, or enhance their Quaker faith and practice. 

What about you? Outside of Quaker Worship, where do Quakers seek inspiration, spirituality, and community? And if you are not a Quaker, Outside of your usual spiritual or religious tradition, where do you seek inspiration, spirituality, and community? 

Leave a voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317-QUAKERS, that's 317-782-5377. +1 if calling from outside the U.S.

Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online.

Season Two of Quakers Today is sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee. 

Do you want to challenge unjust systems and promote lasting peace? The American Friends Service Committee, or AFSC works with communities worldwide to drive social change. Their website features meaningful steps you can take to make a difference. Through their Friends Liaison Program, you can connect your meeting or church with AFSC and their justice campaigns. To learn more, visit AFSC.org 

Feel free to send comments, questions, and requests for our new show. Email us at podcast@friendsjournal.org.

Music from this episode comes from Epidemic Sound. You heard Mischievous Operations by Alfie-Jay Winters, Chicken Nuggetz by Baegel and JOBII, Being Nostalgic by Flyin, The Bards Tale by Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen, Sunday Morning Sermon by Duke Herrington, Jaybird by Boone River, Mindful Endeavors by Amaranth Cove, Million Years (Instrumental Version) by Sture Zetterberg, You’ve Got It (Instrumental Version) by John Runefelt

In this episode of Quakers Today we ask, How do you process memories, experiences and feelings?

For the best listening experience we encourage you to listen to this episode with headphones or earbuds.  

Rashid Darden's Personal Reflections

The episode features Rashid Darden and his reflection of identity and faith. As a Black person in a predominantly white faith community, Rashid's experience is unique and enlightening. He shares, "The surprising thing about my journey in the Quaker faith is that I'm still able to show up as my entire self and not be penalized for it... and in fact, to be celebrated for it." 

Rashid Darden is an award-winning, best-selling novelist of urban LGBT experiences, a seasoned leader of Black fraternal movements and nonprofit organizations, and a professional educator in alternative schools. He lives in Conway, North Carolina. Rashid serves as the Associate Secretary for Communications and Outreach for Friends General Conference. 

Hear more of Rashid’s reflections in the QuakerSpeak video, Growing the Community of Friends, Embracing Diversity, and Quakerism. It is also available at the QuakerSpeak YouTube Channel. Many thanks to Christopher Cuthrell for providing this audio. 

Influences on Virginia Woolf

Peterson Toscano draws a parallel between the Quaker faith and the literary world, focusing on Virginia Woolf, a renowned early 20th-century author. Some scholars suggest that Woolf's feminist stance and innovative writing techniques were significantly influenced by her Quaker aunt, Caroline Stephen. She is the author of the classic religious text, Quaker Strongholds. This connection highlights how Quaker practices of self-reflection and inner exploration may have impacted Woolf’s iconic stream of consciousness writing style, particularly evident in characters like Mrs. Dalloway.

Dig Deeper into Caroline Stephen and Virginia Woolf

• A Quaker Influence on Moder English Literature: Virginia Woolf and her Quaker Aunt Caroline Stephen by Alison M Lewis
• The Search for God: Virginia Woolf and Caroline Emelia Stephen by Kathleen A. Heininge, George Fox University
• Virginia Woolf’s Vision of Utopia by Diane Reynolds

Quakers and Fiction: Vicki Winslow’s “Sabbatical”

The episode also brings us the story "Sabbatical" by Vicki Winslow. After experiencing the loss of her father, Silena Yancey travels from North Carolina to the American Southwest to find inspiration, which she hopes leads to equilibrium. Vicki shares, "My story 'Sabbatical' is largely a collage... In many ways, we're all on a sort of pilgrimage." This narrative invites listeners into the internal pilgrimage of its protagonist, providing a window into the process of self-discovery and reflection.

Vicki Winslow is a writer who currently serves as clerk of the Friends Meeting in Liberty, North Carolina. Her publications include Follow the Leader for middle readers, a novella called The Conversion of Jefferson Scotten, and short stories in both literary and online journals including the story The Last Bear in Deep South Magazine.

Read the full story in the November 2023 issue of Friends Journal or on FriendsJournal.org. In our podcast feed, you will also find a bonus recording to Vicki’s story. 

Satire in Quaker Context

Adding a different flavor to the episode, Peterson discusses Donn Weinholtz’s book, Jesus Christ, M.B.A.: A Gospel for Our Times. The story is illustrated by David Weinholtz. Carl Blumenthal reviewed the short book for Friends Journal. He writes,

Conventional wisdom says that if Jesus returned today, he would be branded a heretic, a lunatic, or a criminal. Yet Donn Weinholtz’s satire on the Second Coming imagines him as a rabble-rouser, who, instead of rendering unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, plunges into the political fray as an independent candidate for the U.S. presidency.

Closing Thoughts and Invitation

As Peterson Toscano and the team begin preparing for the next season of Quakers Today, he invites listeners to share their experiences of the show and share feedback. Leave a voice message or send an email. You will find contact details below.

Question for next month

How do you process memories, experiences, and feelings?

Leave a voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317-QUAKERS, that's 317-782-5377. +1 if calling from outside the U.S. Or email podcast@friendsjournal.org 

Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online.

Season Two of Quakers Today is sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee. 

Do you want to challenge unjust systems and promote lasting peace? The American Friends Service Committee, or AFSC works with communities worldwide to drive social change. Their website features meaningful steps you can take to make a difference. Through their Friends Liaison Program, you can connect your meeting or church with AFSC and their justice campaigns. To learn more, visit AFSC.org 

In this episode, co-hosts Peterson Toscano (he/him) and Sweet Miche (they/them) explore best practices for welcoming and supporting neurodivergent individuals in Quaker worship and educational settings. Poet and writer Kate Fox shares insights from her article "A Place of Unmasking," drawing connections between early Quakers' spiritual practices and contemporary understandings of neurodiversity. Kate discusses her experience of Quaker meeting as a space where she can authentically be herself, free from the pressures of masking neurodivergent traits.

Kate Fox raises essential questions: How can places of worship and schools better accommodate neurodivergent individuals? How do sensory practices, like stimming, help with spiritual grounding and concentration?

We also explore Julia Watts Belser's book, Loving Our Own Bones, Disability Wisdom, and the Spiritual Subversiveness of Knowing Ourselves Whole, which invites readers to reconsider disability—not as something needing fixing, but as an integral part of human diversity, rich with spiritual wisdom and power. You can read Greg Woods' review in Friends Journal. 

Listener Responses: Neurodivergent Voices and Best Practices

We hear directly from listeners who share their experiences and recommendations:

• Clayden, a South African teenage artist and TikTok creator emphasizes the value of dedicated spaces in schools and churches designed for people with sensory sensitivities and learning disabilities. You can follow him @claydendesigns 
• Kody Hersh shares about creating a sensory-friendly space at a Quaker gathering, allowing attendees to adjust lighting, use fidgets, and regulate their environment to feel comfortable in worship.
• Another listener highlights how simple tools like printed bulletins can support neurodivergent attendees by providing structure and predictability during worship services.

What belief have you had to unlearn in your spiritual or personal journey?

Share your response by emailing podcast@quakerstoday.org or call/text 317-QUAKERS (317-782-5377). Please include your name and location. Your responses may be featured in our next episode.

Resources

For neurodiverse individuals, here are some useful apps designed to support communication, sensory regulation, social skills, executive functioning, and emotional well-being:

• • Communication & AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) Apps
    • Proloquo2Go – A symbol-based text-to-speech app for non-speaking individuals. Official Website https://www.assistiveware.com/products/proloquo2go
    • CoughDrop – A cloud-based AAC app for customizable communication. Official Website https://www.coughdrop.com/
  • Sensory Processing & Regulation Apps
    • Sensory App House – A collection of apps designed to support sensory needs. https://www.sensoryapphouse.com/ 
    • Autism 5-Point Scale EP – Helps users understand and regulate sensory and emotional states. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/autism-5-point-scale-ep/id467303313 
  • Social Skills & Interaction Apps
    • Social Story Creator & Library – Allows users to create social stories for different situations. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/social-story-creator-library/id588180598 

• ABA Flashcards--Offers a customizable library of flashcards to reinforce learning and skill development across various areas, from academics to daily living skills https://chicagoabatherapy.com/aba-services/aba-therapy/ 

• Routine & Executive Function Support Apps
  • Visual Schedule Planner – A visual scheduling tool for structured routines. ​​https://www.goodkarmaapplications.com/visual-schedule-planner1.html 
  • Routinely – Helps track habits and provides gentle reminders. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/routinely-habit-tracker/id6449163027 
• Emotional Regulation & Anxiety Management Apps
  • MoodMission – Suggests activities for managing anxiety and emotional challenges. https://moodmission.com/ 
  • Rootd – A panic attack and anxiety relief app. https://www.rootd.io/ 

This podcast follows the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). UDL is a way of creating content that works well for all audiences. It helps us make clear, easy-to-understand episodes that are welcoming for everyone. We follow UDL principles by carefully choosing audio, using plain language, offering transcripts for each episode, and inviting your feedback in multiple ways. 

Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation content. It is written, hosted, and produced by Peterson Toscano and Miche McCall.

Vulnerable communities and the planet are counting on Quakers to take action for a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world. AFSC works at the forefront of social change movements to meet urgent humanitarian needs, challenge injustice, and build peace. Learn more at AFSC.org.

Since 1898, Friends Fiduciary has provided values-aligned investment services for Quaker organizations, consistently achieving strong financial returns while upholding Quaker testimonies. They also assist individuals in supporting beloved organizations through donor-advised funds, charitable gift annuities, and stock gifts. Learn more at FriendsFiduciary.org.

For a full transcript of this episode, visit QuakersToday.org. For more Quaker content, follow us on TikTok, Instagram, and X (Twitter).

Season three of the Quakers Today Podcast begins with the introduction of new co-host Miche McCall (they, them). Along with co-host Peterson Toscano, they unpack the profound questions of faith, activism, and the essence of community.

Meet Quakers Today podcast’s newest team member, Miche McCall. 

Miche is a professional Friend who works to inspire others to live in alignment with Spirit and joy. After a decidedly secular (but beloved) experience at Oberlin College, Miche came to Quakerism through a fellowship with Quaker Voluntary Service in 2019. They graduated with a Masters in Theopoetics and Writing from Earlham School of Religion after finding a passion for the queer undercurrents of Quaker worship and silent performance art. Today, Miche works at Quaker Earthcare Witness and Quakers Today podcast. They are inspired by podcasts, ultimate frisbee, and, more recently, block printing. Miche lives in Brooklyn, New York, with their partner and a dog named Bread.

Being a professional friend means that I get to spend all of my time thinking and worshipping, and learning more about this faith. -Miche McCall

Community, Interconnectedness, and the Quest for Economic Justice

Nathan Kleban shares profound insights from his spiritual journey, emphasizing the transformative power of community living and its impact on personal growth and collective action. Kleban explores his experiences and observations, ranging from the labor dynamics in the Salinas Valley to the complexities of navigating individualism and community needs. He critically addresses the exploitation embedded in global supply chains, urging a conscious reevaluation of our roles within these systems. Through his journey across different communities and his work with the Alternatives to Violence Project and Right Sharing of World Resources, Nathan exemplifies a deep commitment to confronting injustice and fostering relationships that pave the way for meaningful change. 

Read Nathan’s article Move Toward the Suffering: Confronting Economic Injustice Head-On.

A transformative moment for me was living in community. That sense of community was very transformative for me both in learning more about myself and then seeing what we can do together. I just kind of saw myself becoming a lot more alive in those contexts. -Nathan Kleban

Quaker Testimonies as Pathways: Confronting White Supremacy with Equity and Community

Lauren Brownlee, from the Bethesda Friends Meeting in Baltimore Yearly Meeting, delves into the intersection of Quaker principles and racial equity. Drawing on Tema Okun's work on white supremacy culture, Brownlee identifies characteristics such as perfectionism, binary thinking, and urgency that permeate our society and contrasts these with Quaker testimonies like peace, community, and stewardship. She emphasizes the importance of embracing a diversity of perspectives, backgrounds, and worldviews to foster a beloved community grounded in equity and justice. Through a reflective examination of Quaker testimonies, Brownlee advocates for actively engaging in the antidotes to white supremacy culture within Quaker communities and beyond, underscoring the role of discomfort in growth and the necessity of inclusive community building. Lauren Brownlee is the deputy general secretary of Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL).

Lauren Brownlee appears in the QuakerSpeak video, How Quaker Testimonies Can Combat White Supremacy. The full version of this QuakerSpeak video can be found on the YouTube QuakerSpeak channel. Or visit Quakerspeak.com. 

Our community testimony invites us to think about who all is in our community. How do we have expanding overlapping concentric circles of community? And how are we caring uniquely, for each member of our community? -Laureen Brownlee

Reimagining Quaker Faith: Towards an Ecology of Light and Life

Lauren Brownlee reviews A Quaker Ecology: Meditations on the Future of Friends by Cherice Bock in the March 2024 issue of Friends Journal. The book, inspired by Bock's presentations at the 2020 New England Yearly Meeting, explores the link between Quaker practices and the ecological crisis, proposing an eco-reformation through watershed discipleship and an eco-theology of light. It challenges Quakers to deepen their relationship with nature and act on environmental stewardship, offering a roadmap for faith-driven ecological engagement.

You will find a complete transcript of this episode over at QuakersToday.org. 

Question for next month: What recommendation do you have for us and why? 

In each episode, we share reviews of books or films. I imagine you can recommend a book, music, film, or game that has moved you and deepened your understanding of the world. What recommendation do you have for us that we can share with others who listen to our show? What recommendation do you have for us and why?

Leave a voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317-QUAKERS, that's 317-782-5377. +1 if calling from outside the U.S.

Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online. It is written, hosted, and produced by Peterson Toscano and Miche McCall.

Season Three of Quakers Today is sponsored by American Friends Service Committee. 

Do you want to challenge unjust systems and promote lasting peace? The American Friends Service Committee, or AFSC, works with communities worldwide to drive social change. Their website features meaningful steps you can take to make a difference. Through their Friends Liaison Program, you can connect your meeting or church with AFSC and their justice campaigns. Find out how you can become part of AFSC’s global community of changemakers. Visit AFSC dot ORG. 

Feel free to send comments, questions, and requests for our new show. Email us at podcast@friendsjournal.org. Call our listener voicemail line: 317-QUAKERS.

Music from this episode comes from Epidemic Sound.

In this episode of Quakers Today we ask, What Do You Desire?

• Linda Seger speaks about Circle Thinking. It is counter-cultural, highly effective, and something Quakers have been doing for a very long time. Her article, “Circle Thinking, A Quaker Model of Leadership” appears in the June/July 2023 issues of Friends Journal. Linda is the author of 34 books, including Beyond Linear Thinking: Changing the Way We Live and Work. Read Carl Blumthal’s review of Linda’s book online FriendsJournal.org. Linda has been a Quaker for over 50 years. She has a ThD in Religion and the Arts and MA degrees in Feminist Theology, Religion and the Arts, Drama and Theology, and Drama. She has given seminars on writing in 33 countries around the world. She lives in Cascade, Colorado. 
• Christopher Cuthrell is the new Video Producer of the QuakerSpeak Project. He tells us a little about himself and why he is excited about Season 10 of QuakerSpeak videos. Learn more about Christopher through Gail Whiffen’s Friends Journal interview with him. In it he talks about his film and animation work including the beautiful animated short film, The Boy and the Moon. 
• Learn about the new book Susanna and Alice, Quaker Rebels: The Story of Susanna Parry and Her Cousin Alice Paul By Leslie Mulford Denis. This true story set 100 years ago brings to life the struggles, victories, and important relationships these two cousins experienced. Read Claire Salkowski’s review in the August 2023 issues of Friends Journal. 

You will find a complete transcript of this episode at QuakersToday.org.

After the episode concludes we share voicemails from listeners who answered the question, What do you desire?

Question for next month

For the August episode of Quakers Today we ask the question, What was a time in your life when you rebelled and why? 

Rebelling against society norms and breaking the rules may have gotten you in trouble. In the end you may have decided that it was totally worth it. Or you may have regretted the rebellion even if the cause seemed right. 

What was a time in your life when you rebelled and why?

Leave a voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317-QUAKERS, that's 317-782-5377. +1 if calling from outside the U.S.

Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online.

Season Two of Quakers Today is sponsored by American Friends Service Committee. 

Do you want to challenge unjust systems and promote lasting peace? The American Friends Service Committee, or AFSC works with communities worldwide to drive social change. Their website features meaningful steps you can take to make a difference. Through their Friends Liaison Program, you can connect your meeting or church with AFSC and their justice campaigns. To learn more, visit AFSC.org 

Feel free to send comments, questions, and requests for our new show. Email us at podcast@friendsjournal.org.

Music from this episode comes from Epidemic Sound. You heard Strapt and Alone in Swan Lake by Pandaraps, My Lifeline by Hector Gabriel, Stillness Within by Roots and Recognition, Morning Hike by Linsey Abraham, Morning Mist by Staffan Carlen,and  El Que La Hace La Paga by Wendy Mancini.

In this episode of Quakers Today, we ask, “What does it mean to be welcomed in a space?”

Peterson Toscano (he/him) and Miche McCall (they/them) discuss the concept of feeling welcome. Miche describes their sense of safety under a blanket while podcasting from Logrono, Spain, during their Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. They explore how welcoming spaces can be challenging for individuals with unique identities, especially in religious settings, and emphasize that genuine inclusivity often differs from mere proclamations of welcome.

To see our full show notes and transcript visit www.quakerstoday.org

"If the Quaker community were a household, who would be the owners and who would be the guests?"

Peterson Toscano chats with Rhiannon Grant (she/her) from Woodbrooke Quaker Learning and Research Centre about her article, “A Family of Friends,” which explores the importance of creating welcoming spaces within Quaker communities. Rhiannon, a lifelong Quaker and member of various faith communities, uses the metaphor of a household to explore the roles and feelings of welcome within Quaker meetings. She also discusses how implicit signals can create exclusion and emphasizes the significance of creating spaces where diverse theological beliefs are openly discussed and valued.

Learn more about Rhiannon Grant

Rhiannon Grant is Woodbrooke’s Deputy Programme Leader for Research and Programme Coordinator for Modern Quaker Thought. Rhiannon’s work at Woodbrooke spans academic and practice-based approaches to Quakerism. She teaches in Woodbrooke’s short course program, supervises research, and teaches postgraduate students within the Centre for Research in Quaker Studies. Outside Woodbrooke, she researches and writes about Quakers for both academic and general audiences, as well as writing fiction and poetry.

Her interests center on British Quakerism in the 20th and 21st centuries, especially Quaker theology, ways of speaking about God, and the developments in practice and religious diversity. 

You can follow Rhiannon as @bookgeekrelng on X and on Facebook. Watch a YouTube video of her keynote address about Deep Hospitality. Read her Pendle Hill pamphlet Telling the Truth About God: Quaker Approaches to Theology, and look out for a new one entitled Deep Hospitality.  

Lisa Graustein (she/her), a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) facilitator, discusses creating truly welcoming spaces in Quaker meetings by ensuring physical accessibility and accommodating diverse needs. She emphasizes the importance of inclusivity, recognizing varied contributions, and continually evaluating if all voices are being heard and needs met. This approach requires ongoing effort and reflection to foster genuine inclusivity.

This is a short excerpt from a QuakerSpeak video featuring a variety of voices. The video is entitled What’s the Difference Between a Welcoming and an Inclusive Space? See more videos like this on the QuakerSpeak YouTube channel or at QuakerSpeak.org.

Learn more about Lisa Graustein.

Lisa Graustein is a teacher, facilitator, and artist who holds an MEd in racial justice education. For 20 years, she taught in public middle and high schools. Currently, Lisa works as a DEI facilitator and trainer with schools and nonprofits throughout the northeast. She has been a facilitator for Beyond Diversity 101. A Univeralist Friend, she is part of a group of Quakers founding Three Rivers Meeting, a Queer, Christian Quaker meeting. A solo mom and potter, Lisa lives in an intentional community on the unceded Neponset Band of the Massachusetts land.

More than a Dream: The Radical March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom by Yohuru Williams and Michael G. Long provides an in-depth look at the 1963 March on Washington, highlighting the crucial roles of activists like Bayard Rustin. This makes it ideal for middle school students. The book has been longlisted for the 2023 National Book Awards in the category of Young People's Literature.

The First Day of Peace by Todd Schuster and Maya Soetoro-Ng, illustrated by Tatiana Gardel, tells the story of two communities coming together to help each other, illustrating the concept of peace and welcome for children.

• • More than a Dream: The Radical March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom reviewed by Gwen Gosney Erickson

• • The First Day of Peace reviewed by Katie Green

See all of the May 2024 Reviews on Friends Journal

Peterson and McCall discuss their upcoming participation in the 2024 Friends General Conference at Haverford College, where Miche will lead earth-centered worship with Quaker Earth Witness and Peterson will conduct interviews for the podcast. 

You can now follow Quakers Today on Instagram, TikTok, and the platform now known as X. 

Question for next month

Who is a historical figure whom you admire but whose actions and words also trouble you?

Historians, activists, and content creators help us gain a fuller, more balanced view of often revered historical figures. We learn that the heroes of old were not perfect. 

Leave a text or voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317-QUAKERS, that's 317-782-5377. +1 if calling from outside the U.S. You can also comment on our social media or email us podcast@friendsjournal.org. 

Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online. It is written, hosted, and produced by Peterson Toscano and Miche McCall with assistance from Christopher Cuthrell.

Season Three of Quakers Today is sponsored by American Friends Service Committee. 

Do you want to challenge unjust systems and promote lasting peace? The American Friends Service Committee, or AFSC, works with communities worldwide to drive social change. Their website features meaningful steps you can take to make a difference. Through their Friends Liaison Program, you can connect your meeting or church with AFSC and their justice campaigns. Find out how you can become part of AFSC’s global community of changemakers. Visit AFSC.org. 

Feel free to send comments, questions, and requests. Email us at podcast@friendsjournal.org. Call our listener voicemail line: 317-QUAKERS.Music from this episode comes from Epidemic Sound.