The Open Road: a learning community

¡Beloved Bibliophiles!

On October 13th, our topic will be Favorite Poems & Poets.

Bring poems to share!

Here’s the Zoom link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87614013058

I hope to see you there!

peace, love & happiness

Johnny

Dear Potential Reader:

You can order my book, The Nonstop Love-In, from me by emailing me at: stallingsjohnny@gmail.com.

From the back cover:

If you know Johnny, you will love this book. If you don’t, after reading, you will want to meet him—by reading this book. Who else can provide such a good-humored, big-hearted, modern Socratic quest into the nature of human happiness, and the myriad paths to finding joy? Johnny lived in India—and in the remote Eastern Oregon town of Ashwood. He’s spent years in prison—as a generous visitor creating dialog circles to bring lively thought to shadowed lives. And all the time he was writing these zesty morsels of insight, poem, story, meditation, and manifesto just for you.

—Kim Stafford, author of As the Sky Begins to Change 

We had a lovely group reading on Zoom of Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself” on his birthday (May 31, 2020), and have been carrying on a lively literary salon ever since on Sunday afternoons at 3 p.m. You’re invited!

I know that in our busy world not everyone can come every week, or stay for the whole thing, but if this sounds like fun to you, please join us this Sunday or some other Sunday.

Don’t worry, this is not a college class! It’s non-competitive. There’s no homework. No one is expected to know anything, learn anything or improve in any way. It’s just a way to get together and enjoy each other’s company–a locus for the Nonstop Love-In that is happening always and everywhere.

Here’s the a list of the topics we’ve used so far:

1. Poetry Corner (favorite poems old and new) 6/7/20
2. Can a book change the way you see and experience the world? (give examples) 6/14
3. The Quintessential Hippie Library (you could start with the Whole Earth Catalog and The Teachings of Don Juan by Carlos Castaneda and go from there—some of you surely know what I’m talking about) 6/21
4. What are your five all-time favorite novels? or six? or whatever? 6/28
5. Religion and Spirituality (what sacred-mystic-poetic texts have most enriched your life?) 7/5
6. What writers taught you most about the way the world works—sociologically, politically, economically, ecologically, philosophically, mythologically, psychologically, anthropologically, scientifically, aesthetically, fundamentally? 7/12
7. Books With Pictures in Them (this would include art books as well as illustrated books and children’s books) (another question: what are the most gorgeous books you own, or wish you owned?) 7/19
8. featured poet: William Blake  7/26
9. Oddball Books (books found off the beaten path, books the other people probably haven’t heard of, books that are unlike other books, books that explore non-mainstream ways of seeing and understanding the world, y’know: oddball books)  8/2
10. Idea Books (nonfiction books that you learned something from that has stayed with you)  8/9
11. Well-Written Books (what writers write in a way that thrills you?)  8/16
12. Books About Books (literary criticism, books about reading, writing, writers, words, the alphabet, libraries, et cetera) 8/23
13. Films Based on Books: which are the best?  8/30
14. Poetry Corner. Read us poems you’ve written, or some of your favorites from other writers.  9/6
15. Multicultural. Books not written in English and/or not written by white guys. Fiction or nonfiction  9/13
16. Guest Author: Ashley Lucas.  This was a Special Event–a Virtual Book Tour. Ashley’s new book, Prison Theatre and the Global Crisis of Incarceration had just been published. Ashley (in Michigan) read from her book, answered questions and hosted a conversation. Howard joined us from New York, Al and Nick from Seattle, lots of Oregonians, and Carlos from Peru! You might want to read this Interview with Ashley Lucas.  9/20
17. Nature, Ecology & the Environmental Crisis. 9/27
18. No Bibliophiles Unanimous on 10/4.
19. Positive Futures, Utopian Visions. Mainly thinking nonfiction here, but novels that give a positive vision of the future would also be good (if there are any.)  10/11
20. The Bible. What does this book mean to you? What have you learned from it? What is its role in our society? What is its role in Western Literature? Considered as a myth (sacred story), what does it say about us, our world, and our relationship to the Divine?  10/18
21. Shakespeare.  10/25
22. Kids Books. For Children of All Ages. Bring kids’ books to read. Bring kids if you can. What were your favorites when you were a kid?  11/1
23. Irish Writers  11/8
24. Economics  11/15  Know of any well-written books that have helped to illuminate this arcane subject for you?
25. Read any good books lately? A favorite question of bibliophiles  11/22
26. Mythology with Will Hornyak. Any authors, books, articles that have drawn you closer to the world of myth? What myths do you live by? 12/6
27. Poetry’s Task with Kim Stafford.  12/20/20
28. Favorite Women Poets with Deborah Buchanan & Katie Radditz. 1/3/21
29. SPECIAL EVENT!!!: A Play Reading with Howard Thoresen, Alan Benditt & Andrew Larkin. This is gonna be F-U-N! Contact Johnny for details.  1/17/21
30. Identity & Mythos: The Stories We Tell Ourselves.  1/31/21
31. Valentine’s Day Special! LOVE POEMS.  1/14/21
32. FACTORY by Antler. Group Poetry Reading!  2/28/21
33. Poems & Books About Work. We’ll talk about Antler’s poem “Factory,” share poems about work, talk about books on the subject of work, and regale each other with some of our own work experiences.  3/14/21
34. Story Poems. Homer, Dante, Shakespeare, Edward Lear, Robert Service–y’know, Story Poems. Poems that tell a story.  3/28/21
35. MYSTICAL POETRY & PROSE from Animist, Polytheist, Hindu, Taoist, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian & Muslim mystics.  4/11/21
36. SHAKESPEARE’S 457th BIRTHDAY!!! Bring along some of your favorite passages from the Immortal Bard.  4/25/21
37. ALL THINGS GREEK. Stratis Panourios, our hierophant, from Athens, led a dialogos about Greek drama. 5/16/21
38. Annual Group Reading of SONG OF MYSELF to celebrate Walt Whitman’s 202nd birthday!  5/30/21
39. Bloomsday Celebration!  6/13/21
40. PLAYS!: Plays you’ve read, plays you’ve seen, plays you’ve performed.  6/27/21
41. What are your favorite 50 books from the past 50 years?  (Books published since 1971.)  7/11/21
42. What are Your Favorite Documentary Films?  7/25/21
43. Poetry Corner!  8/8/21
44. What Do You Read?, How Do You Read? & Why Do You Read?  8/22/21
45. Women’s Liberation!  9/5/21
46. Books With Pictures In Them with Special Guest Professor Andrew D. Larkin  9/19/21
47. Looking Glass Bookstore with Special Guests Bill Kloster and Katie Radditz  10/3/21
48. Poems That Are Funny  10/17/21
49. Nature  10/31/21
50. Nature Poetry  11/14/21
51. Mythology  11/28/21
52. Group Reading of “A Christmas Carol” 12/12/21
53. Read Any Good Books Lately?  1/9/22
54. Favorite Fictional Characters  2/27/22
55. For Women’s History Month: Women Writers and Characters  3/13/22
56. War & Peace & Spring!  3/27/22
57. Gary Snyder & Friends  4/10/22
58. Of Strange Shadows: TheMysteries of Shakespeare’s Sonnets with Keith Scales (Celebrating William Shakespeare’s 458th Birthday)  4/24/22
59. What Shaped Your Worldview (Including Books)?  5/8/22
60. Annual Group Reading of Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself”  5/29/22
61. Bloomsday Celebration  6/16/22
62. A Conversation With Susan Griffin  6/26/22
63. Authors & Writings That Make You Happy!  7/10/22
64. Authors & Writings That Make You Happy!  7/24/22
65. Read Any Good Books Lately?  8/28/22
66. Read Something You Wrote  9/11/22
67. POETRY  9/25/22
68. More Poems  10/9/22
69. Neruda, Mistral, García Márquez, et cetera  11/6/22
70. American Indian Authors and Culture  11/20/22
71. Silence  12/4/22
72. Annual Group Reading of A Christmas Carol  12/18/22
73. Song Lyrics1/1/2023
74. Hope  1/15/23
75. Keith Scales Reads T. S. Eliot’s “Four Quartets  1/29/23
76. Valentine’s Day Special: “What have you learned about love from books & plays & poems?” 2/12/23
77. Snowed In! 2/26/23
78. Memorize a Poem!  3/12/23
79. “sweet spring…  4/9/23
80. Shakespeare’s Birthday Extravaganza!!!  4/23/23
81. Psychology  5/7/23
82. Favorite Women Authors  5/21/23
83. Poetry Reading: Featured Poets are Elizabeth Domike & Alex Tretbar  6/4/23
84. Visions of Utopia & Paradise  6/18/23
85. What’s Going On?  7/30/23
86. What Are Your Top Ten (or Fifteen) Favorite Novels of All Time? 8/13/23
87. Mother Goose & Friends  9/10/23
88. Black Elk’s Vision  9/24/23
89. SPECIAL EVENT!: Mythic Ireland with Will Hornyak  10/8/23
90. Peace & War  10/22/23
91. Wisdom  12/3/23
92. A Child’s Christmas in Wales read by Keith Scales  12/17/23
93. What are the best books you read in 2023 & what books are you looking forward to reading in 2024?  12/31/23
94. Histories!  1/14/23
95. Who do you admire, and why?  2/25/24
96. World Literature  3/10/24 
97. Book Launch for The Nonstop Love-In by Johnny Stallings  3/23/24
98. Mysteries!  4/7/24
99. Sci-Fi!  5/5/24
100. Old Poems!  5/19/24
101. Song of Myself  6/2/24
102. Books That Give You Something New Every Time You Read Them  6/16/24
103. Books That Cheer You Up.  6/30/24  
104. Favorite Books of All Time  7/14/24  
105. Favorite Poems & Poets  7/28/24  
106. Read Any Good Books Lately?  8/11/24  
107. Multicultural  8/25/24
108. Books That Changed the Way You See the World  9/15/24

I hope to see you at our next Sunday Zoom gathering!

peace & love

Johnny