BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//The Open Road: a learning community - ECPv6.15.3//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:The Open Road: a learning community X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://openroadpdx.com X-WR-CALDESC:Events for The Open Road: a learning community REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Los_Angeles BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20240310T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20241103T090000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20250309T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20251102T090000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241221T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241221T200000 DTSTAMP:20260424T091319 CREATED:20241219T051631Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241219T054857Z UID:5303-1734804000-1734811200@openroadpdx.com SUMMARY:Solstice Stories: Tales for the Darkest Night DESCRIPTION:  \nWill Hornyak & Ingrid Nixon \n  \nZoom Live \n  \nSaturday\, December 21st\, 6 pm\, Pacific Time \nWaiting room opens at 5:30 pm \n  \nJoin Will and Ingrid \non a journey through myths\, tales\, poems and songs \ncelebrating the blessed dark and fertile dream-time of the Winter Solstice. \nAnticipate equal doses of soul\, mirth\, magic and amusement \nto brighten the dark time of year. \n  \nRecommended for ages 12 and older. \n  \nDonations are appreciated. \nFor more info\, contact Will at: hornyak.will@gmail.com \n  URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/tales-for-the-longest-night/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://openroadpdx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/unnamed-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241215T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241215T170000 DTSTAMP:20260424T091319 CREATED:20241204T200736Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241219T053410Z UID:5265-1734274800-1734282000@openroadpdx.com SUMMARY:¡Bibliophiles Unanimous!: Poems! DESCRIPTION:Emily Dickinson \n  \n¡Bibliophiles Unanimous!  Friendly online conversation that starts out with books and…meanders. On December 15th\, at 3 pm (PST) our topic is Poems. Bring poems to read that you have written yourself\, or favorite poems by other people–alive and dead. \n  \n Here’s the Zoom link: \n  \n https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87614013058.   \n  \nThis is a free Open Road event. \n  \nI hope to see you there! \n  \npeace\, love & poetry \n  \nJohnny \n  URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/bibliophiles-unanimous-poems/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20241214 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250216 DTSTAMP:20260424T091319 CREATED:20241207T205045Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250215T195706Z UID:5281-1734134400-1739663999@openroadpdx.com SUMMARY:Monthly Online Seminar: Culture That Nurtures DESCRIPTION:  \nCulture That Nurtures \n  \nIn this monthly online seminar\, we will explore various ways we can help to co-create a culture that nurtures everyone. Although people are welcome to present (non-academic) papers or poems\, no advance preparation is necessary. \n  \nHere’s the Zoom link: \n  \nhttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/87193719372 \n  \nSaturday\, December 14\, 1-3: Happiness!  What can we learn from each other about happiness\, joy\, pleasure\, ecstasy\, humor\, delight\, well-being? \n  \nSaturday\, January 18\, 1-3: How Can I Help? In the wake of the recent election\, everyone I know is wondering what we can do. \n  \nSaturday\, February 15\, 1-3: Creativity What can we do as artists\, poets\, musicians\, storytellers\, photographers\, actors\, dancers to bless and enliven our culture? \n  \nI hope you can take part in this ongoing Deep Dialogue! \n  \nThis online Open Road event is free. \n  \npeace\, love & happiness   \n  \nJohnny URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/monthly-online-seminar-culture-that-nurtures/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://openroadpdx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/original.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241211T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241211T210000 DTSTAMP:20260424T091319 CREATED:20241204T194716Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241204T194804Z UID:5260-1733943600-1733950800@openroadpdx.com SUMMARY:Tenth of December: a Zoom reading (on the 11th) DESCRIPTION:  \nTenth of December (ORE) Johnny Stallings reads George Saunders’ amazing short story. \nON ZOOM: Wednesday\, December 11\, 7 pm \nZoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87176604491 URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/tenth-of-december-a-zoom-reading-on-the-11th/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241210T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241210T210000 DTSTAMP:20260424T091319 CREATED:20241204T194212Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241204T194304Z UID:5255-1733857200-1733864400@openroadpdx.com SUMMARY:Tenth of December: a live reading DESCRIPTION:  \nTenth of December (ORE) Johnny Stallings reads George Saunders’ amazing short story. \nLIVE: Tuesday\, December 10\, 7 pm \nLibrary at Taborspace\, 5441 SE Belmont \nFree \n  URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/tenth-of-december-a-live-reading/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241207T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241207T203000 DTSTAMP:20260424T091319 CREATED:20241204T193320Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241204T193646Z UID:5251-1733598000-1733603400@openroadpdx.com SUMMARY:A Proclamation for Peace Poetry Reading DESCRIPTION:  \nA Proclamation for Peace: Translated for the World (ORR) Kim Stafford & Friends read Kim’s poem “A Proclamation for Peace” in English and in other languages. \nSaturday\, December 7\, 7 pm \nBold Coffee & Books\, 1755 SW Jefferson \nhttps://boldcoffeeandbooks.com/events/ \n  \n  URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/a-proclamation-for-peace-poetry-reading/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://openroadpdx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/51ceUVrxIAL._AC_UY436_QL65_.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20241205 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250102 DTSTAMP:20260424T091319 CREATED:20241205T175256Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241205T175256Z UID:5274-1733356800-1735775999@openroadpdx.com SUMMARY:peace\, love\, happiness & understanding 12/5/24 DESCRIPTION:photograph of flower & bee by Abe Green \n  \nTHE OPEN ROAD \npeace\, love\, happiness & understanding \n\nDecember 5\, 2024 \n  \nJill Littlewood sent this: \n  \nGate A-4 \n  \nWandering around the Albuquerque Airport Terminal\, after learning\nmy flight had been delayed four hours\, I heard an announcement:\n“If anyone in the vicinity of Gate A-4 understands any Arabic\, please\ncome to the gate immediately.” \nWell—one pauses these days. Gate A-4 was my own gate. I went there. \nAn older woman in full traditional Palestinian embroidered dress\, just\nlike my grandma wore\, was crumpled to the floor\, wailing. “Help\,”\nsaid the flight agent. “Talk to her. What is her problem? We\ntold her the flight was going to be late and she did this.” \nI stooped to put my arm around the woman and spoke haltingly.\n“Shu-dow-a\, Shu-bid-uck Habibti? Stani schway\, Min fadlick\, Shu-bit-\nse-wee?” The minute she heard any words she knew\, however poorly\nused\, she stopped crying. She thought the flight had been cancelled\nentirely. She needed to be in El Paso for major medical treatment the\nnext day. I said\, “No\, we’re fine\, you’ll get there\, just later\, who is\npicking you up? Let’s call him.” \nWe called her son\, I spoke with him in English. I told him I would\nstay with his mother till we got on the plane and ride next to \nher. She talked to him. Then we called her other sons just \nfor the fun of it. Then we called my dad and he and she spoke for a while\nin Arabic and found out of course they had ten shared friends. Then I \nthought just for the heck of it why not call some Palestinian poets I know\nand let them chat with her? This all took up two hours. \nShe was laughing a lot by then. Telling of her life\, patting my knee\,\nanswering questions. She had pulled a sack of homemade mamool\ncookies—little powdered sugar crumbly mounds stuffed with dates and\nnuts—from her bag—and was offering them to all the women at the gate.\nTo my amazement\, not a single woman declined one. It was like a\nsacrament. The traveler from Argentina\, the mom from California\, the\nlovely woman from Laredo—we were all covered with the same powdered\nsugar. And smiling. There is no better cookie. \nAnd then the airline broke out free apple juice from huge coolers and two\nlittle girls from our flight ran around serving it and they\nwere covered with powdered sugar\, too. And I noticed my new best friend—\nby now we were holding hands—had a potted plant poking out of her bag\,\nsome medicinal thing\, with green furry leaves. Such an old country tradi-\ntion. Always carry a plant. Always stay rooted to somewhere. \nAnd I looked around that gate of late and weary ones and I thought\, This\nis the world I want to live in. The shared world. Not a single person in that\ngate—once the crying of confusion stopped—seemed apprehensive about\nany other person. They took the cookies. I wanted to hug all those other women\, too. \nThis can still happen anywhere. Not everything is lost. \n  \n—Naomi Shihab Nye \n* \n  \nMiracles \n  \nWhy\, who makes much of a miracle? \nAs to me I know of nothing else but miracles\, \nWhether I walk the streets of Manhattan\, \nOr dart my sight over the roofs of houses toward the sky\, \nOr wade with naked feet along the beach just in the edge of the water\, \nOr stand under trees in the woods\, \nOr talk by day with any one I love\, or sleep in the bed at night with any one I love\, \nOr sit at table at dinner with the rest\, \nOr look at strangers opposite me riding in the car\, \nOr watch honey-bees busy around the hive of a summer forenoon\, \nOr animals feeding in the fields\, \nOr birds\, or the wonderfulness of insects in the air\, \nOr the wonderfulness of the sundown\, or of stars shining so quiet and bright\, \nOr the exquisite delicate thin curve of the new moon in spring; \nThese with the rest\, one and all\, are to me miracles\, \nThe whole referring\, yet each distinct and in its place. \nTo me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle\, \nEvery cubic inch of space is a miracle\, \nEvery square yard of the surface of the earth is spread with the same\, \nEvery foot of the interior swarms with the same. \nTo me the sea is a continual miracle\, \nThe fishes that swim—the rocks—the motion of the waves—the ships with men in them\, \nWhat stranger miracles are there? \n  \n—Walt Whitman \n* \n  \nOn November 23rd\, I gave a reading of my version of Dostoevsky’s short story\, “The Dream of a Ridiculous Man” at Taborspace in Portland. You can find the text in Issue #63 of “peace\, love\, happiness & understanding\,” (December 23\, 2021)\, on the Open Road website (https://openroadpdx.com/event/peace-love-happiness-understanding-12-23-21/). In the story\, a guy dreams that he goes to a planet where there is no hatred\, or violence or fear. When he wakes up\, he wants to tell everyone that we can all live together in love. \nWhen I first read that story\, long ago\, I realized that I too am a ridiculous man. To prove it\, here’s a brief excerpt from my journal entry from yesterday: \n  \nisn’t there enough suffering in the world\, without having wars?…. \nwhy do we have wars? \nthey’re not helping anything \nwar is the opposite of culture that nurtures \nthe culture of war produces suffering and death \nhow much money does the united states spend on the military and on weapons every year? \ni don’t know \na lot \neven a little would be too much \nwe should be helping each other \nnot hurting each other \nisn’t this obvious? \nwe should be loving \nnot hating \nloving everyone \nall people and plants and animals and rivers and clouds and dirt \nthat’s what i want to promote: \nlove for every being and for every good thing \nno thank you to hatred and violence and fear \n  \n—Johnny Stallings \n* \nRemember? \n  \nRemember that day \nWhen the war ended \nAnd you climbed from your trenches \nAnd we oozed from our bunkers \nLeaving guns and grenades \nBullets and bayonets behind? \n  \nRemember how we sang in the streets \nDanced in the fountains \nCrazy with Joy? \nRemember how clouds lifted\, hearts rose \nVengeance\, bitterness\, hatred and rage \nFell away like graveclothes? \n  \nRemember how we stood \nTall and happy \nIn the morning light \nEyeing the world \nAnd one another \nWith new eyes? \n  \nRemember \nHow in that ecstasy \nWe forgot \nIf ours was a blue state or red \nLiberal cause or conservative stand? \n  \nRemember \nHow easily we remembered \nWho we were \nFrom where we had come \nWhy we were here \nWhere we were going \nAnd what we should do? \n  \nI will never forget that day \nWhen the war ended \nAnd trust sprouted and spread \nLike a sea of green grass \nAcross every divide\, covering every division \nUniting all into one state of grace \nIndivisible\, at peace \nUnder heaven. \n  \n—Will Hornyak\, from This Altar of Earth and Sky \n* \n  \nCanary in the Mind \n  \nIf you descend to sorrow\, take a little singer \nto carry through the dark some color of he sun. \nTunneling through trouble\, guard your little light\, \nshield your little singer for the good of everyone. \nIf your singer falters\, if your mind grows dim\, \nIf your breath grows shallow\, if your days are grim\, \nfeed your little singer seeds of hope again. \nIn the cave of grief\, with every breath begin. \n  \n—“Canary in the Mind” is reprinted from As the Sky Begins to Change (Red Hen Press\, 2024) by permission of Kim Stafford \n* \n  \nRepeat the Sounding Joy \n  \nThe camellias know \nas do creatures \nmoving in piled \nleaf litter\, chaff. \n  \nUnder yet unfallen snow \nbranches threatened by ice \nplodders do their work\, \ndistracted we laugh. \n  \nThe hills remember \nas do streams \nfish swim on up \nwriggling into our dreams. \n  \nRumble underfoot \nin the sky\, repeat the story \nthroughout this land \nsunrise brings glory \n  \nIf we notice \nas we stand. \n  \n—Elizabeth Domike \n* \n  \nI’ve been listening each night to two owls who must have decided to stay in the neighborhood for the winter. Owls don’t migrate but they do move around some and often return or remain in a familiar woods. When they Who Hoot\, I think of the squirrels and little rodents who are also trying to stay alive in the cold. But i do love their voices and am glad to have enough woodsy life to have them make a home here too. They make many of us beings pay attention. Here’s a poem by Mary Oliver:  \n  \nSnowy Night \n  \nLast night\, an owl \nin the blue dark \ntossed an indeterminate number \nof carefully shaped sounds into \nthe world\, in which\, \na quarter of a mile away\, I happened \nto be standing. \nI couldn’t tell \nwhich one it was – \nthe barred or the great-horned \nship of the air – \nit was that distant. But\, anyway\, \naren’t there moments \nthat are better than knowing something\, \nand sweeter? Snow was falling\, \nso much like stars \nfilling the dark trees \nthat one could easily imagine \nits reason for being was nothing more \nthan prettiness. I suppose \nif this were someone else’s story \nthey would have insisted on knowing \nwhatever is knowable – would have hurried \nover the fields \nto name it – the owl\, I mean. \nBut it’s mine\, this poem of the night\, \nand I just stood there\, listening and holding out \nmy hands to the soft glitter \nfalling through the air. I love this world\, \nbut not for its answers. \nAnd I wish good luck to the owl\, \nwhatever its name – \nand I wish great welcome to the snow\, \nwhatever its severe and comfortless \nand beautiful meaning.    \n  \n—Mary Oliver \n  \n—Katie Radditz \n* \n  \nNovember 5\, 2024. A day of reckoning. What was I ever going to do from this point on??? This is what I have been examining all month long\, and this is what I have concluded: There are three realms in my life (and in others’). \nFirst is my personal realm. That includes family\, friends\, nature\, activities and situations I can manage\, maintain\, help\, change. I made a list of those: \n\nI can donate blood (done! donation #175 since I was 18)\nI can complete my training as a hospice volunteer in the Gorge (done! Waiting for assignment.)\nI can volunteer to walk dogs at the Hood River Adopt A Dog shelter. (Not done. We went a leap beyond and adopted a dog!) (She’s a work in progress. Progress\, not perfection)\nI can make a lunch/update date with my several ‘kids’ I’ve known for 30 years from our Youth-At-Risk program. (planning stage.)\nI can DOUBLE my donations to favorite organizations (Planned Parenthood\, Nature Conservancy\, Doctors without Borders\, OHOM\, etc.)\n\nMaking this list and carrying through with it at least gives me peace of mind\, happiness\, and a sense of control. \nSecond is the national/country realm. That includes national politics\, Trump\, media\, environment/climate change\, et.al. ad nauseam. This is heartbreaking and infuriating\, and\, honestly\, there is not a lot I can do to change or control this second realm. I will leave it at that. \nThird and last is the universal/cosmic/infinite realm. Paradoxically\, this is comforting; I am a speck\, the height of insignificance\, nada in the infinite time and space dimension\, so nothing really matters in this universal realm. I am here\, I will be gone\, in no time it will be as if I never existed. Live my joy of life\, do my best in my personal realm and…let the rest go. \nThe three realms. Amen. \n  \n—Jude Russell URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/peace-love-happiness-understanding-12-5-24/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://openroadpdx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/0.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241123T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241123T210000 DTSTAMP:20260424T091319 CREATED:20241119T222720Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241123T011353Z UID:5224-1732388400-1732395600@openroadpdx.com SUMMARY:Dream of a Ridiculous Man 11/23/24 DESCRIPTION:Dream of a Ridiculous Man  \n  \nJohnny Stallings reads his performance version of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s magical final short story\, followed by dialogue. \nThis story–(see below)–is guaranteed to astonish! \n \nMuch better to experience it LIVE–bring a friend–but for those who are too far away\, or don’t drive at night\, you can watch on Zoom (at 7 pm\, Pacific Time). \n \nHere’s the Zoom link:\n\n\nhttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/81824888865 \n  \n\nArtspace Room at Taborspace\, 5441 SE Belmont\, in Portland \nSaturday\, November 23rd\, 7 pm \nFree URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/dream-of-a-ridiculous-man-11-23-24/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://openroadpdx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/0-6.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241117T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241117T170000 DTSTAMP:20260424T091319 CREATED:20241014T223342Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241116T191253Z UID:5156-1731855600-1731862800@openroadpdx.com SUMMARY:¡Bibliophiles Unanimous! 11/17/24 DESCRIPTION:¡Bibliophiles Unanimous!  \n  \nFriendly online conversation that starts out with books and…meanders. \n  \nOn November 17th\, at 3 pm\, our topic is: \n  \n¡Oddball Books! \n  \nWhat\, you might ask\, is an oddball book?\n \nHere are a few examples:\n \nA book you have that you’re pretty sure none of the other bibliophiles have–and maybe haven’t even heard of.\nA book that is unlike other books.\nA book that has unusual ideas or things you haven’t heard elsewhere.\nA book that is extremely imaginative.\nBooks written by or about oddballs or crazy people.\n\n\n  \n\n\nThis is a free Open Road event! \nHere’s the Zoom link: \n  \n https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87614013058.  \n  \nEarlier this Fall\, we had… \n  \nBooks That Changed the Way You See the World (September 15th) \nFavorite Poems & Poets (October 13th) \n  URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/bibliophiles-unanimous-11-17-24/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241115T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241115T210000 DTSTAMP:20260424T091319 CREATED:20241027T222901Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241111T230730Z UID:5192-1731697200-1731704400@openroadpdx.com SUMMARY:¡Bardaphilia!: Shakespeare on Film 11/15/24 DESCRIPTION:Mieko Harada as Lady Kaede in Kurosawa’s “Ran” \n  \n¡Bardaphilia! \n  \nShakespeare on Film \n  \nFor our Shakespeare class on Friday\, November 25th\, we’ll talk about filmed versions of Shakespeare’s plays and watch film clips together. \n  \nTaught by Johnny Stallings \nFriday evening\, November 15th\, 7-9 pm \nArtspace Room at Taborspace\, 5441 SE Belmont\, in Portland \nThis Open Road event is FREE! URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/bardaphilia-shakespeare-on-film/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241109T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241109T150000 DTSTAMP:20260424T091319 CREATED:20241017T235951Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241104T190631Z UID:5177-1731146400-1731164400@openroadpdx.com SUMMARY:¡Six Mystics! 11/9/24 DESCRIPTION:“The River of Life” by William Blake \n  \n¡Six Mystics! \nHan Shan\, Hafiz\, Thomas Traherne\, William Blake\, \nWalt Whitman & Black Elk \n  \n  \nExplore the poetry and visions of six mystics from different times and cultures in a workshop with Johnny Stallings. \nThis event is live and online!  \nThe live event is at Taborspace (see below). For those who are far away\, here’s the Zoom link: \n https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86482174323 \n  \nRather than a brief presentation\, I want to go into the material more deeply\, so I’m doing a four-hour workshop\, with a one-hour lunch break. There will be lots of opportunities for everyone to share their own ideas and experience. (We are all\, in some sense\, mystics.) \nIf you can’t stay for the whole time\, either live or in-person\, you are welcome to drop in for as long as you can. \nIf you have questions\, or want to register in advance\, contact Johnny at stallingsjohnny@gmail.com or  503-347-6869. (Letting me know in advance that you plan to attend\, for all or part of the time\, is helpful to me.) \n  \nThis live workshop is in the Library at Taborspace\, 5441 SE Belmont\, in Portland. \nSaturday\, November 9th\, 10-3 (Lunch from 12-1; bring a sack lunch.) \nThis Open Road event is free. URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/5177/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://openroadpdx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/N05887_10-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20241107 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20241205 DTSTAMP:20260424T091319 CREATED:20241107T222700Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241107T224433Z UID:5206-1730937600-1733356799@openroadpdx.com SUMMARY:peace\, love\, happiness & understanding 11/7/24 DESCRIPTION:“The School of Athens” by Raphael \n  \nTHIS IS THE 100th ISSUE OF peace\, love\, happiness & understanding!!! \n  \nNovember 7\, 2024 \n  \nCoffee Shop Philosophy \n  \nThe first question is: what’s the difference between “coffee shop philosophy” and “philosophy”? \n  \nPhilosophy is an academic discipline\, taught in universities. Philosophy professors teach students about the Famous Philosophers and their ideas. The list of Famous Philosophers is not an especially long one. It includes people like Plato and Descartes and Spinoza and Hegel. Those guys. \n  \nCoffee shop philosophy is an informal inquiry into the meaning of life\, which can take place anywhere\, but thrives especially in…coffee shops. And tea shops. There are no professors. No experts. All participants have equal status. The questions are immediate\, not abstract. They are personal. In academic philosophy\, thinking has primacy. Coffee shop philosophizing includes thinking\, but also feeling. Academic Philosophy asks: “What did Kant think?” Coffee shop philosophy asks: “What do you think?” \n  \nOriginally\, the word “philosopher” meant “lover of wisdom.” Is wisdom confined to what the Famous Philosophers wrote? I don’t think so. Here are some of the people who are not taught in academic philosophy classes: Martin Luther King\, Walt Whitman\, Susan Griffin\, William Shakespeare\, Black Elk\, Lao Tzu\, J. Krishnamurti\, William Blake\, Fyodor Dostoevsky—all wise people! It’s a much\, much longer list of people whose writings can enrich and illumine our lives\, but who are not Famous Philosophers. \n  \nCoffee shop philosophy is friendly. There is laughter! There are no grades. You can’t fail. Friends get together to talk about what is most urgent to them. It can include psychology\, ecology\, poetry\, love\, happiness\, death! Everything! We wonder about the meaning of our life. What are we doing here? We want to become wiser\, kinder\, more happy\, more free. We talk about our life journeys\, what we’ve learned so far\, what continues to baffle us. \n  \nI took a couple Philosophy classes in college\, long long ago. For more than 50 years now I’ve been avidly practicing coffee shop philosophy—alone and with others. If you keep a journal\, you can have a long long philosophical conversation with yourself. \n  \nI’ve learned more about living\, more about happiness\, more about love\, more about freedom—more actual wisdom—from Walt Whitman’s poem “Song of Myself” than from any other writing. Because he’s labeled a “poet\,” and not a “philosopher\,” he’s not studied in Philosophy classes. I think of Walt as my friend—along with William Shakespeare and Thich Nhat Hanh and John Moriarty and Brian Doyle and many many other friends whose books fill my bookshelves and spill over onto the floor. I think of them as companions on my life journey\, as fellow coffee shop philosophers. \n  \nThe endless deep dialogues I’ve had with friends in coffee shops and tea shops and prisons have greatly enriched my life. For thirteen years I practiced coffee shop philosophy every week with men in Oregon prisons. There was no coffee. But there was something beautiful that I don’t know how to describe. I guess the closest word is “love.” \n  \nI love books! I’ve learned a lot from books\, but we also gain wisdom from our life experience\, and from sharing our experience and insights with each other. We need coffee shop philosophy! We need each other! \n  \nThese days I still get together with friends for coffee and deep dialogue every week. We do it because we love to have big personal conversations about life and love and what’s going on within us and around us.  Over time\, we get to know each other better and love each other more deeply. That seems like a good thing for humans to do.   \n  \n—Johnny Stallings \n* \n  \nCan you feel surging joy and profound sadness at the same time? How can a heart handle both at once? \n  \nOnce in the habit of morning walks with the dog\, the habit continues without the dog\, Lolo having died about one and a half months ago. She was sixteen years old\, and we’d rescued her fifteen years earlier from Home At Last animal shelter in The Dalles. They had found her wandering the streets of Shaniko\, a ghost town in Oregon. Scrawny and fearful\, she cowered when anyone tried to touch her; but I knew that with time and love and stability and security she would be a perfect pooch. And she was. Hiking\, backpacking\, snowshoeing\, beach walking—she went pretty much everywhere with us. Everyone loved her and she loved everyone. The great comfort dog. Any shred of anger\, depression\, fear or disappointment would melt away when I touched her silky ears. So you can surely understand the sadness I feel. \n  \nSo what’s with the surging joy??? Is that possible? Well\, I walk out the door and am kicking through huge\, magical\, golden maple leaves the size of dinner plates.  They’re spinning\, spiraling slowly beneath a vault of blue. Blue sky\, white clouds\, yellow gold leaves; how could I not feel a surge of joy?!  It overtakes my heart. \n  \nMore joy: It’s a good thing to spend time deciding whether you love October or November more. A contest for best month of the year. This is good: Is it the bustling oranges and reds and yellows of the buckets and buckets of leaves filling your vision in October? Or is it the beauty and starkness of the bare\, black\, muscular limbs once the leaves have shed in November? After all\, it’s then that you can see through  the bushy busy-ness of trees\, to the hills beyond\, to the mountains beyond. It’s then that you can settle into the spareness of November\, settle into the cool rain patters\, and the darkened mornings and evenings. I love it.  \n  \nCan I feel both\, then—-joy and sadness? I decree that yes I can\, and  do. \n  \n—Jude Russell \n* \n  \nKim Stafford’s latest book is A Proclamation for Peace: Translated into World Languages. In the book\, his poem “A Proclamation for Peace” is translated into 50 different languages\, including Arabic\, Armenian\, Ashaninka & Bislama; Gaeilge\, Greek & Hebrew; Pashto\, Persian & Punjabi; Quechua\, Romani\, Romanian & Russian; Tagalog\, Tamil & Thai; Ukrainian & Vietnamese; Yoruba\, Yucatec & Zapotec. The book can be ordered from bookshop.org. Here’s the English version of the poem: \n  \nA Proclamation for Peace \n  \nWhereas the world is a house on fire; \nWhereas the nations are filled with shouting;  \nWhereas hope seems small\, sometimes \n     a single bird on a wire \n     left by migration behind. \n  \nWhereas kindness is seldom in the news \n     and peace an abstraction \n     while war is real; \n  \nWhereas words are all I have; \nWhereas my life is short;  \nWhereas I am afraid; \nWhereas I am free—despite all \n     fire and anger and fear; \n  \nBe it therefore resolved a song \nshall be my calling—a song \nnot yet made shall be my vocation \nand peaceful words the work \nof my remaining days. \n  \n—Kim Stafford\, originally published in Wild Honey\, Tough Salt \n* \n  \nI also wrote a proclamation for peace. Coincidence? Peace is always something we can use more of\, so I’ll include it here: \n  \nMy Foolproof Plan for World Peace \n  \nI hereby declare today to be International Love Day. \nAnd a General Armistice. \nAll hostilities must cease on International Love Day. \nHenceforward\, every day is International Love Day. \n  \n—Johnny Stallings\, from The Nonstop Love-In: poems\, stories\, essays & other writings \n  \nshāntih  shāntih  shāntih URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/peace-love-happiness-understanding-11-7-24/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://openroadpdx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/original.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241026T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241026T210000 DTSTAMP:20260424T091319 CREATED:20241017T231033Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241026T221712Z UID:5172-1729969200-1729976400@openroadpdx.com SUMMARY:INFIDEL: The Notorious Robert G. Ingersoll 10/26/24 DESCRIPTION:  \nInfidel! \nThe Notorious Robert G. Ingersoll  \n  \nJohnny Stallings reads from speeches and essays of 19th Century America’s most eloquent agnostic and humanist\, followed by dialogue. \n  \nArtspace Room in Taborspace\, 5441 SE Belmont \nSaturday\, October 26\, 7 pm \nthis Open Road event is free URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/infidel-the-notorious-robert-g-ingersoll-10-26-24/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://openroadpdx.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/IMG_1909-rotated.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241025T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241025T210000 DTSTAMP:20260424T091319 CREATED:20241017T011021Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241027T223240Z UID:5167-1729882800-1729890000@openroadpdx.com SUMMARY:¡Bardaphilia!: Measure for Measure 10/25/24 DESCRIPTION:Mark Rylance as Duke Vincentio\, Shakespeare’s Globe\, 2005 \n  \n¡Bardaphilia!  \n  \nMeasure for Measure \n  \nBut man\, proud man\, \nDressed in a little brief authority\, \nMost ignorant of what he’s most assured\, \nHis glassy essence\, like an angry ape \nPlays such fantastic tricks before high heaven \nAs makes the angels weep\, who with our spleens* \nWould all themselves laugh mortal.** \n  \n–Isabella\, Measure for Measure\, Act 2\, scene 2 \n  \n* organ thought to control laughter \n**(Proverbial: “to die laughing”) \n  \nFor our Shakespeare class on Friday\, October 25th\, we will be exploring the darkly comic world of Measure for Measure! We will focus on Act 2. \nReading the play beforehand is recommended\, but you don’t need to know the play to enjoy the class. (Folger edition has helpful notes on facing pages.) \nIt’s a great idea to watch a film version\, if you can find one–but NOT the 2020 version with Hugo Weaving\, which is not really Shakespeare’s play\, but “inspired by it” in some way. \n  \nI hope to see you there! \n  \nTaught by Johnny Stallings \nFriday evening\, October 25th\, 7-9 pm \nArtspace Room at Taborspace\, 5441 SE Belmont\, in Portland \nThis Open Road event is FREE! URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/bardaphilia-measure-for-measure-10-25-24/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241013T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20241013T170000 DTSTAMP:20260424T091319 CREATED:20240918T174638Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240918T174638Z UID:5061-1728831600-1728838800@openroadpdx.com SUMMARY:¡Bibliophiles Unanimous! 10/13/24 DESCRIPTION:  \n¡Bibliophiles Unanimous!  \n  \nFriendly online conversation that starts out with books and…meanders. \nHere’s the Zoom link: \n  \n https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87614013058.  \n  \nOctober 13th\, 3 pm: Favorite Poems & Poets (Bring a poem to read!) \nNovember 17th\, 3 pm: Oddball Books \nFree URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/bibliophiles-unanimous-10-13-24/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://openroadpdx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/trump_whitman.jpg.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20241003 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20241107 DTSTAMP:20260424T091319 CREATED:20241003T222858Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241003T223215Z UID:5140-1727913600-1730937599@openroadpdx.com SUMMARY:peace\, love\, happiness & understanding 10/3/24 DESCRIPTION:  \nTHE OPEN ROAD \npeace\, love\, happiness & understanding \n  \nOctober 3\, 2024 \n  \nI’ve been having a conversation with myself in my journal for the past 54 years\, or so. Here are excerpts from the entry for January 16th\, followed by a brief essay\, “perfect moments\,” that I wrote on January 17th\, followed by excerpts from what I wrote on January 23rd: \n  \nmonday\, september 16th \n  \nperfect day \nperfect silence \nperfect coffee \nthis home is a well-ordered place of refuge for two human beings \noutside these walls\, in some places\, perfect chaos and confusion \nperfect fear… \nperfect sorrow… \nperfect healing… \nperfect love \nthe neon sign says: LOVE WINS \nso it must be true… \nthe dance of shadows on the wall… \nhelping to co-create culture that nurtures—a local and a global culture of peace\, love\, happiness & understanding—begins with my own deep peace\, love\, happiness & understanding \na silence that is free of fear and hatred \nlove for everyone and everything \nboundless joy \ncontinuing to improve my understanding of what’s going on here by learning from wise thoughtful intelligent people \nin order to be more helpful \nto choose wisely \nto not utter words that are hurtful \nthere’s a rough and tumble aspect to human life \ndon’t be too attached to non-attachement \nor to ideas of no-self\, ātman\, et cetera \ndon’t forget to laugh and have fun \ndon’t take yourself or your opinions too seriously \nfeel the beauty of the blue sky and the puffy white clouds \nthe green of the leaves on the trees and bushes and grass \nthe bright flowers \nthe bright flowers! \ni know why buddha held up a flower \nthe surprising thing is that everyone in the assembly didn’t get enlightenment at that moment \nthe bewildering thing is that we live in a world that has flowers in it and yet people hurt each other \nhow can this be? \ni guess it’s because there are other things besides flowers in the world \nthere are\, for example\, guns… \ni feel bad for the people who have lots of guns and no flowers… \nin a world teeming with life\, everything dies \nand new things arrive \nnew people and plants and birds and bugs and elephants are always arriving \nelephants! \nwonderful beings! \nmonarch butterflies! \nwhat a world! \nit’s amazing that shakespeare wrote a midsummer night’s dream and king lear \nit’s amazing that there are elephants and monarch butterflies \nand hummingbirds and pansies \nyellow pansies and little bright purple flowers  \ni’m in love with this world! \n  \nperfect moments \n  \nis this moment perfect? \nyes! \n  \ni would like to sing the praise of perfect moments \nand so i shall \n  \neveryone has experienced perfect moments \nand yet many people are dissatisfied\, unhappy\, miserable \nthis is puzzling \nthis very moment might be felt to be perfect \nand if it’s not\, the next perfect moment might be right around the corner \n  \nthe older i get\, the more perfect moments i enjoy \ni get a lot of blessings \ni’m a happy man \n  \nto the extent that happiness is an art\, and not just an accident\, it might be the art of noticing and appreciating perfect moments \n  \nlike this one \n  \ni like to start the day slowly\, in silence \nwith a cup of coffee and two shortbread cookies \nnot by checking my inbox\, or reading the new york times \ni sit on the couch and look out the window \nthe backyard is filled with flowers \nthey are glorious\, perfect! \nperfect little birds come to the bird feeder \nthis morning: song sparrows\, goldfinches\, house finches\, juncos \nsometimes puffy white clouds float by in the blue sky \nevery one perfect \n  \nthis morning the sky is overcast \nhave you ever noticed that some people say\, “i love the rain!”? \non sunny summer days that are not too hot and not too cool\, people seem to be in a good mood\, more cheerful\, more friendly \nin portland\, where i live\, it rains a lot \nit makes everything green \nbut people complain about the rain\, and even get depressed \nthe person who says\, “i love the rain!” is doing a kind of jiu jitsu \nsomething that makes most people sad makes them happy \nthat’s a pretty neat trick \n  \nthich nhat hanh used to say\, with a warm smile\, “the present moment is a wonderful moment” \nyou might notice that most problems are elsewhere \n  \nif there is so much to take delight in\, why isn’t everybody happy—at least most of the time? \nthere are countervailing forces in play \nsome are external and some are internal \n  \nto start with inner obstacles to happiness\, we might look at “bad mental habits” \nin this computer age\, to say we have been “programmed” is a useful metaphor \nour experiences\, our society\, our family of origin have instilled habits in each of us \nsome of those habits promote well-being \nsome do the opposite \nsome people are open\, cheerful\, friendly \nsome are anxious\, some are angry\, some are sad \n  \nof course a sad moment can be\, and often is\, a perfect moment \nbut to be sad all the time is to miss something that’s good for you—joy! \n  \nour external circumstances play a role in our feelings of well-being\, or lack of them \na prison environment does not tend to promote happiness and well-being \nand yet one of the happiest people i know is living in prison \nhe has mastered the art of appreciating perfect moments \n  \npeople in ukraine and gaza and lebanon and sudan and israel are currently experiencing the terrible tragedy of war \nand yet the experiences of people in those places are not uniformly bleak \nthere are perfect moments \nthere have to be\, because an act of kindness is a perfect moment \nand surely there must be many many acts of kindness under those terrible conditions \n(ceasefire now!—everywhere\, always and forever) \n  \nhuman life on earth includes tragedy\, violence and injustice \nthey are exacerbated by fear\, hatred\, anger and greed \nthey are mitigated by love and kindness and joy and tranquility \n  \nto enjoy a perfect moment is to live—for a moment—in paradise \nnot the imaginary paradise that will arrive someday if we all just do everything differently than the way we’re doing things now \nbut a real paradise in this perfect moment \n  \nbankei calls this our unborn buddha mind \nand asks why anyone would want to exchange their unborn buddha mind for the mind of a hungry ghost \n  \nperfect moments don’t necessarily have anything to do with religion or spirituality— although spiritual practices and religious symbols create perfect moments for many people \nperfect moments are democratic \nthey’re available to anyone\, anywhere\, anytime \nspecial environments\, like japanese gardens\, are sometimes created so that people who go there are more likely to experience perfect moments \na garden is a paradise \nmy local tea shop\, the tao of tea\, is a place where people go to enjoy perfect moments\, alone or with friends \n  \nin quest of perfect moments\, people go for walks in nature\, listen to and play music\, make art\, read and write poems\, make love \nmy own predilection is for simple pleasures \nthey’re readily available\, cost nothing\, and require no effort \n  \nit is my hope that while reading these meandering words you had a perfect moment \nor remembered a perfect moment \nor felt the importance of appreciating perfect moments \nso that\, over time\, you enjoy so many perfect moments that you can’t believe how lucky you are to live in a world filled with miracle and beauty \n  \nmonday\, september 23rd \n  \nit’s hard to get used to the idea that we don’t know \nbecause we like to pretend we do \n  \nfrom Endymion \n  \nBOOK 1 \n  \nA thing of beauty is a joy for ever: \nIts loveliness increases; it will never \nPass into nothingness; but still will keep \nA bower quiet for us\, and a sleep \nFull of sweet dreams\, and health\, and quiet breathing. \nTherefore\, on every morrow\, are we wreathing \nA flowery band to bind us to the earth\, \nSpite of despondence\, of the inhuman dearth \nOf noble natures\, of the gloomy days\, \nOf all the unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways \nMade for our searching: yes\, in spite of all\, \nSome shape of beauty moves away the pall \nFrom our dark spirits. Such the sun\, the moon\, \nTrees old and young\, sprouting a shady boon \nFor simple sheep; and such are daffodils \nWith the green world they live in; and clear rills \nThat for themselves a cooling covert make \n‘Gainst the hot season; the mid forest brake\, \nRich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms… \n  \n—John Keats (1795-1821) \n  \ni was talking with howard on the phone last night \ni was trying to say something about pansies and moments \n  \nwe have ideas that there are bad times and good times \n“the dark ages\,” “the enlightenment\,” et cetera \nwe don’t know \nthe perfect moment in which i enjoy the pansies on our porch and the little purple flowers (lobelia!) beside them—that moment has no boundary \nto say that the moment is “fleeting” is an idea about the moment \nthe moment itself has no idea\, no duration \nit is neither long nor short \nit has nothing to do with “time” \ntime is another idea \nfor me\, one yellow pansy is more important than the War of 1812 \n“more important” isn’t right \nit has nothing to do with the relative importance of one thing or another thing \nfour and a half billion years is not longer than a moment \nthe bonneville dam is not more important or less important than a yellow pansy \nthe question of whether things are getting “better” or “worse” has nothing to do with the pansy \n  \nkeats said it perfectly: \na thing of beauty is a joy for ever \nhe was right \nthat’s true \nthe pansy gives me boundless pleasure \ninfinite delight \nenjoying a pansy for a moment makes my whole life “worthwhile” \ni’m happy that i got to come to planet earth and enjoy the pansies and lobelia \n  \nwhat about the horrors of war? \nthe horrors of war are unspeakably horrible \npeople should be growing pansies instead of killing each other \nwhy they’re not remains a mystery \nwe have theories about the causes of war \nhere’s my theory about what causes war: \nunhappiness \n  \nthe cure for war? \npeace\, love\, happiness & understanding \n  \nby living in love and peace and joy we are setting a good example for our fellow mortals \n  \nwalt says:  \neach moment and whatever happens thrills me with joy \n& \nthis minute that comes to me over the past decillions\,  \nthere is no better than it and now \n  \nkrishnamurti speaks of “freedom from the known”… \n  \nblake says: \neternity is in love with the productions of time \n& \nto see a world in a grain of sand \nand a heaven in a wild flower \nhold infinity in the palm of your hand \nand eternity in an hour… \n  \nthere’s no such thing as death \neither you’re alive\, or you’re not \nonly people who are alive can read this \nsquirrels can’t read it \nthey don’t need to \nthey’re busy “living in the present moment” \n* \n  \nIn 1971\, Charles Erickson and I met a Dutch sailor in India named Jules Dams. Jules posted something about John Wesley on Facebook that Charles forwarded to me: \n  \nJohn Wesley’s Manifesto \n\nReduce the gap between rich people and poor people\nHelp everyone to have a job\nHelp the poorest\, including introducing a living wage\nOffer the best possible education\nHelp everyone to feel that they can make a difference\nPromote tolerance\nPromote equal treatment for women\nCreate a society based on values and not on profits and consumerism\nEnd all forms of slavery\nAvoid getting into wars\nShare the love of God with everyone\nCare for the environment\n\n  \nJohn Wesley (1703-1791) was founder of the Methodist Church. This “manifesto” “based on his writings” is on display at the Wesley Museum in Bristol\, England. As a kid\, my family went to the Methodist Church. Maybe some seeds were planted. \n  \n—Johnny Stallings \n* \n  \nInspired by Martha and Elizabeth during Bibliophiles\, I went back to read a mystery by an author I loved. In 1975 Wilhelm Van de Vettering wrote Outsider in Amsterdam\, whose main character reflected his own—a zen student\, jazz musician\, cat-loving policeman living in Amsterdam. Very low key plot.  \n  \nAt one point this character meets a housebound sedentary old man on a house call. He feels that his life is thankfully so different from this man’s world\, when he spies the man’s record collection.  They share the same taste in music and they have all the same records!   \n  \nEverything stops…they have this moment. \n  \nWhen asked\, the old man says\, yes\, he has had these moments before…    \n  \n“I never quite understood them. Something occurs\, you notice something\, and suddenly the moment is there. You can’t explain it\, maybe you don’t want to explain it. I remember when it happened for the first time. I saw a hornbill in the zoo. Some people call them rhinoceros-birds. It looked so weird that suddenly my whole life changed. I saw my life differently. I knew it would change back again and become boring again\, ordinary\, everyday life. But that moment it was all different. The logic had been knocked out of it….Nobody can explain a hornbill to me. That’s the beauty of it maybe.”  \n  \nThat was very satisfying in itself; I thoroughly enjoyed reading the fifty year old book again. The next day I went with my grandkids to the zoo; I hadn’t been to the zoo for ever. We were going through the giraffe’s area and there was a most unusual bird staring up at us. A sign said\, The Hornbill! I had read 11-year-old Sylvan the passage from Outsider in Amsterdam\, and he asked me\, with a smile\, “Are you having a hornbill moment\, Grandma?” I laughed and told him\, “No\, but I have had them before.” \n  \nTo these moments that always stay with us\, however absurd\, and make no sense to anyone else’s reality\,  but are so meaningful to us! \n  \nThis makes me think of a great William Stafford poem –  \n  \nWhy I Am Happy \n  \nNow has come\, an easy time. I let it \nroll. There is a lake somewhere \nso blue and far nobody owns it. \nA wind comes by and a willow listens \ngracefully. \n  \nI hear all this\, every summer. I laugh \nand cry for every turn of the world\, \nits terribly cold\, innocent spin. \nThat lake stays blue and free; it goes \non and on. \n  \nAnd I know where it is. \n  \n—William Stafford \n  \npeace and joy\,    \n—Katie Radditz URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/peace-love-happiness-understanding-10-3-24/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://openroadpdx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/0-3.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240926T193000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240926T213000 DTSTAMP:20260424T091319 CREATED:20240923T212333Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240923T230449Z UID:5106-1727379000-1727386200@openroadpdx.com SUMMARY:An Iliad 9/26/24 DESCRIPTION:  \nOpen Road Recommends: \nAn Iliad \nBefore taking this show on tour to prisons in Wisconsin\, Vermont\, Maine and Oregon\, Paul Susi (actor) and Anna Fritz (cellist) perform this powerful play by Lisa Peterson & Denis O’Hare as part of the Risk/Reward Festival. \nThis is a great show! DON’T MISS THIS RARE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE IT!!! \n  \nEllen Bye Theatre at Portland Center Stage\, 128 NW 11th Ave. \nSeptember 26\, at 7:30 pm \nGet TICKETS \n  URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/an-iliad-9-26-24/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://openroadpdx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/0-1.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240921T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240921T210000 DTSTAMP:20260424T091319 CREATED:20240903T213806Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240904T004310Z UID:4967-1726945200-1726952400@openroadpdx.com SUMMARY:The Marvelous Adventure of Cabeza de Vaca 9/21/24 DESCRIPTION:The Marvelous Adventure of Cabeza de Vaca \n  \nJohnny Stallings reads Haniel Long’s version of this astonishing true tale\, followed by dialogue. \nThis is an Open Road Event. \n  \nArtspace in Taborspace\, 5441 SE Belmont \nSaturday\, September 21\, 7 pm \nFree URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/the-marvellous-adventure-of-cabeza-de-vaca/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://openroadpdx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/images.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240915T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240915T170000 DTSTAMP:20260424T091319 CREATED:20240903T232946Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241014T220033Z UID:4976-1726412400-1726419600@openroadpdx.com SUMMARY:¡Bibliophiles Unanimous! 9/15/24 DESCRIPTION:  \n  \n¡Bibliophiles Unanimous!  \n  \nFriendly online conversation that starts out with books and…meanders. \nHere’s the Zoom link: \n  \n https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87614013058.   \n  \nSeptember 15th\, 3 pm:  Books That Changed the Way You See the World \nOctober 13th\, 3 pm: Favorite Poems & Poets \nNovember 17th\, 3 pm: Oddball Books \nFree URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/bibliophiles-unanimous-9-15-24-2/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240913 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20241116 DTSTAMP:20260424T091319 CREATED:20240904T012436Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240918T215713Z UID:5002-1726185600-1731715199@openroadpdx.com SUMMARY:¡Bardaphilia! FALL 2024 DESCRIPTION:Leonardo DiCaprio & Claire Danes in the Bay Lehman film “Romeo + Juliet” \n  \n“All the world’s a stage\, and all the men and women merely players…” \n  \n¡Bardaphilia! \n  \n If you don’t already love Shakespeare\, this class will remedy that. And if you do…you know there’s nothing more fun than reading the plays and poems together with friends. Actor and director Johnny Stallings (stallingsjohnny@gmail.com) is the genial host. \nFriday evenings\, 7-9 pm\, at Taborspace\, 5441 SE Belmont \nSeptember 13th\, Muir Hall: Shakespeare the Storyteller (with special guest J Kahn) (This was changed to an online event because of Covid exposure.) \nOctober 25th\, Artspace Room: Measure for Measure \nNovember 15th Artspace Room: Shakespeare on Film \nThis is a FREE Open Road Event URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/bardaphilia-fall-2024/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240905 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20241003 DTSTAMP:20260424T091319 CREATED:20240905T234946Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250718T140259Z UID:5018-1725494400-1727913599@openroadpdx.com SUMMARY:peace\, love\, happiness & understanding 9/5/24 DESCRIPTION:  \nTHE OPEN ROAD \npeace\, love\, happiness & understanding \n  \nSeptember 5\, 2024 \n  \n  \nBroken and broken \nAgain on the sea  \nThe moon so easily mends.  \n  \nUeda Chōshū \n _________________ \nWe Are All Going into the Future Together \n  \nJohnny has framed this newsletter – Peace\, Love\, Happiness and Understanding – to give readers a sense of joy. He has asked me to write about being a futurist\, an optimistic futurist\, knowing that it is part of my practice to find good things in the world. Every day I try to find signals of hope from what is emerging – in the news\, online\, in conversation and from observation.  \n  \nTwo things about the future: there are no facts (as if we needed proof given our recent political stories) and\, the future belongs to all of us. We are going into it together\, learning as we go.  \n  \nWhen I connect to people who think about the future we construct and play games as we set up scenarios that might come into being. Here is a recent one: millions of people will be migrating from too-hot-to-live-in places to places that aren’t as devastated yet. I’m in Oregon so people will be moving here for sure. How do I feel about that? What can/should I do? What problems and possibilities are there in this scenario? \n  \nMy first thought is\, “Wait. What? People coming here to my block? I don’t know them – they could be from anywhere.” I sit with this and then think how much I have and how much I’d like to share. I begin to think about how my neighborhood could embrace a new family. Could I put a small house in my yard? Could I find friends and neighbors who would pool money to buy a place they could gift this family until they could pay rent? Could I move in with one of my kids (or vice versa) and give a displaced family somewhere to get a new life started ? Could a group of friends build a house like Habitat for Humanity does? And then I start to get excited about exchanging ideas and culture with new people. As a teacher\, artist and grandma I’d love to teach their kids art\, or sit in their kitchen smelling their cooking\, or share some of mine. My granddaughter could meet their daughter and who knows where that could go? \n  \nThe futurists I hang out with are part of an online community started by Jane McGonigal. Years ago I read her book “Reality is Broken” because my boys were spending so much time on video games and playing Warhammer and I didn’t understand their fascination. Jane’s book opened my eyes to the foundation of games: to make a game you set a goal and then put obstacles in the way. Think golf: you could just walk over and put the ball in the cup. To make it a game you have all kinds of complicated rules involving special equipment\, spaces\, time\, scoring. And though golf doesn’t interest me I began to realize that as an artist I set up rules to play by every day. Will I use watercolors or acrylics? Big brush or small – arm motion or wrist motion? Abstract or realistic? Political or decorative? And so on. What this has to do with futurists is the real game\, the underlying game\, is “What if?” What if I use only blues? (Picasso’s Blue Period.) What if I accentuate B&W contrasts and shadows? (Think film Noir.) What if I put lots of mirrors facing each other and walk between them? (Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Rooms.) \n  \nArtists make up their own rules and play by them. Artists and futurists ask “What if?” to guide them to new places. \n  \nIn our online group\, urgentoptimists.org\, we look ten years in the future and imagine: \n  \n“What if there was a huge climate event that knocked out food production across a wide band of the earth?” \n“What kinds of new holidays and celebrations would you like to be part of?” \n“What impact will AI have on medical care\, education\, business\, art\, politics?” \n“How might we meet a new pandemic and what have we learned from Covid?” \n“Tomorrow is the last day of trash pick-up for everyone\, forever. What have you (and your town/city) done to get ready for this moment?” \n  \nJane’s recent book is “Imaginable: How to See the Future Coming and Be Ready for Anything.” As a game developer she knows how to make learning interesting and inventive. For Urgent Optimists she designs a scenario\, like the ones above\, and we are prompted each day for a week to write and post journal entries from the future (usually ten years\, so 2034); or create an artifact (design a poster for the new holiday “Ancestor Appreciation Day”); or contribute to a poll that asks how we’d feel being in 110 degree weather for a week.  \n  \nFrom all around the globe people answer Jane’s prompts as if they’re in 2034 and this is their reality. They share hopes\, fears and cautions. They sleuth out signs that whatever-it-is is starting to happen now. Many places around the world have had 110 degree weather for a week and more\, and that number is increasing. Where do we see signs of solutions?  \n  \nThis is foresight as a verb. Once your mind has gone to that place\, no matter what question it is answering\, you have a different way of imagining the future. You’ve imagined the people you are connected to in that future: your family\, friends\, neighbors\, city\, country\, globe. Everyone and everything plays together: mycelium and birds and streams and avalanches and a girl eating a corn dog at the county fair in Nebraska or a boy eating yak-on-a-stick in Mongolia all come together – the yin and the yang of the great wheel of fortune. The murderer who types on a computer and the one with a sawed off shotgun. The baby blessed and the baby abandoned. The open road and the closed cell. We are all going into the future together. But since there are no facts\, you and I are just as expert at drawing a picture of it. We are all immigrants in the future\, dancing as we go. \n  \n—Jill Littlewood \n* \n  \nLike all the other hippies\, back in the day\, I spent a lot of reading and re-reading The Whole Earth Catalog. It was a kind of Bible to us. It was a way of finding out about things before there was an Internet. A futurist and inventor named Buckminster Fuller was prominently featured in its pages. He invented the geodesic dome\, and many of us dutifully did our best to build them on our hippie communes. As a young man “Bucky” had spent a lot of time imagining the future\, what problems might arise\, and how to solve them. He hoped that by getting a 50-year head start on the problems\, by the time they arrived we’d be ready for them. Maybe we could even prevent some bad things from happening. A book of some of his speeches was titled Utopia or Oblivion. Those were our choices\, he said. Since oblivion is not very interesting\, he decided to devote his intelligence\, imagination and energy to utopia. \n  \nFuller invented something he called “The World Game.” The object of the World Game is to “make the world work.” Anyone can play. Maybe everyone is already playing it\, but some strategies aren’t working out too well. \n  \nIf you imagine you have enemies\, you might prepare to fight. You might actually fight. If you imagine you have no enemies\, the world is not such a scary place. Instead of imagining a world of warring nations\, we might imagine that there is one human family. We might take it a step further and imagine that we love everyone—including plants\, animals\, clouds and stones. How would that feel? \n  \nI asked my friend Howard what he thought the future would be like. “Like the present\,” he said.  \n  \nWhen I asked Jill which of Robert Crumb’s visions of the future is most likely\, she said\, “All of them.” \n  \nAt this moment on our big beautiful planet\, everything imaginable is happening right now\, and many things that we can’t imagine. The newspaper reminds us of the wars and other catastrophes. Meanwhile\, birds and butterflies are migrating\, children are playing\, bees are spending their days pollinating flowers\, mammals are falling in love\, puffy white clouds are floating by. It has ever been so. \n  \nNot only do we not know what will happen next\, we don’t know what is happening right now. Somehow\, our eyes\, brain and nervous system present the appearance of a three-dimensional colorful world to us. Somehow\, my heart keeps beating. Somehow\, I digest my food. I don’t know how any of these things work\, but they do. The whole ecosphere\, including us\, is a complex example of what Thich Nhat Hanh calls “interbeing.” In the future\, I predict that everything will continue to inter-be. \n  \nSome of the ever-changing happenings are wonderful. Some are terrible. Personally\, I want to be on the Fun Team. I’d rather be kind than mean. I’d rather be happy than sad. I’d rather be good than bad. I’d rather have friends than enemies. I’d rather be part of the healing than part of the wounding. I’d rather live in love. \n  \nIn the future\, as in the past and present\, there will be injustice. And tragedy. There’s no way around it. We’re all gonna die! That’s the way this game is played. Life and death go together. While I’m alive\, I want to live! I want to live a life rich in meaning—with lots of friendship and laughter. I often think of the words from a song by Laura Nyro: \n  \nAnd when I die\, and when I’m dead\, dead and gone\, \nthere’ll be one child born\, and the world will carry on\, \ncarry on. \n  \n—Johnny Stallings \n* \n  \nIt is Sunday\,—-September 1st! Thank god! Finally! The sun\, although hot\, is slanting at its oblique\, golden angle\, and the heat is less intense. Goodbye to the hot\, flattening blasts of July and August. The nights are cooler; the sun is rising later and later\, and setting earlier. I love the darkness. \n  \nI am driving and listening to All Classical. They’re playing Autumn\, of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons; Autumn Divertimento by Constantini; September Song by Kurt Weill…well\, someone else obviously is happy about this month\, this season. \n  \nMy chrysanthemums are blooming\, russet red\, sunshine gold; the tomatoes plump and ripe. \n  \nI am euphoric\, incandescent with joy. Peace love happiness and understanding coalesce into one moment of palpable transcendence. Sometimes there are these moments. I feel enveloped by abundance and love and joy. \n  \nCould this moment be aided and abetted also by the fact that I am re-reading (for the third time) the sublime Becoming Duchess Goldblatt? No doubt about it. For those of you who have not read about the Duchess\, I would just like to quote some of the (anonymous) author’s words. Words that are nothing less than the beauty that comprises peace\, love\, happiness and understanding. I won’t go into the ‘plot;’ it’s too complicated.  Here we go: \n  \n“My lifelong training as my father’s child has been instructive here. How do you love everybody? Surely you can’t love everybody. Surely some people don’t deserve it. \n  \nI used to ask my father about this all the time. \n  \n‘I’m not sure what you mean by ‘deserve\,’ he’d say. “You love people because they’re people\, because they’re human beings. Not necessarily because you enjoy their company\, which is one kind of love\, but because you recognize they’re inherently worthy. Every person is inherently worthy. I’d argue it’s your obligation\, regardless of whether you think it’s your job to decide if they’ve earned it.’” \n  \nLyle Lovett figures into the story (really!)\, and he offers thoughts about the Duchess:  \n  \n“Duchess is such a unifying force of nature. That’s your book\, as I’m sure you’ve already considered: how we can all be connected\, how we all are connected by the most basic and most powerful of all\, love\, and the acceptance that comes with it.” \n  \nThe Duchess/anonymous author as a young girl being chastised by a nun: \n  \n“I didn’t make eye contact with her. I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction. I kept my eyes down\, but I heard every word she said\, and I knew she was dead wrong. I knew in my bones\, had always known\, that my brother would eventually commit suicide\, and I knew he was a child of God just as much as anybody else\, and I knew that when he died he would be welcomed into heaven. If she’d ever seen despair up close\, she would know what I knew\, that God understands the nature of a broken heart. The saddest people will always be allowed to go home first.” \n  \nSo with these heartbreakingly beautiful words\, I leave it to you to enjoy\, cherish\, love\, and celebrate this book and this season. \n  \n—Jude Russell URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/peace-love-happiness-understanding-9-5-24/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240903T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240903T170000 DTSTAMP:20260424T091319 CREATED:20240903T232447Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240903T232447Z UID:4973-1725350400-1725382800@openroadpdx.com SUMMARY:¡Bibliophiles Unanimous! 9/15/24 DESCRIPTION:  \n¡Bibliophiles Unanimous! \n  \nFriendly online conversation that starts out with books and…meanders. \nHere’s the Zoom link: \n  \nhttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/87614013058.   \n  \nSeptember 15th\, 3 pm:  Books That Changed the Way You See the World \nOctober 13th\, 3 pm: Favorite Poems & Poets \nNovember 17th\, 3 pm: Oddball Books \nFree URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/bibliophiles-unanimous-9-15-24/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240903 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20241013 DTSTAMP:20260424T091319 CREATED:20240903T170527Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240903T171359Z UID:4925-1725321600-1728777599@openroadpdx.com SUMMARY:Paintings by Jake Scharbach at Froelick Gallery DESCRIPTION:painting by Jake Scharbach \n  \nJake Scharbach’s paintings will be exhibited at Froelick Gallery\, September 3-October 12. \n  \nThe First Thursday Reception is September 5\, 5-8 pm. \n  \nHe will give a talk at the gallery on Saturday\, September 7th\, at 11 a.m.  \n  \nFroelick Gallery is at 714 NW Davis\, in Portland.  \n  \n  \n  \nJake is Nancy’s nephew. We’re very excited about the show!   \n  \n  \npeace\, love & happiness   \nJohnny URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/paintings-by-jake-scharbach-at-froelick-gallery/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240903 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240911 DTSTAMP:20260424T091319 CREATED:20240610T214559Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240918T190328Z UID:4749-1725321600-1726012799@openroadpdx.com SUMMARY:Charles Erickson\, artist DESCRIPTION:  \nThis theatrical prop (above)\, including myself in the foreground\, is an introduction to my present series of paintings about the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor. \nIt is about the mind and the five organs of sense–eye\, ear\, tongue\, nose and skin–represented by the five painted portals. \n  \n“That call’d Body is a portion of Soul discern’d by the five Senses\, the chief inlets of Soul in this age.” \n–William Blake\, from The Marriage of Heaven and Hell \n  \nOne portal is on the left\, and one is on the right. There are three portals in back. The portal on the left is the ear\, the portal on the right is the eye. The ear and the eye are cognitive senses\, rich in information\, and accessible to language. \nThe central portal in the back is skin. The other two are tongue and nose. \nSkin\, unlike the other sense organs\, is all over the body–so it was called sensus communis in the Middle Ages. There is a reason skin is in the middle. It’s a unifier\, in the same way that the mind is a unifier. There is a central axis between the mind and the skin. \n* \nHere’s a passage about the transformation on Mount Tabor\, from the gospel of Luke: \n  \n28 And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings\, he took Peter and John and James\, and went up into a mountain to pray. \n29 And as he prayed\, the fashion of his countenance was altered\, and his raiment was white and glistering. \n30 And\, behold\, there talked with him two men\, which were Moses and Elias: \n31 Who appeared in glory\, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. \n32 But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake\, they saw his glory\, and the two men that stood with him. \n33 And it came to pass\, as they departed from him\, Peter said unto Jesus\, Master\, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee\, and one for Moses\, and one for Elias: not knowing what he said. \n34 While he thus spake\, there came a cloud\, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud. \n35 And there came a voice out of the cloud\, saying\, This is my beloved Son: hear him. \n36 And when the voice was past\, Jesus was found alone. And they kept it close\, and told no man in those days any of those things which they had seen \nLuke 9:28-36 \n  \n  \n \n  \n  \n \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/charles-erickson-artist/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://openroadpdx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/0-1.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240824T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240824T210000 DTSTAMP:20260424T091319 CREATED:20240824T192748Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240824T193254Z UID:4916-1724526000-1724533200@openroadpdx.com SUMMARY:Kalidasa! 8/24/24 DESCRIPTION:  \n  \nKALIDASA \n  \nJohnny Stallings reads from the works of Kalidasa (circa 5th Century CE)\, India’s greatest poet and playwright. Dialogue follows. This is an Open Road event (openroadpdx.org).  \n  \nMuir Hall in Taborspace\, 5441 SE Belmont\, in Portland \nSaturday\, August 24th\, at 7 pm URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/kalidasa-8-24-24/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://openroadpdx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/india-pahari-hills-kangra-school-late-18th-early-19th-century-virhini-nayika-a1cf06-1024.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240809T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240809T210000 DTSTAMP:20260424T091319 CREATED:20240805T201156Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240805T203712Z UID:4904-1723230000-1723237200@openroadpdx.com SUMMARY:¡Bardaphilia!: How to Put on a Play 8/9/24 DESCRIPTION:James Cagney as Pyramus and Joe E. Brown as Thisbe (1935) \n  \nBardaphilia! \n  \n“All the world’s a stage\, and all the men and women merely players…”  \n  \n¡Beloved Bardaphiles! \n  \nThis Friday evening (8/9/24) we will learn from Peter Quince\, Nick Bottom and their friends How to Put on a Play! We’ll see how they cast\, rehearse and perform “The Most Lamentable Comedy and Most Cruel Death of Pyramus and Thisbe.” We may even attempt a performance ourselves! If we do the result will be very tragical mirth! \n  \nIf you don’t already love Shakespeare\, this class will remedy that. And if you do…you know there’s nothing more fun than reading the plays and poems together with friends. Actor and director Johnny Stallings is the genial host.  \n  \nThis is an Open Road Event. Join us! \n  \nArtspace Room at Taborspace\, 5441 SE Belmont \nFriday evening\, August 9th\, 7-9 pm \nsuggested donation $5 per class    URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/bardaphilia-8-9-24/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240802T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240802T210000 DTSTAMP:20260424T091319 CREATED:20240730T185609Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240805T201328Z UID:4882-1722625200-1722632400@openroadpdx.com SUMMARY:¡BARDAPHILIA!: Horsing Around With Hamlet 8/2/24 DESCRIPTION:  \nBardaphilia! \n  \n“All the world’s a stage\, and all the men and women merely players…”  \n  \n¡Beloved Bardaphiles! \nThis Friday evening the plan is to Have Fun With Hamlet. We’ll perform the one-minute version\, talk to a skull\, kill each other…et cetera. I’ll provide the scripts. \nIf you don’t already love Shakespeare\, this class will remedy that. And if you do…you know there’s nothing more fun than reading the plays and poems together with friends. Actor and director Johnny Stallings is the genial host.  \nThis is an Open Road Event. Join us! \n  \nArtspace Room at Taborspace\, 5441 SE Belmont \nFriday evening\, August 2nd\, 7-9 pm \nsuggested donation $5 per class    URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/bardaphilia-horsing-around-with-hamlet-8-2-24/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://openroadpdx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Sarah-Bernhardt-Hamlet.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240801 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240905 DTSTAMP:20260424T091319 CREATED:20240801T211753Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250718T135958Z UID:4887-1722470400-1725494399@openroadpdx.com SUMMARY:peace\, love\, happiness & understanding 8/1/24 DESCRIPTION:  \nTHE OPEN ROAD \npeace\, love\, happiness & understanding \n  \nAugust 1\, 2024 \n  \n        I put on my glasses \nto see the fog \n         more clearly \n  \n—John Brehm \n* \n  \nWalking Through a Wall \n  \nUnlike flying or astral projection\, walking through walls is a totally earth-related craft\, but a lot more interesting than pot making or driftwood lamps. I got started at a picnic up in Bowstring in the northern part of the state. A fellow walked through a brick wall right there in the park. I said\, ‘Say\, I want to try that.’ Stone walls are best\, then brick and wood. Wooden walls with fiberglass insulation and steel doors aren’t so good. They won’t hurt you. If your wall walking is done properly\, both you and the wall are left intact. It is just that they aren’t pleasant somehow. The worst things are wire fences\, maybe it’s the molecular structure of the alloy or just the amount of give in a fence\, I don’t know\, but I’ve torn my jacket and lost my hat in a lot of fences. The best approach to a wall is\, first\, two hands placed flat against the surface; it’s a matter of concentration and just the right pressure. You will feel the dry\, cool inner wall with your fingers\, then there is a moment of total darkness before you step through on the other side. \n  \n—Louis Jenkins \n* \n  \nWhat did the zen master say to the hot dog vender? \nMake me one with everything. \n  \nI was reminded of that joke because of the ending of a stop-action animated film we just watched\, Marcel the Shell With Shoes On\, about a one inch snail who has lost his family. It was sweet\, funny\, odd\, and unexpectedly touching. \n  \nBut I thought you’d especially like this excerpt from the end of the script\, in which Marcel is sitting on a window sill\, the window is open a crack\, and a breeze is blowing past him: \n  \nThe wind blows through Marcel’s shell\, creating a LOW PLAINTIVE HUM. \nMARCEL: Can you hear it? That’s it. That’s going through my shell.  \nWIDE ON THE ROOM  \nIt’s a normal laundry room. But in this moment\, in this afternoon light\, in this breeze\, we feel something transcendent.  \nMARCEL (V.O.): It connected me\, I felt\, to everything. Because if I wasn’t there the sound would never exist. I felt like everything was in pieces but when I stood there\, suddenly we were one large instrument. I like to go there a lot. Because it reminds me that I’m not just one separate piece rattling around in this place\, but that I’m part of a whole. And I truly enjoy the sound of myself connected to everything.  \nMarcel sits on an eraser\, looking out the window. His shell HUMS with the wind.  \nCUT TO BLACK  \n  \n—J Kahn \n* \n  \nI replied to J in an email: \n  \nThanks\, J. \n  \nSounds like my kind of movie. \n  \nWith the ending they are trying to say something very simple\, which is difficult to put into words–and is the most important thing in the world. \n  \nIn Act 3 of Our Town\, Emily feels that feeling and is brokenhearted that other people aren’t feeling it. \n  \nI don’t know if it is what Tom Waits is talking about in this song\, but the song is very evocative of something\, in any case: \n  \nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-c5L_45_gA \n  \nThat Feel \n  \nWell there’s one thing you can’t lose \nIt’s that feel \nYour pants\, your shirt\, your shoes \nBut not that feel \nYou can throw it out in the rain \nYou can whip it like a dog \nYou can chop it down like an old dead tree \nYou can always see it \nWhen you’re coming into town \nOnce you hang it on the wall \nYou can never take it down \n  \nBut there’s one thing you can’t lose \nAnd it’s that feel \nYou can pawn your watch and chain \nBut not that feel \nIt always comes and finds you \nIt will always hear you cry \nI cross my wooden leg \nAnd I swear on my glass eye \nIt will never leave you high and dry \nNever leave you loose \nIt’s harder to get rid of than tattoos \n  \nBut there’s one thing you can’t do \nIs lose that feel \nYou can throw it off a bridge \nYou can lose it in the fire \nYou can leave it at the altar \nBut it will make you out a liar \nYou can fall down in the street \nYou can leave it in the lurch \nWell you say that it’s gospel \nBut I know that it’s only church \n  \nAnd there’s one thing you can’t lose \nAnd it’s that feel \nIt’s that feel \n  \n–Tom Waits \n  \nAnd then there’s this poem\, which was in the April 1\, 2021 issue of peace\, love\, happiness & understanding. It’s good enough to share again: \n  \nNirvana \n  \nnot much chance\, \ncompletely cut loose from \npurpose\, \nhe was a young man \nriding a bus \nthrough North Carolina \non the way to somewhere \nand it began to snow \nand the bus stopped  \nat a little cafe \nin the hills \nand the passengers  \nentered. \nhe sat at the counter \nwith the others\, \nhe ordered and the  \nfood arrived. \nthe meal was \nparticularly \ngood  \nand the \ncoffee. \nthe waitress was  \nunlike the women \nhe had \nknown. \nshe was unaffected\, \nthere was a natural \nhumor which came \nfrom her. \nthe fry cook said \ncrazy things. \nthe dishwasher. \nin back\, \nlaughed\, a good \nclean \npleasant \nlaugh. \nthe young man watched \nthe snow through the \nwindows. \nhe wanted to stay \nin that cafe \nforever. \nthe curious feeling \nswam through him \nthat everything  \nwas \nbeautiful \nthere\, \nthat it would always \nstay beautiful \nthere. \nthen the bus driver \ntold the passengers \nthat it was time \nto board. \nthe young man \nthought\, I’ll just sit \nhere\, I’ll just stay \nhere. \nbut then \nhe rose and followed \nthe others into the \nbus. \nhe found his seat \nand looked at the cafe \nthrough the bus \nwindow. \nthen the bus moved \noff\, down a curve\, \ndownward\, out of \nthe hills. \nthe young man  \nlooked straight  \nforward. \nhe heard the other \npassengers \nspeaking  \nof other things\, \nor they were \nreading \nor \nattempting to \nsleep. \nthey had not  \nnoticed  \nthe \nmagic. \nthe young man \nput his head to \none side\, \nclosed his \neyes\, \npretended to \nsleep. \nthere was nothing \nelse to do- \njust to listen to the \nsound of the \nengine\, \nthe sound of the  \ntires  \nin the \nsnow. \n  \n–Charles Bukowski \n  \npeace\, love & that feeling \n  \nJohnny \n* \n  \n6-29-24 \n  \nDear Johnny\, \n  \nIt’s a beautiful Saturday afternoon & my work is finished for the day. My mind is always full of thoughts of life outside the walls of prison these days\, all of them good. It sometimes occurs to me that my past life feels like it was just a dream & that I’ve never been out of prison. I’m sure that one day my whole life will seem like one long dream. Who’s to say that it’s not just that? \n  \nI had a bunch of flowers left over from the plots & I asked if I could place them along the window sills here on my new unit. I was given permission to do so. Now the whole front of H Unit is covered in bright-colored flowers & I’ve gotten a lot of positive comments! It feels good to make things beautiful here. What I’ve done with plants & flowers\, Johnny\, you’ve done with people in and out of prison. Once I’m out\, my plan is to do what you’ve done\, plant seeds in people and help them to reclaim their lives. Well…we will see what happens once I’m out. Maybe a few friends & a good job & happiness in a simple life would be more my speed right now. \n  \n7-1-24 \n  \nHere is something nice that I’ve been thinking about for the letters we all share. Being in a cell lets me have personal time to think and write. \n  \nGood things are what I need to rent space in my head. My waking life is full of dreams that come to pass. Never again will I take for granted the world that is waiting beyond the walls\, razor wire & glass. I try to bring the beauty of the world outside in here. \n  \n7-9-24 \n  \nThe way we all think and express how we feel about the kindness we see and share with each other in the group letters we compile for me is sweet as honey dripping into my soul. We are on the path to the core of the golden world\, all of us are the shining ones helping others to find this world as well. \n  \nI love the Mary Oliver poem that Ms. Jill Littlewood shared with us called “The Summer Day”! And to you\, Ms. Littlewood\, I must say… \n  \nI do not know who made the swan or black bear\, or the grasshopper\, or you\, or me. What I do know is that if all of my days were like the one summer day in this poem\, it in itself would be bliss. Most of my days are spent in a greenhouse and I do have grasshoppers. I even have a rock chuck who eats my kale! My prayers are to life & love & joy and friends. I speak them to the morning sun and to my coffee. With my one wild and precious life I simply plan to be content. \n  \nHarvesting saffron in the summer morning sun was a gift today. Most of the time these days it does not even feel like prison to me anymore.  \n  \nMy mind is always on what it will be like to have a different scale of freedom in this world…. My perception of freedom is I’m sure quite different than most. \n  \nWell\, I love you Johnny & will talk to you soon. \n  \nGood things Always \nRocky \n* \n  \nJune 23\, 2024 \n  \nJohnny\, \n  \nThank you for the copy of Every Day\, Holy Day. I really appreciate your doing this for me. Life at OSCI goes well. I’ve been here over 30 days now; still settling into my routine\, but much here is differently-same. (More of a reasonable and calm state\, yet still a carceral environment with a few “toughs” to keep things interesting.) I find I’m exposed to far fewer people here. It’s not just a smaller population\, but each unit is more isolated than it seemed at TRCI\, including overlapping at meals and pill-line. Each keeps to one’s own “people” or unit. All-in-all\, it’s much nicer here! \n  \nTopic: Joy. Moments come when the heart dances in the light. So much more than the experience of fun\, or even happiness\, joy erupts when the inner sphere scintillates in its completeness. An experience touches us to the depths of our souls\, and in that moment we are graced with a vision—if only fleetingly—of the flawless wholeness and perfection of all. Then the heart fills and flows over\, even amid the brokenness of the world. \n  \nWeek’s mantra: Mouth filled with laughter\, ears with shouts of joy. \n  \nPractice: Step away from your busyness and savor several moments every day; feel the joy that is available to you.  —from Every Day\, Holy Day by Alan Morinis \n  \n“Heart dances in the light…joy erupts when the inner sphere scintillates in its completeness.” Such an image! To touch the “flawless wholeness and perfection of it all.” (I struggle today with RA [Rheumatoid Arthritis] stiffness and pain\, in addition to allergy congestion.) The step back; the step to smell the roses; it’s developing the awareness of life’s variegated moments as they pass. Some as “happy little clouds.” Others pendulous with precipitation\, yet to be deposited on earth. No matter my opinion of the moment—good\, bad\, etc.—moments for experiencing joy abound. I have but to develop my awareness. \n  \n—Michel Deforge \n* \n  \nPeace Love Happiness and Understanding… \n  \n…can be hard to come by in this blistering hot\, suffocating weather.  \n  \nI have been angry at the weather: Whoever heard of ‘heat domes’ until a couple of years ago? Whoever needed ‘cooling shelters’ until a few years ago? The heat wave would cool naturally in a few days—-well\, not anymore.  So I’m mad at Republicans\, corporations\, anybody who calls climate disasters ‘natural’\, etc. etc.  \n  \nBut then it boils down (haha) to me\, personally\, of course. Instead of enjoying my coveted 5-7 a.m. reading and coffee time\, I have to go out at 5 a.m. to water my gardens\, put shade covers on the hydrangeas\, do whatever garden work I need to do before the heat hits again. Or\, most aggravating of all (poor me)\, I have to get a bike ride in at that time and finish before it hits 80 degrees at 9 a.m.! That ‘poor me’ should not be in parentheses; this is serious stuff. \n  \nSo with that merry attitude\, I hopped on the bike yesterday at 6 a.m. It was 58 degrees\, and felt…deliciously cool!  Well\, that’s not gonna last\, I growled. But it was\, in fact\, deliciously cool\, and fresh. And with cool and fresh I breathed in the almost tangible fragrance…of green. The emerald green of grass-filled meadows. The nearby meadows of one hundred lovely sheep\, all browsing heads down munching on the meadow. I love those sheep. ‘Hi sheep!\,’ I called\, as I always do. A few of them looked up\, and I could swear they nodded at me. But how can they be enjoying themselves with those hot\, wool coats on?\, I grimaced. It felt good to have other creatures to commiserate with\, even though the sheep didn’t appear to realize they were miserable. \n  \nAnd then…and then…the sun rose from behind Bald Butte and bathed the fields in gold. It backlit the patches of Timothy hay and the nodding heads of wheat in a shimmering light. Golden wheat\, sky blue chicory\, pearly pink sweet peas lined the road. \n  \nThe birds exalted in the sunrise—-the soft staccato of the mourning doves\, warbling meadow larks\, the chirping and twirping of all\, cheering the arrival of the sun. Before I could stop\, I found myself chirping and twirping and cheering this heavenly morning along with all the other creatures.  \n  \n—Jude Russell \n* \n  \nThis poem was published in Gary Snyder’s book Turtle Island\, in 1969–a time when America was in a great divide of culture\, politics\, generations.  A time of war\, protests. The poem is like a timely marker\, to engage in creating a more peaceful world.  \n\n\n  \n  \n\n\n\nI Went into the Maverick Bar\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n\nI went into the Maverick Bar   \nIn Farmington\, New Mexico.\nAnd drank double shots of bourbon\n                         backed with beer.\nMy long hair was tucked up under a cap\nI’d left the earring in the car.\n\n  \n\n\nTwo cowboys did horseplay\n                         by the pool tables\,\nA waitress asked us\n                         where are you from?\na country-and-western band began to play   \n“We don’t smoke Marijuana in Muskokie”   \nAnd with the next song\,\n                         a couple began to dance.\n\n\n\n  \n\n\nThey held each other like in High School dances   \n                         in the fifties;\nI recalled when I worked in the woods\n                         and the bars of Madras\, Oregon.   \nThat short-haired joy and roughness—\n                         America—your stupidity.   \nI could almost love you again.\n\n\n  \n\nWe left—onto the freeway shoulders—\n                         under the tough old stars—\nIn the shadow of bluffs\n                         I came back to myself\,\nTo the real work\, to\n                         “What is to be done.”\n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n— GARY SNYDER\n\n\n\n\n  \n\nNot surprisingly\, yet remarkably\, Johnny and my husband Bill recognized immediately the last line. It is the title of an 1863 novel written by  Nikolay Chernyshevsky. “Chernyshevsky’s novel\, far more than Marx’s Capital\, supplied the emotional dynamic that eventually went to make the Russian Revolution.” (Wikipedia)\n\n\n\n  \n\n–Katie Radditz URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/peace-love-happiness-understanding-8-1-24/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240801 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240816 DTSTAMP:20260424T091319 CREATED:20220716T194451Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240918T210741Z UID:2982-1722470400-1723766399@openroadpdx.com SUMMARY:peace\, love\, happiness & understanding Archive DESCRIPTION:painting by Charles Erickson \n  \nDear Friends of the Open Road \n  \nClick on titles in Bold to go to any issue of our peace\, love\, happiness & understanding journal. The list of issues is followed by an Index\, which is a guide to each issue’s content. \n  \nOn this web page there is also a search box into which you can type a word or phrase\, and find what you are looking for in that way. \n  \nIssue #1  Spring Equinox (picture of pansy) 3/19/20 \nIssue #2  Humor (images: cartoons by Gary Larson) 3/26/20 \nIssue #3  Some Poems  (image: Japanese picture of cherry tree) 4/2/20 \nIssue #4  Walt Whitman (image: painting of WW by Rick Bartow) 4/9/20 \nIssue #5   Rumi (edited by Prabu Muruganantham) (picture of flower) 4/16/20 \nIssue #6 Shakespeare (picture of young Johnny with Shakespeare sweatshirt) 4/23/20 \nIssue #7 Happiness (picture by Jan Steen: The Merry Family) 4/30/20 \nIssue #8  Ingersoll: Crimes Against Criminals (picture of Robert G. Ingersoll) 5/7/20 \nIssue #9  Compassion (picture of Einstein) 5/14/20 \nIssue #10 Love (picture of Hafiz) 5/21/20 \nIssue #11 Peaceable Kingdom (painting by Charles Erickson) 5/28/20 \nIssue #12  Meditation\, Dialogue & Study (Goya’s Sleep of Reason) 6/4/20 \nIssue #13 Black Lives Matter (image of George Floyd) 6/11/20 \nIssue #14 Mostly Poems (Blake image: When the morning stars sang together) 6/18/20 \nWith Issue #15\, peace\, love & happiness became peace\, love\, happiness & understanding. \nIssue #15 Ripple Effect (image of ripples in water) 6/25/20 \nIssue #16 Blake: Innocence and Experience (Laughing Song image) 7/2/20 \nIssue #17 Remembering Nick (picture of Nick Consoletti) 7/9/20 \nIssue #18 Kim Stafford Featured Poet (picture of Kim\, Hugo & Johnny) 7/16/20 \nIssue #19 Metaphors: Battle or Picnic?  (picture of Emerson) 7/23/20 \nIssue #20 Humor Issue (Gary Larson cartoon: Nerds in hell) 7/30/20 \nIssue #21  Culture that Nurtures (picture of Wisłowa Szymborska) 8/6/20 \nIssue #22 My mind started to blossom…  (picture of Aaron Gilbert as Toby Belch) 8/13/20 \nIssue #23 Poems\, Stories\, Letters\, Thoughts (picture of four actors from Midsummer Night’s Dream) 8/20/20 \nIssue #24 Meditation and Mindfulness (image of Avalokiteśvara from Ajanta) 8/27/20 \nIssue #25 Interview with Ashley Lucas (photos of Ashley and Jeff Sanders &  Joe Opyd with his mom\, Sharon Lemm\, and Aunt Andrea) 9/3/20 \nIssue #26 Paradise of Books (image of Don Quixote in his library by Gustave Doré) 9/10/20 \nIssue #27 Smoky (image of the Platters) 9/17/20 \nIssue #28 How Hippies May Still Save the World (image of Flora by Botticelli) 9/24/20 \nIssue #29 Gary Snyder and FOUR CHANGES (image of Gary Snyder) 10/1/20 \nIssue #30 The Golden World (image of glass of water) 10/8/20 \nIssue #31 Pollyanna (image of Mary Pickford) 10/15/20 \nIssue #32 Loving the Earth (image of sunrise from atop Big Mountain) 10/22/20 \nIssue #33 Gettysburg Addresses (image of Lord Buckley) 10/29/20 \nIssue #34 Gandhi  (image of Mahatman Gandhi) 11/5/20 \nIssue #35 Writings of Lonnie Glinski (picture of Lonnie as Ophelia) 11/12/20 \nIssue #36 Freedom’s Firm Foundation (picture of Nitya\, Nancy & Peter O.) 11/19/20 \nIssue #37 Writing Poems (picture of Pablo Neruda & Matilde Urrutia) 11/26/20 \nStarting on November 26\, 2020\, peace\, love\, happiness & understanding went from being weekly to bi-weekly. \nIssue #38 Pictures (not words) 12/10/20 \nIssue #39 Poetry Corner (image of Mr. Natural watering the Tree of Possibilities) 12/24/20 \nIssue #40 Allegory of the Cave (image of Plato’s cave) 1/7/21 \nIssue #41 Loving Your Enemies (photo of Martin Luther King) 1/21/21 \nIssue #42 The Hill We Climb (screen shot of Amanda Gorman) 2/4/21 \nIssue #43 Valentine’s Day Special: Love Poems (image of Paolo and Francesca) 2/18/21 \nIssue #44 Harold and the Purple Crayon  (image from Harold and the Purple Crayon) 3/4/21 \nIssue #45 Spring Equinox (peace\, love\, happiness & understanding is one year old!)   (picture of Daphne odora) 3/18/21 \nIssue #46 Story Poems (picture of Aged Aged Man by John Tenniel) 4/1/21 \nIssue #47 Singer Come from Afar (picture of the cover of Kim Stafford’s book) 4/15/21 \nIssue #48 Bibliomania (picture of cover of Autobiography of a Yogi) 4/29/21 \nNo issues of peace\, love\, happiness & understanding in May (Mexico vacation) \nIssue #49 Wisława Szymborska Nobel Lecture (picture of Wisława Szymborska) 6/10/21 \nIssue #50  Johnny’s Imaginary TED Talk About Love (picture of sidewalk message: EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY) 6/24/21 \nIssue #51 Dreams of Better Worlds (pictures: 3 by Crumb of futures\, big orange splot\, Wague mural) 7/8/21 \nIssue #52 The Art of Happiness (picture of Slava Polunin) 7/22/21 \nIssue #53 The Three Questions (picture of Leo Tolstoy) 8/5/21 \nIssue #54 War: What is It Good For?  (picture: First and Last Day of Spring by Jonathan Winters) 8/19/21 \nIssue #55 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (picture of United Nations flag) 9/2/21 \nIssue #56 Another Humor Issue (picture of Mother Hubbard & her dog) 9/16/21 \nIssue #57 HEART! (picture of loteria card El Corazon) 9/30/21 \nIssue #58 Johnny’s Brief Guide to Ancient Greece (pictures of “The Death of Socrates” by David\, and a bust of Aeschylus) 10/14/21 \nIssue #59 Poems from the Last Five Days by Kim Stafford (photos taken at the beach by Kim) 10/28/21 \nIssue #60 Recipe for Living a Life Rich in Meaning (pictures of four bodhisattvas: Brenda Erickson\, Dick Willis\, Jude Russell & Jack Baird) 11/11/21 \nIssue #61 Goldfinches! (picture of Goldfinch) 11/25/21 \nIssue #62 A Christmas Carol (picture of Scrooge beholding the Spirit of Christmas Present) 12/9/21 \nIssue #63 Dream of a Ridiculous Man (picture of Goya’s sleeper dreaming Peaceable Kingdom) 12/23/21 \nIssue #64 Brother West (photo of Cornel West) 1/6/22 \nIssue #65 Big Sky Country  (picture of Glacier National Park) 1/20/22 \nNo issues of peace\, love\, happiness & understanding for most of February (Mexico vacation) \nIssue #66 Big Sky Country Part Two (picture of bee on lilac blossom) 2/24/22 \nIssue #67 What Are Some of Your Favorite Books? (picture of the cover of Borgel) 3/10/22 \nIssue #68 War & Peace & Spring! (photos of plum tree and Ukrainian refugees) 3/24/22 \nIssue #69 Carl Sandburg (picture of Potato Face Blind Man) 4/7/22 \nIssue #70 A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Prison (picture of Bottom & Titania) 4/21/22 \nIssue #71 Some Poems (picture of sidewalk covered with cherry blossoms) 5/5/22 \nIssue #72 Poems By Women first page has Emily Dickinson; pictures of the other poets accompany their poems) 5/19/22 \nStarting in June of 2022\, peace\, love\, happiness & understanding went from bi-weekly to monthly\, coming out on the first Thursday of the month. \nIssue #73 Walt on my mind…and in my heart (painting of Walt Whitman by Rick Bartow) 6/2/22 \nIssue #74 Interview With Bryan Joyner (picture of Bryan Joyner) 7/7/22 \nIssue #75 Adventure Tales! (picture of Edith Mirante in Burma 8/4/22 \nIssue #76 William Blake (Blake’s painting “River of Life”) 9/1/22 \nIssue #77 Kate Brown on Clemency (picture of Governor Kate Brown) 10/6/22 \nIssue #78 R. H. Blyth (picture of R. H. Blyth)  12/1/22 \nIssue #79 Tender Buttons edited by Alex Tretbar (picture of Gertrude Stein)  1/5/23 \nIssue #80 Something That Changed the Way You See the World  (poster of “Song of Myself” by Rick Bartow)  2/2/23 \nIssue #81 Favorite Poems (picture of a stone wall with a gate)  3/2/23 \nIssue #82 Favorite Films (picture of “The Rink”)  4/6/23 \nIssue #83  Books That Changed the Way You See the World (picture of For Your Own Good)  5/4/23  \nIssue #84  Peace (picture of young man putting a flower in the barrel of a gun)  6/1/23 \nIssue #85  Visions of Utopia & Paradise (picture of The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine)  8/3/23 \nIssue #86  peace\, love\, happiness & understanding (picture of Rocky Hutchinson with eight puppies)  9/7/23 \nIssue #87  Black Elk’s Vision (picture of Black Elk)  10/5/23 \nIssue #88  The War Prayer (picture of Peanuts cartoon)  11/2/23 \nIssue #89  A Letter from Rocky and Lots of Poems (picture of Lake Grinnell in Glacier National Park)  12/7/23 \nIssue #90  Celebration! (picture of Alan & Christine\, with Santa and dogs & cat)  1/4/24 \nIssue #91 What has enlarged your world? (picture of Nancy in Guanajuato)  2/1/24  \nIssue #92  Abundance! (picture of Mexican ceramic Tree of World Literature)  3/7/24 \nIssue #93  Creativity! (picture of Martha Graham)  4/4/24 \nIssue #94  Mostly Poems (picture of cow weathervane\, with bird perched on it)   5/2/24 \n Issue #95  Blogs and Other Stuff (picture of “The Young Hare” by Dürer)  6/6/24 \nIssue #96  What Stories Do You Tell Yourself to Cheer Yourself Up?   7/4/24   \nIssue #97  Poems\, Letters & Other Writings  (picture by Saul Steinberg) 8/1/24 \n  \n  \n  \nOpen Road peace\, love\, happiness & understanding Newsletter Index \n  \nIssue #1 Spring Equinox (picture of pansy) 3/19/20 \nAlan Watts quote:  “there is nothing wrong with you at all” \nSerenity Prayer \nMetta Prayer \nNight Rain at Kuang-k’ou  Yang Wan-li  (Deb) \nEagle Poem  Joy Harjo  (Katie Radditz) \nFoolish Young Flowering Tree   Kim Stafford \nTrees in the Wind   Kim Stafford \n  \nIssue #2  Humor (images: cartoons by Gary Larson) 3/26/20 \njokes from Johnny\, Kim\, Ken\, Bill & Will \n  \nIssue #3 Some Poems (image: Japanese picture of cherry tree) 4/2/20 \nOut breath  Ryokan \nCelestial Laws  Walt Whitman \nsweet spring    e.e. cummings \na lover and his lass   Shakespeare \nFrom the Train   Kim Stafford \nDennis Takes Us to the Old Trees   Kim Stafford \nI Ask for Silence   Pablo Neruda \n  \nIssue #4 Walt Whitman (image: painting of WW by Rick Bartow) 4/9/20 \nMiracles by Walt Whitman \nlink to Marfa Interview with Johnny about “Song of Myself” \nTeach Me to See\, Walt! by Johnny \nSong of Myself brief quotes: “seeing\, hearing\, feeling are miracles…this head more than churches\, bibles and all the creeds\,” “Whoever degrades another…\,” “Dazzling and tremendous…\,” “In all people I see myself…\,” “This minute that comes to me…\,” “Each moment and whatever happens…\,” “Why should I wish to see God…in the faces of men and women I see God…” \nlink to whitmanalabama.com from Perrin Kerns \nKim Stafford’s story about his dad and Walt Whitman \n  \nIssue #5 Rumi (edited by Prabu Muruganantham) (picture of flower) 4/16/20 \nA Just Finishing Candle \nThe Sunrise Ruby \nPrabu’s poem: “You too are flowering” \nWhere Everything is Music \nRumi story from Kim \nGuest House from Johnny \nNancy Yeilding’s essay “Two Ways of Talking” \nBill Hughes’ thoughts and poem “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing…” \n  \nIssue #6 Shakespeare (picture of young Johnny with Shakespeare sweatshirt) 4/23/20 \nsome thoughts \nAll the world’s a stage \neat no onions \nlost all my mirth…what a piece of work is a man \nsermons in stones\, and good in everything. \nAlexander died…might they not stop a beer barrel? \nOur revels now are ended \nThe quality of mercy \nMy bounty is boundless as the sea\,/ My love as deep… \nA knave\, a rascal\, an eater of broken meats… \nLet me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments \n  \nIssue #7 Happiness (picture by Jan Steen: The Merry Family) 4/30/20 \nyogi tea tags \nThe baby beats the nurse…   Shax \ncommentary on The Merry Family: link to Rijksmuseum \nHappiness     Carl Sandburg \na few words about Twelfth Night: “Care’s an enemy to life” \nGary Larson cartoon about the absent Bluebird of Happiness \nlink to Louis Armstrong’s “A Lot of Living to Do” \naphorism: Happiness is the art of not making yourself miserable. \naphorism: The soul of sweet delight can never be defiled.   Blake \n“The Salutation”    Thomas Traherne \nBeginning My Studies    Walt Whitman \nShirt of a Happy Man story \nfrom Writing for Happiness  by Kim Stafford—to be with happ is to be happ-y \n“Gift”  Miłosz \n“Happiness”   Jane Kenyon \n  \nIssue #8 Ingersoll: Crimes Against Criminals (picture of Robert G. Ingersoll) 5/7/20 \nCrimes Against Criminals \n“in this world hate never yet dispelled hate…” \n  \nIssue #9 Compassion (Picture of Einstein)  5/14/20 \nEinstein quote \nGregory Boyle on Compassion and Kinship \nlinks to Homeboy Industries and to TED talk \nPlease Call Me By My True Names \n  \nIssue #10 Love (picture of Hafiz)  5/21/20 \nThe Subject Tonight is Love   Hafiz \nThe Noble Ninefold Path   Johnny \nResponse to Ninefold Path Essay  Shad Alexander \n  \nIssue #11 Peaceable Kingdom  (painting by Charles Erickson)   5/28/20 \nPenn’s letter to the Indians \nThomas Traherne: “Your enjoyment of the world is never right…” \nKindness by Naomi Shihab Nye \nWhitman: “Whoever walks a furlong without sympathy…others will punctually come forever and ever” \n  \nIssue #12 Meditation\, Dialogue & Study  (Goya’s Sleep of Reason) 6/4/20 \nsome thoughts on depression: letter to E. about meditation\, dialogue & study \n  \nIssue #13 Black Lives Matter  (image of George Floyd)   6/11/20 \nquote from Martin Luther King:  …black revolution more than a struggle for rights of Negroes \nsome thoughts by me and quotes from:  \nKing: “love is creative understanding goodwill for all men”  \nBuddha: “In this world\, hate never yet dispelled hate…”  \n1 John 4:8 \nBlake: Love to faults is always blind \nmore Blake quotes: \nEvery thing that lives is Holy \nChildren of a future age… \nArt Degraded Imagination Denied War Governed the Nations \nmore thoughts from me \nrecommendation for Between the World and Me\, The New Jim Crow & film “13th” \nexcerpt from King’s sermon “Loving Your Enemies” \n  \nIssue #14 Mostly Poems (Blake image: When the morning stars sang together)  6/18/20 \nBlake quote: “The tree that moves some to tears of joy…” \nBuckminster Fuller photo & quote: “I always say to myself: What’s the most \nInmate Calls Home by Kim Stafford \npoems sent by Howard: \nLife-and-Death by Uchiyama Roshi \nIt Is I Who Must Begin by Václav Havel \nfrom Song of Myself: “I peruse manifold objects” & “Dazzling and tremendous” \n“A woman went to see her therapist…” by Johnny \n  \nIssue #15 Ripple Effect (image of ripples in water)   6/25/20 \n“If I can stop one heart from breaking…” by Emily Dickinson \nletter exchange on “the ripple effect” between Josh Underhill and me \n  \nIssue #16 Blake: Innocence and Experience (Laughing Song image) 7/2/20 \nsome thoughts on going from innocence to experience \nfour poems by William Blake: \nInfant Joy \nLaughing Song \nThe School Boy \nThe GARDEN of  LOVE \nWordsworth’s “Intimations of Immortality” (first third) \nquote from Hamlet: “I have of late\, but wherefore I know not\, lost all my mirth…” \n  \nIssue #17 Remembering Nick Picture of Nick Consoletti  7/9/20 \nCan I see another’s woe\, and not be in sorrow\, too…? \nLonnie’s letter \nsome thoughts about Nick by me \n  \nIssue #18 Kim Stafford Featured Poet (Picture of Kim and Johnny)   7/16/20 \nTo Be a Better Person essay by Kim Stafford \nDew & Honey poem by Kim Stafford \nTwo Rivers poem by Kim Stafford \n“So many people are shut up tight inside themselves…” Sylvia Plath \n“This is what you shall do…” Walt Whitman \nlink to talk by Cornel West on “What It Means to Be Human” \nKim’s aphorisms on poetry \n  \nIssue #19 Metaphors: Battle or Picnic?  (picture of Emerson)   7/23/20 \nEmerson quote about metaphors \nBattle or Picnic? essay by Johnny \nSifter by Naomi Shihab Nye \nThe Panther by Rilke \nThere Will Come Soft Rains by Sara Teasdale   \nlink to Sacred Economics video featuring Charles Eisenstein \n  \nIssue #20 Humor Issue   (Gary Larson cartoon: Nerds in hell) 7/30/20 \ntwo Gary Larson cartoons \none cartoon by Lars Kenseth \nlots of jokes \nlink to video of people in India singing and dancing on top of a train \n  \nIssue #21 Culture that Nurtures (picture of Wisłowa Szymborska)   8/6/20 \nConsolation by Wisłowa Szymborska \nThe Tuft of Flowers by Robert Frost \nThe Fact of Forgiveness by Kim Stafford \n  \nIssue #22 My mind started to blossom… (picture of Aaron Gilbert as Toby Belch) 8/13/20 \nLetter about Love in prison by Aaron Gilbert \nPoetry Class at the Women’s Prison by Kim Stafford \nA Blessing by James Wright \n  \nIssue #23 Poems\, Stories\, Letters\, Thoughts (picture of four actors from Midsummer Night’s Dream)   8/20/20 \nPractical Illusions by Kim Stafford \nKim Stafford\, Ace Reporter poem by Johnny Stallings \nKatie Radditz’s story about sitting next to Aaron Gilbert’s mom at play \nmy letter to Howard about how men honoring me in the dialogue circle \nWhitman quote: “This minute that comes to me over the past decillions… \nmy thoughts about Kim’s poem \nThomas Traherne quote: “There was never a tutor that did professly teach Felicity” \n  \nIssue #24  Meditation and Mindfulness (image of Avalokiteśvara from Ajanta) 8/27/20 \nKingdom of God is within you Bible quote (Luke 17: 20-21) \nintro to Open Road Meditation & Mindfulness Project by me \nThomas Traherne: “Our blessedness\, like His\, is infinite…” \nPico Iyer about seeing the world more clearly and loving it more deeply \nWalt: “There is that in me—I do not know what it is—but I know it is in me… \njohnnypoem: “when you see how simple it is to be happy…” \nnotice of Deborah’s publication of three chapbooks \nDeborah’s poem Early Morning Hours \nWendell Berry: Ask the world to reveal its quietude… \nHuxley quote: “Unrestrained and indiscriminate talk…” \nThich Nhat Hanh: “Mindfulness is when you are truly there…” \nFinding Deep Calm story about Gheed in Palestine by Kim  \nInvitation to join Meditation & Mindfulness Project by me \nHafiz on perfection: “the movement of your breath…the beating of our hearts” \n  \nIssue #25 Interview with Ashley Lucas (photos of Ashley and Jeff Sanders &  Joe Opyd with his mom\, Sharon Lemm\, and Aunt Andrea) 9/3/20 \nInterview with Ashley \nlinks for ordering her books\, link to Open Hearts Open Minds\, link to Open Road \n  \nIssue #26 Paradise of Books (image of Don Quixote in his library by Gustave Doré) 9/10/20 \nthoughts on books and bibliophilia \ncatalog of animals by Borges \nthoughts on books that changed my inner landscape \nSonnet #1 by Joshua Barnes \nSheltering in Place #12 by Doug Marx \nYARD SALE by Nick Eldredge \n  \nIssue #27 Smoky (image of the Platters) 9/17/20 \nIt’s smoky: links to “Meeting in Smoky Places\,” “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes\,” and Smokey Robinson \nInmate Fights Fire by Kim Stafford \nSecond Chance by Randall Brown \nSmokey the Bear Sutra by Gary Snyder \nlink to Smokey the Bear song with Eddy Arnold \n  \nIssue #28  How Hippies May Still Save the World (image of Flora by Botticelli) 9/24/20 \nHow Hippies May Still Save the World essay by Johnny \nlyrics to “Love’s In Need of Love Today” by Stevie Wonder & link to song \nsome lyrics from “What the World Needs Now” and link to song \nlyrics to “All You Need Is Love”  and link to song \nlyrics to “Get Together” and link to song \nlyrics to “San Francisco” and link to song \n  \nIssue #29 Gary Snyder and FOUR CHANGES (image of Gary Snyder) 10/1/20 \nHoly Smokes by Kim Stafford \nFOUR CHANGES  by Gary Snyder & link to Gary Snyder reading it \n  \nIssue #30 The Golden World (image of glass of water) 10/8/20 \nThe Golden World essay by Johnny \n  \nIssue #31 Pollyanna (image of Mary Pickford) 10/15/20 \nThe Glad Game from Pollyanna \nlink to Reasons to Be Cheerful website \nlink to talk by David Korten \nlink to talk by Charles Eisenstein \nlink to talk by Thich Nhat Hanh \nOur Next Big Thing by Kim Stafford \nGary Larson Hell cartoon: “We’re just not reaching that guy” \n  \nIssue #32 Loving the Earth (image of sunrise from atop Big Mountain) 10/22/20 \nFor Papatūānuku – Mother Earth by Nadine Anne Hura \nA note of gratitude from Nadine \nlink to an essay by Nadine Anne Hura: “I’m Reclaiming the Name I Lost” \n“I peruse manifold objects…” brief passage from “Song of Myself” \nWild Geese by Mary Oliver \nEarth Dweller by William Stafford & link to him reading the poem \nPied Beauty by Gerard Manley Hopkins \n“Weary of those who come with words…” by Tomas Tranströmer \n“My Work is Loving the World” by Mary Oliver \n  \nIssue #33 Gettysburg Addresses (image of Lord Buckley) 10/29/20 \nRevising Genesis by Kim Stafford \nFor All by Gary Snyder \nThe Color of Eyes by Deborah Buchanan \nEverything is Going to Be All Right by Derek Mahon \nInversnaid by Gerard Manley Hopkins \nAbe & I by Kim Stafford \nThe Gettysburg Address by Lord Buckley and link to him performing it \nThe Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln \n  \nIssue #34 Gandhi  (picture of Mahatman Gandhi) 11/5/20 \nNitya’s encounter with Gandhi from Love and Blessings \nsome thoughts about having to be right by Johnny \nbrief Gandhi bio \nGandhi quotes \n  \nIssue #35 Writings of Lonnie Glinski (picture of Lonnie as Ophelia) 11/12/20 \nexcerpt from letter from Lonnie \nlyrics to Somebody Famous by Lonnie \nexcerpt from letter from Lonnie \nlyrics to Bloom Where You Landed by Lonnie \nlyrics to And They Just Smile by Lonnie \nlyrics to It Ain’t Me by Lonnie \n  \nIssue #36 Freedom’s Firm Foundation (picture of Nitya\, Nancy & Peter O.) 11/19/20 \n Finding Freedom’s Firm Foundation essay by Nancy Yeilding \n  \nIssue #37 Writing Poems (picture of Pablo Neruda & Matilde Urrutia) 11/26/20 \ni thank You God by e. e. cummings \nPoetry by Pablo Neruda \nWriting as Ritual essay by Kim Stafford \nMy Sheltering Sky by Kim Stafford \nPoetry Doctor by Kim Stafford \n  \nIssue #38 Pictures (not words) 12/10/20 \n drawings by: Saul Steinberg\, Franciszka Themerson\, Hakuin\, Leonard Cohen\, B. Kliban\, Ralph Steadman\, José Guadalupe Posada\, Hokusai\, Pablo Picasso\, Paul Klee\, John Lennon\, Amadeo Modigliani\, Rick Bartow\, James Thurber\, John Tenniel\, Charles Erickson\, Maurice Sendak\, Mark Alan Stamaty\, Andrew Larkin\, Hugo Anaya\, Jake Scharbach\, Peter Schumann\, William Blake\, Dr. Seuss\, Rube Goldberg\, Winsor McKay\, Gary Larson \nlink to OK Go:” This Too Shall Pass” Rube Goldberg Machine video \n  \nIssue #39 Poetry Corner (image of Mr. Natural watering the Tree of Possibilities) 12/23/20 \n“I believe the soggy clods…” quote from Walt \n“Since water still flows…” by Li Po \nFound Kin by Jeff Kuehner \nElemental Thoughts by Joshua Barnes \nTHE MEANING OF THIS by Alex Tretbar \nHindsight (2020) by Joshua Barnes \nThink Twice by Kim Stafford \nYour Sovereignty by Kim Stafford \nWinter Feet by Esther Elizabeth \nDaily Bread by Esther Elizabeth \nWhat Issa Heard by David Budbill \n  \nIssue #40 Allegory of the Cave (image of Plato’s cave) 1/7/21 \nWonder by Thomas Traherne \nDUST by Alex Tretbar \nAllegory of the Cave by Plato \n  \nIssue #41 Loving Your Enemies (photo of Martin Luther King) 1/21/21 \nLoving Your Enemies sermon by Martin Luther King\, November 17\, 1957 \n  \nIssue #42 The Hill We Climb (screen shot of Amanda Gorman) 2/4/21 \nThe Hill We Climb poem by Amanda Gorman \nlink to Amanda Gorman reciting The Hill We Climb \nPrabu’s thoughts on Tolstoy’s novel Resurrection \n  \nIssue #43 Valentine’s Day Special: Love Poems (image of Paolo and Francesca) 2/18/21 \nkissing rocks and throwing them story \nLove to faults is always blind by William Blake \nThe lunatic\, the lover\, and the poet by Shakespeare \ni carry your heart by e. e. cummings \nI Loved You Before I Was Born by Li-Young Lee \nThe Song of Wandering Aengus by W. B. Yeats \nThis Is Just To Say by William Carlos Williams \nWhat We’re Doing Here by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer \nI Knew a Woman by Theodore Roethke \nlink to Offenbach song Barcarolle sung by Elīna Garanča & Anna Netrebko \nSonnet VII by Pablo Neruda \nRe-Statement of Romance by Wallace Stevens (not in prison version) \nWe Two\, How Long We Were Fool’d \nRomeo & Juliet: “If I profane with my unworthiest hand…” sonnet \nJuliet: “My bounty is as boundless as the sea” \n  \nIssue #44 Harold and the Purple Crayon (image from Harold and the Purple Crayon) 3/4/21 \nsome thoughts on Harold and the Purple Crayon \nTenniel’s illustration to A Mad Tea Party \n“A Mad Tea Party” from Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll \n  \nIssue #45 Spring Equinox (peace\, love\, happiness & understanding is one year old!)  (picture of Daphne odora) 3/18/21 \nA Color of the Sky by Tony Hoagland \nOregon Dawn in Spite of the News by Kim Stafford \nIn Just-/spring by e. e. cummings \nO sweet spontaneous by e. e. cummings \nSpring\, the sweete spring\, is the yeres pleasant King by Thomas Nashe \nSpring by Gerard Manley Hopkins \nA Thin Sliver at the Door (prose) by Deborah Buchanan \nCome Spring by Dorianne Laux \nA Light exists in Spring by Emily Dickinson \nSpring comes on the World –  by Emily Dickinson \nIssa: \nLook at this world even its \nGrasshoppers in the chilly breeze \nSpring rain:  \nBasho: \nI don’t know \nSpring! \nChiyo-ni: \nthe pheasant sings- \nI forget \nsquatting \nto be in a world \nThank you’s to contributors to “peace\, love\, happiness & understanding” \n  \nIssue #46 Story Poems (picture of Aged Aged Man by John Tenniel) 4/1/21 \nAnd the people stayed home by Kitty O’Meara \nNirvana by Charles Bukowski \nAbou Ben Adhem by Leigh Hunt \nThe Thee Hermits by William Butler Yeats \nThree Angels by Bob Dylan \nA Story That Could Be True by William Stafford \nThe Aged Aged Man by Lewis Carroll \n  \nIssue #47 Singer Come from Afar (picture of the cover of Kim Stafford’s book) 4/15/21 \nPoetry in Prison by Kim Stafford \nBlue Brick from the Midwest by Kim Stafford \nAsk Me by William Stafford \nGod made a little Gentian – by Emily Dickinson \nThe Divine Image by William Blake \nWaxwings by Robert Francis \nMeditations 47 & 48 from the Second Century of Meditations by Thomas Traherne \n  \nIssue #48 Bibliomania (picture of cover of Autobiography of a Yogi) 4/29/21 \nBibliomania essay by Johnny \nProspero’s speech: “Our revels now are ended…” \n  \nNo issues of peace\, love\, happiness & understanding in May (Mexico vacation) \n  \nIssue #49 Wisława Szymborska Nobel Lecture (picture of Wisława Szymborska) 6/10/21 \nWisława Szymborska Nobel Lecture \n  \nIssue #50  Johnny’s Imaginary TED Talk About Love (picture of sidewalk message: EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY) 6/24/21 \nJohnny’s imaginary TED talk about love \nFor the Bird Singing Before Dawn by Kim Stafford \nLetter to the Mothers and Fathers of Palestine and Israel by Charles Busch \nlink to Fields of Peace website \n  \nIssue #51 Dreams of Better Worlds (pictures: 3 by Crumb of futures\, big orange splot\, Wague mural) 7/8/21 \nParadise essay by Johnny \n  \nIssue #52 The Art of Happiness (picture of Slava Polunin) 7/22/21 \nSlava Polunin’s TED talk \n  \nIssue #53 The Three Questions (picture of Leo Tolstoy) 8/5/21 \nThe Three Questions (story) \n  \nIssue #54 War: What is It Good For? (picture: First and Last Day of Spring by Jonathan Winters) 8/19/21 \nquotes from Ten Commandments\, Dhammapada\, Hermann Göring\, and the song “War” by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong \nMichel Deforge’s response to Kim Stafford’s poem “Old Glory’s New Red\, Black\, and Blue” \nsome thoughts by Johnny on Pacifism \nKim Stafford’s poem “Old Glory’s New Red\, Black\, and Blue” \n  \nIssue #55 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (picture of United Nations flag) 9/2/21 \nThe Universal Declaration of Human Rights \n  \nIssue #56 Another Humor Issue (picture of Mother Hubbard & her dog) 9/16/21 \nOld Mother Hubbard Nursery Rhyme \nlots of jokes \n  \nIssue #57 HEART! (picture of loteria card El Corazon) 9/30/21 \nPascal quote: The heart has its reasons… \nRocky’s essay: HEART! \nwake up\, heart! by Johnny Stallings \nLove Therapy in My Second Home by Alokananda Roy \n  \nIssue #58 Johnny’s Brief Guide to Ancient Greece (pictures of “The Death of Socrates” by David\, and a bust of Aeschylus) 10/14/21 \nEssay by Johnny about “Suppliants” project and Greek Philosophy & Drama \n  \nIssue #59  Poems from the Last Five Days by Kim Stafford (photos taken at the beach by Kim) 10/28/21 \nfive poems with commentaries by Kim Stafford \n  \nIssue #60 Recipe for Living a Life Rich in Meaning (pictures of four bodhisattvas: Brenda Erickson\, Dick Willis\, Jude Russell & Jack Baird) 11/11/21 \n“Beginning My Studies” by Walt Whitman \n“My Recipe for Living a Life Rich in Meaning” by Johnny \n  \nIssue #61 Goldfinches! (picture of Goldfinch) 11/25/21 \nJohnny’s theater piece: “Goldfinches!” \n  \nIssue #62 A Christmas Carol (picture of Scrooge beholding the Spirit of Christmas Present) 12/9/21 \nAbridged version of “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens (for reading aloud) \n  \nIssue #63 Dream of a Ridiculous Man (picture of Goya’s sleeper dreaming Peaceable Kingdom) 12/23/21 \nJohnny’s version of Dostoevsky’s short story “Dream of a Ridiculous Man” \n  \nIssue #64 Brother West (photo of Cornel West) 1/6/22 \nCornell West on “What It Means to Be Human” \n  \nIssue #65 Big Sky Country  (picture of Glacier National Park) 1/20/22 \nPhotos and Texts by Abe Green\, including: \nDew & Honey by Kim Stafford \nRain by Neall Ryon \nquote from Love and Blessings \n quote from Dhammapada: “All that we are arises with our thoughts…” \n(Mexico vacation) \n  \nIssue #66 Big Sky Country Part Two (picture of bee on lilac blossom) 2/24/22 \nPhotos and Texts by Abe Green\, including: \nWhere the bee sucks\, there suck I \nBirth is not the beginning/ Death is not the end quote from Chuang Tzu \nThe smallest sprout shows there is really no death quote from Walt Whitman \nSo here I sit by my campfire… by Abe Green \nIt’s the job of wise people… by Johnny Stallings \nthoughts on Earth’s inhabitants by Abe Green \nLessons from a Tree by Kim Stafford \nThe Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry \nthoughts on broken objects by Abe Green \n  \nIssue #67 What Are Some of Your Favorite Books? (picture of the cover of Borgel) 3/10/22 \nSome favorite books from Kim Stafford\, Patrick Walsh\, Ken Margolis\, Deborah Buchanan\, Jude Russell\, Bill Faricy\, Will Hornyak\, Jeffrey Sher and Johnny Stallings. \n  \nIssue #68 War & Peace & Spring! (photos of plum tree and Ukrainian refugees) 3/24/22 \nlink to Spring Equinox issue of peace\, love\, happiness & understanding (3/18/21) \nPlum Trees in War by Kim Stafford \nThomas Bray’s favorite books \nVernal Sentiment by Theodore Roethke \nKatie’s favorite books \nOn Pilgrimage by Czeslaw Milosz \nAt the Un-National Monument along the Canadian Border by William Stafford \na favorite book of Michel Deforge \nfavorite books of Brandon Gillespie and his thoughts on Spring and War \nlet’s pretend by Johnny Stallings \nMy Foolproof Plan for World Peace by Johnny Stallings \nlink to Ukraine meditation group \n  \nIssue #69 Carl Sandburg (picture of Potato Face Blind Man) 4/7/22 \nDefinitions of Poetry by Carl Sandburg \nThe Potato Face Blind Man Who Lost the Diamond Rabbit on His Gold Accordion by Carl Sandburg \nHow the Potato Face Blind Man Enjoyed Himself on a Fine Spring Morning by Carl Sandburg \nThe Right to Grief by Carl Sandburg \nHappiness by Carl Sandburg \nlink to Those Darn Accordions playing Let Me Stand Next to Your Fire by Jimi Hendrix \nlink to Flaco Jimenez\, Mingo Saldivar\, Pete Ybarra\, David Farias & David Lee Garza \nlink to Clifton Chenier playing Tighten Up \n  \nIssue #70 A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Prison (picture of Bottom & Titania) 4/21/22 \nlink to National Poetry Month on poets.org website \nlink to Shakespeare issue of “peace\, love\, happiness & understanding” 4/23/20 \nplug for upcoming Bibliophiles!\, and link to Keith on the Mysteries of Shakespeare’s Sonnets \nannouncement of Portland premiere of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Prison \nthe history of prison dialogues and plays: how A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Prison came to be \n  \nIssue #71 Some Poems (picture of sidewalk covered with cherry blossoms) 5/5/22 \nA Question by Joshua Barnes \nFlickering by Joshua Barnes \nthoughts on akrasia by Alex Tretbar \na blue little flower is nodding by Alex Tretbar \nthe rumor by Nick Eldredge \nHow to Be an Old Man of Some Scant Worth by Kim Stafford \nearth the door Orpheus goes through by Deborah Buchanan \nGhost River by Deborah Buchanan \nUkraine by Mark Alter \nmy sangha by Johnny Stallings \namateur dilettante by Johnny Stallings \n  \nIssue #72 Poems By Women (first page has Emily Dickinson; pictures of the other poets accompany their poems) 5/19/22 \nThe Infinite a sudden Guest by Emily Dickinson \nA Light exists in Spring by Emily Dickinson \nO Taste and See by Denise Levertov \nfrom My Wisdom by Naomi Shihab Nye \nHappiness by Jane Kenyon \nfrom Reconciliation: A Prayer by Joy Harjo \nAt Blackwater Pond by Mary Oliver \nMiracle Fair by Wisława Szymborska \nThe Award by Alice Walker \nDespite the Hunger by Alice Walker \n  \nIssue #73 Walt on my mind…and in my heart (painting of Walt Whitman by Rick Bartow) 6/2/22 \nCelebration of Walt Whitman’s 203rd birthday \nlink to April 9\, 2020 issue of peace\, love & happiness\, celebrating Walt Whitman \nlink to new Friends of Walt Archive on the Open Road website \nEmerson’s letter to Whitman \nexcerpt from Emerson’s essay “The Poet” \nlink to May 7\, 2020 issue of peace\, love & happiness\, which featured Ingersoll’s essay “Crimes Against Criminals” \nAddress at the Funeral of Walt Whitman by Robert G. Ingersoll (March 30\, 1892) \n  \nIssue #74 Interview With Bryan Joyner (picture of Bryan Joyner) 7/7/22 \nExcerpts from CRCI Studio Interview with Bryan Joyner and link to YouTube video of interview \n  \nIssue #75 Adventure Tales! (picture of Edith Mirante in Burma 8/4/22 \nTales of Adventure from: \nEdith Mirante \nKim Stafford \nNick Eldredge \nJohnny Stallings \nAbe Green \n  \nIssue #76 William Blake (Blake’s painting “River of Life”) 9/1/22 \nLove to faults is always blind… \nArt Degraded\, Imagination Denied\, War Governed the Nations \nChildren of the future Age… \nThe Garden of Love \nTo see a World in a Grain of Sand… \naphorisms from The Marriage of Heaven and Hell \nfrom the Preface to Blake’s poem “Milton” \nThe Little Vagabond \nfrom The Marriage of Heaven and Hell \nEnion’s lament from The Four Zoas \nfrom Visions of the Last Judgment \n  \nIssue #77 Kate Brown on Clemency (picture of Governor Kate Brown) 10/6/22 \nAmanda Waldroupe’s Guardian article about Oregon Governor Kate Brown’s historic use of clemency \n  \nIssue #78 R. H. Blyth (picture of R. H. Blyth) (12/1/22) \nEssay by Howard Thoresen on R. H. Blyth \n  \nIssue #79 Tender Buttons edited by Alex Tretbar (picture of Gertrude Stein) (1/5/23) \nEssay “A Carafe in Bb Major” by Alex Tretbar \n“Special Features” poem by Alex Tretbar \n“no comas” by Irene Cooper \n“the buttons are as tender as we make them” by Laura Winberry \nExcerpt from the song “Tender Buttons” by Trish Keenan of the band Broadcast \n“Stein’s Enigmas” essay by Kim Stafford \n“Lone Pine in Scotland” poem by Kim Stafford \n  \nIssue #80 Something That Changed the Way You See the World  (poster of “Song of Myself” by Rick Bartow) (2/2/23)  \n“In Memory of My Literary Godmother” by Will Hornyak \n“Coincidence” by Kim Stafford \nStory about visiting Sam Alley in hospice by Charles Erickson \nWalt Whitman’s “Song of Myself” by Johnny Stallings \nThe family I choose by Rocky Hutchinson \n“Five Tanka Written Upon Spending the Night in a New Apartment” by Alex Tretbar \n“Leftover Rainwater” by Elizabeth Domike \n  \nIssue #81 Favorite Poems (picture of a stone wall with a gate) (3/2/23)  \n“Vernal Sentiment” by Theodore Roethke (Jeffrey Sher) \n“After an Illness\, Walking the Dog” by Jane Kenyon (Elizabeth Domike) \n“I thought of all the doors that had opened and closed… by Jo Harjo (Deborah Buchanan) \n“A Meadow” by Czeslaw Milosz (Deborah Buchanan) \n“The Waking” by Theodore Roethke (Dave Duncan) \n“Easter\, 1916” by William Butler Yeats (Mark Danley) \n“Together\, We all go out Under the Cypress Trees in the Chou Family Burial-Grounds” by T’ao Ch’ien (Katie Radditz) \n“Reading an Anthology of Chinese Poems of the Sung Dynasty\, I pause to Admire the Length and Clarity of their Titles” by Billy Collins (Katie Radditz) \n“May I never by complete…” by Chuck Palahniuk (Jeff Kuehner) \n“Afternoon” by Max Ritvo (Alex Tretbar) \n“Valentine” by Ken Hunt (Kim Stafford) \n“Mending Wall” by Robert Frost (Scott Teitsworth) \n“The Salutation” by Thomas Traherne (Johnny Stallings) \nfrom “I Corinthians\, Chapter 13” by Paul the Apostle (Ken Margolis) \n  \nIssue #82 Favorite Films (picture of “The Rink”) (4/6/23)  \n“In the Beginning” and “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” (Kim Stafford) \n“Ted Lasso\,” “Wings of Desire\,” “Moonrise Kingdom\,” “The Big Lebowski\,” “Hail\, Caesar!\,” “Bliss\,” “Brazil\,” “The Kingdom of the Fairies” & “The Rink” (Johnny Stallings) \n“The Count of Monte Cristo” (Brandon Gillespie) \nBook: This is Happiness by Niall Williams; Film: “The Mission” (Will Hornyak) \nWill sent a poem he wrote: “Why Baseball Matters” \n“The Rules of the Game” & “The Rider” (Ken Margolis) \n“Wings of Desire” (Elizabeth Domike) \n“Heaven Knows\, Mr. Allison” & “Heimat” (Katie Radditz) \n“The Crying Game” & “The Lives of Others” (Jude Russell) \n“Withnail & I” (Alex Tretbar) \n“Andrei Rublev” & “Tree of Life” (Prabu Muruganantham) \n  \nIssue #83  Books That Changed the Way You See the World (picture of For Your Own Good) (5/4/23)  \nThe Man Who Loved Children  (Ken Margolis) \nThe Skull Mantra  (Elizabeth Domike) \nHope for the Flowers\, Johnny Got His Gun & The Power of Myth  (Nicole Rush) \nThe Mahabharata  (Charles Erickson) \nGreen Mansions  (Katie Radditz) \nNicholas and Alexandra\, Peter the Great\, Catherine the Great\, American Prometheus & The Orientalist  (Jude Russell) \nFor Your Own Good\, Woman and Nature\, “Factory” & “Song of Myself”  (Johnny Stallings) \nFor Your Own Good  (Todd Oleson) \nMan’s Search for Meaning\, Writing My Wrongs\, The Master Plan\, My Grandmother’s Hands\, Homecoming & The Body Keeps the Score  (Michel Deforge) \n  \nIssue #84  Peace (picture of young man putting a flower in the barrel of a gun) (6/1/23) \nPoems by Deborah Buchanan: “Early Morning Hours\,” “The Only Now\,” “Unexpected\,” “The Tree in the Universe” \nThoughts on peace\, including poem “My Foolproof Plan for World Peace” by Johnny Stallings \n“Bolinas” by Tom Clark\, submitted by Alex Tretbar \nThoughts on peace by Rocky Hutchinson \n“Siddhartha’s prayer” by Bill Faricy \n“Surrounded” by Elizabeth Domike \n“Peace Tree” by Kim Stafford \n“Peace Within\, Peace Without”: thoughts on peace by Jude Russell \nThoughts on peace by Ken Margolis \n  \nIssue #85  Visions of Utopia & Paradise (picture of The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine) (8/3/23) \nQuote from Slava Polunin \nGonzalo’s utopia from The Tempest \nExcerpt from interview with Stratis Panourios about utopia and The Tempest in prison \nJohnny’s thoughts on utopia & paradise \nPoem by Tasos Leivaditis\, translated from the Greek by Spiros Chrisovitsianos \n“Borrowed Aura” poem by Kim Stafford \n“Words for Cup and Water” poem by Elizabeth Domike \n“What an Angel Said” poem by Alex Tretbar \n“Perfect Day” poem by Johnny Stallings \nQuote from Alan Watts \n  \nIssue #86  peace\, love\, happiness & understanding (picture of Rocky Hutchinson with eight puppies) (9/7/23) \nquote from Ai Weiwei \n“YARKHOTO” poem by Ai Qing \nletter from Abe Green \nletter from Rocky Hutchinson \n“Prairie Radio” poem by Kim Stafford \nexcerpt from “The Final Frontier” essay by Brian Doyle \n  \nIssue #87  Black Elk’s Vision (picture of Black Elk) (10/5/23) \npassages from Black Elk Speaks by Black Elk & John G. Neihardt \n“All My Relations” by Kim Stafford \n“My House is the Red Earth” by Joy Harjo \n“Grandfathers Whispering” by John Trudell \n“MOTHER EARTH: HER WHALES” by Gary Snyder \npassage from The Sacred Pipe by Black Elk & Joseph Epes Brown \n  \nIssue #88  The War Prayer (picture of Peanuts cartoon) (11/2/23) \n“Other Laws of War” by Kim Stafford \n“The War Prayer” by Mark Twain \nstory about New York City teacher Sari Beth Rosenberg from CNN \nsome thoughts by Johnny Stallings \n“Please Call Me by My True Names” by Thich Nhat Hanh  \n  \nIssue #89  Letters from Rocky and Lots of Poems (picture of Lake Grinnell in Glacier National Park) (12/7/23) \nLetters from Rocky \n“Gate A-4\,” a poem by Naomi Shihab Nye \nKurt Vonnegut quote about doing things because you enjoy them \n“Driving to the Headlands on the 23rd of December\,” poem by Gail Lester \n“Water Song\,” poem by Kim Stafford \nvideo of starling murmuration \n“Honesty\,” poem by Elizabeth Domike \npoem by Alex Tretbar \nsome thoughts by Johnny Stallings\, with Dhammapada quote \n  \nIssue #90  Celebration! (picture of Alan & Christine\, with Santa and dogs & cat) (1/4/24) \nsome thoughts on celebration by Johnny \n“I am with you” poem by Kim Stafford \n“The Three Wise Men” poem by Will Hornyak \n  \nIssue #91 What has enlarged your world? (picture of Nancy in Guanajuato) (2/1/24) \nThe Key to Sweden by Kim Stafford \nAlex Tretbar recommends In Search of Lost Time  \nJohnny Stallings’ thoughts on the question “What has enlarged your world?” \nElizabeth Domike’s thoughts on the question “What has enlarged your world?” \nKatie Radditz’s thoughts on the question “What has enlarged your world?” \n  \nIssue #92  Abundance! (picture of Mexican ceramic Tree of World Literature) (3/7/24) \nThoughts on Abundance by Johnny\, including passages from King Lear\, Ulysses & “Song of Myself”   \n“Some Tides” poem by Will Hornyak   \nPreface to The Lagniappe by Kim Stafford   \npassage from “Last Prayer” essay by Brian Doyle \n  \nIssue #93  Creativity! (picture of Martha Graham) (4/4/24) \nletter by Martha Graham about creativity \n“Wild Visioning” poem by Kim Stafford \n“How to Make a Poem” poem by Kim Stafford \n“Creativity” essay by Kim Stafford about Naomi Shihab Nye’s essay “Maintenance” \nquotes from William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway sent by Keith Scales \n“The Choice” poem by W. B. Yeats sent by Keith Scales \n“My Process of Creativity” essay by Deborah Buchanan\, including three of her poems: \n“Her Gaze Never Drops” \n“white orchid” \n“Retroactive Prayers” \ntwo ancient Mexican poems sent by Andy Larkin: \n“Here through art I shall live forever…” \n“The Artist” \n“Sisters” essay by Elizabeth Domike \nfour short poems by Johnny Stallings: \n“The trick of a poem is:” \n“i want to go to the place where poems come from” \n“the unwritten poem” \n“if i could put into words what i see out this window” \n  \nIssue #94  Mostly Poems (picture of cow weathervane\, with bird perched on it)  (5/2/24) \n“Remember” poem by Joy Harjo \n“Birthing Your Secret Self” poem by Kim Stafford \n“Not So Much” poem by Elizabeth Domike \n“MAD” poem by Brandon Lee Roy \nsome thoughts from Rocky Hutchinson \n“We Are Seven” poem by William Wordsworth \n  \nIssue #95  Blogs and Other Stuff (picture of “The Young Hare” by Dürer) (6/6/24) \n“The Province of Clocks” poem by Alex Tretbar \nquote from Isaac Bashevis Singer about the wisdom that older people have \n“About Those Web Logs (Blogs)” essay by Elizabeth Domike \nsome thoughts by Johnny about “peace\, love\, happiness & understanding” and Walt Whitman \n  \nIssue #96  What Stories Do You Tell Yourself to Cheer Yourself Up?  7/4/24) \nJohnny’s thoughts on the stories he tells to cheer himself up \nlink to a “Seasons Greetings” video by J Kahn   \n“The Summer Day” poem by Mary Oliver   \n“A Translation Project for Peace” and the poem “A Proclamation for Peace” by Kim Stafford   \nquote from Hallucinations by Oliver Sacks   \n“Love the Butcher Bird Lurks Everywhere” poem by William Stafford   \n“Gift” poem by Czesław Miłosz \n  \nIssue #97  Poems\, Letters & Other Writings  (picture by Saul Steinberg) 8/1/24 \n“I put on my glasses” poem by John Brehm \n“Walking Through a Wall” prose poem by Louis Jenkins   \nJ Kahn writes about “Marcel the Shell With Shoes”   \nJohnny responds to what J wrote   \nlyrics to “That Feel” by Tom Waits \n “Nirvana” poem by Charles Bukowski   \nletter from Rocky Hutchinson   \nletter from Michel Deforge   \nJude writes about finding peace\, love\, happiness & understanding   \nKatie shared Gary Snyder’s poem: “I Went Into the Maverick Bar” \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/peace-love-happiness-understanding-archive/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://openroadpdx.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/IMG_1936-2-2.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240720T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20240720T210000 DTSTAMP:20260424T091319 CREATED:20240715T210418Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240715T210925Z UID:4870-1721502000-1721509200@openroadpdx.com SUMMARY:Your Enjoyment of the World is Never Right Till Every Morning You Awake in Heaven: Poems & Meditations of Thomas Traherne 7/20/24 DESCRIPTION:  \nYour Enjoyment of the World is Never Right \nTill Every Morning You Awake in Heaven \n  \nJohnny Stallings reads poems and meditations of the Christian mystic Thomas Traherne (1636-1674)\, followed by dialogue. This is an Open Road event. \n  \nMuir Hall in Taborspace\, 5441 SE Belmont\, in Portland \nSaturday\, July 20th\, at 7 pm URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/your-enjoyment-of-the-world-is-never-right-till-every-morning-you-awake-in-heaven-poems-meditations-of-thomas-traherne-7-20-24/ END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR