I've been fairly quiet in this newsletter space over the last several months but a lot has been going on. I'll get to the rest in a moment, but first I'd like to announce the next Community of Communities workshop is at Red Emma's on Oct 18th from 12:30 to 3:30pm. Austin Kent will join me again as co-facilitator. This time we are focusing on storytelling. Specifically how to we listen to others' well enough to weave a mutually inclusive story?

Austin shared a perfect example of this in our last planning session. A friend of his was having a conversation with someone who had a Gadsden Flag flying at his house.

Instead of assuming what the flag meant, Austin's friend asked. The man gave an impassioned speech about the importance of gun rights and protecting ourselves from government interference in our lives. Austin's friend listened, and agreed. Then he added: "I'm sure that's also how a lot of gay people feel about the government interfering in their lives." The man couldn't object.

We can use those moments of potential conflict as a time to wield our facts or to build bridges. The former may reassure us of our knowledge, but the latter is what changes people's minds.

Don't get me wrong though, there are a lot of barriers to such conversations. Cult expert Steven Hassan has documented the cult nature of Trump's following, but he's also provided resources for talking with people in cults. Colin Woodard has studied how our regional cultures inform how differently we think and talk about pressing issues, but his opinion surveys have show a way to speak and listen across those lines. Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor have documented the tech fascists' apocalyptic world-view, but they have also shown the opening that provides for the rest of us to work together.

As always, we will draw on those tools and practice them during the workshop so you will be ready to use them in the real world when the time comes.

Everyone gets to talk

Another project I've been part of for the past several years is starting to expand: All Things Book Club. It grew out of a traditional book club some friends and I had for The Dawn of Everything. After finishing the book, we wanted to continue to meet but we couldn't agree on what to read. So we pulled up a random online wheel, each person entered a topic that interested them, and we spun. It became a fun way to have a discussion group where everyone gets to shamelessly talk about whatever is fascinating them in that moment and everyone also gets a chance to hear new ideas from something other than an algorithm. We've been doing them monthly for a couple years now and really enjoy it.

I actually led my first online version of the book club in when I was in Mexico with my in-laws for the summer. I don't know as many people outside family down there and so it became a wonderful way to meet new people.

I've also built an dedicated website for the book club and I'll be announcing our first online Open House event soon, so stay tuned!

KRUST

Finally, Thank you to all the kids who attended the KRUST workshop at Dreams & Make-Believers this past Sunday. It's always so fun to explore topics like friendship with the kids because they really are like little adults struggling with the same things we are but with different ways of expressing them. Thank you also to my partner in KRUST, Bmore Transform. They have a lot of activities coming up so check out their website as well.

600 1st Ave, Ste 330 PMB 92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2246
​Unsubscribe · Preferences​