Bayard Rustin: The Invisible Activist

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by Jacqueline Houtman, Walter Naegle, Michael Long

A new biography for middle school ages and up
“We need, in every community, a group of angelic troublemakers” — Bayard Rustin

To many, the civil rights movement brings to mind protests, marches, boycotts, and freedom rides. They often think of people like Martin Luther King, Jr. or Rosa Parks. They seldom think of Bayard Rustin.

Raised by his Quaker grandmother to believe in the value of every human being, Bayard made trouble wherever he saw injustice. As a teenager, he was arrested for sitting in the whites only section of a theater. More arrests followed, for protesting against segregation, discrimination, and war. His belief in nonviolent action as a means for social change gave him a guiding vision for the civil rights movement, which he used to mentor the young Martin Luther King, Jr. When A. Philip Randolph needed the best organizer on the planet, he turned to Bayard Rustin to bring 250,000 people to the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

Illustrated with over sixty photos, this book is the product of a unique collaboration between three authors: Bayard’s partner of ten years, a professor of religious studies, and a children’s book author. Though he is largely ignored in history books, Bayard’s ideas and actions will inspire today’s young (and not-so-young) readers to be angelic troublemakers.

QuakerPress 2014
Paperback
166pp
ISBN:
978-1-937768-58-4

A Little Book of Unknowing

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by Jennifer Kavanagh

What if the facts on which we base our lives are shown to be unreliable? What if our expectations are confounded?

What if we let go of those assumptions and expectations?
What if we let go of our familiar, habitual ways of thinking?
What if we let go of the very need to know?

Unknowing is at the centre of spiritual life. It is only by creating a space in which anything can happen that we allow God to speak; only by stepping back that we allow space for that unpredictable Spirit that brings us gifts beyond any of our imaginings.. “God dwells only where man steps back to give him room.”

Christian Alternatives (John Holt Publishing)
73 pp.
ISBN: 978-1-78279-808-8

Endorsements

This little book of unknowing is hugely powerful in its scope, beauty and profound articulation of complex aspects of the spiritual journey of unknowing. The integration of Jennifer’s own experiences with her deep noetic knowing of unknowing threaded through spiritual wisdom from well known spiritual teachers is exquisite. I highly recommend this work to both experienced seekers and beginners – both can learn and grow from such a well of wisdom. Rev Dr Lynne Sedgmore, OBE, ordained Interfaith Minister, Spiritual Director and retreat leader.

An ancient approach to spiritual exploration, rediscovered for the modern age. An important book that will help many people. Rev Simon Small; Chaplain, Abbey House Retreat Centre, Glastonbury,

Such a special, helpful and very much needed book for this uncertain time. Lucinda M. Vardey, editor of The Twelve Degrees of Silence.

The Emancipation of B

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by Jennifer Kavanagh

This is Quaker Jennifer Kavanagh’s first novel. B is not a child of his time. As an outsider, he hides his secrets well. Freedom is all he dreams of. But when it comes at last, it is in the most unexpected way – and at a considerable cost.

Roundfire Books, an imprint of John Hunt Publishing 2015
149 pp.
ISBN: 978-1782798842

Endorsements

“I think the book is wonderful. Vivid and absorbing and thought-provoking. Nor did I find B unsympathetic. Far from it – he is an odd character, yes,

but I found myself really caring what became of him.” (Tony Peake, author of A Summer Tide, Son to the Father, Seduction and a biography of Derek Jarman)

“A hymn to mindfulness and a moving meditation on our conflicting ideas of home in a novel that explores one solitary man’s efforts to find sanctuary in the most unlikely of places.” (Paul Wilson, author of The Visiting Angel)

“I finished the book over the weekend, and was completely hooked all the way through. You are a marvellous writer, observer, and guide. You said the narrative would reveal itself slowly, which it did, but to have kept the reader’s attention when sometimes we were witnessing quite humdrum events in quite ordinary lives, is a tribute to your skill. You simply had to turn the page! … Your descriptions of the nuances of childhood and family dissonance are absolutely spot on. I think the book is both haunting and memorable and I salute you for it.” (Laura Morris, literary agent)

Renewable

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by Eileen Flanagan

At age forty-nine, Eileen Flanagan had an aching feeling that she wasn’t living up to her potential—or her youthful ideals. A former Peace Corps volunteer who’d once loved the simplicity of living in a mud hut in Botswana, she now had too many e-mails in her inbox and a basement full of stuff she didn’t need. Increasingly worried about her children’s future on a warming planet, she felt unable to make a difference—until she joined a band of singing Quaker activists who helped her find her voice and her power.

Renewable: One Woman’s Search for Simplicity, Faithfulness, and Hope is the story of a spiritual writer and mother of two who, while trying to change the world, unexpectedly finds the courage to change her life. With wit and wisdom, Eileen Flanagan shares the engaging journey that brings her from midlife spiritual crisis to fulfillment and hope—and, briefly, to jail.

She Writes Press
Paper
200 pp.
ISBN: 978-1631529689

A Sustainable Life: Quaker Faith and Practice in the Renewal of Creation

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by Douglas Gwyn

A well-known Quaker historian explores the qualities of Quaker faith and practice that contribute to living sustainably in the world today. He explores such paradoxes as equality and community, unity and differentiation, integrity and personal discernment, and other aspects of life that Quakers have worked to bring into balance through their 350-year history. How have Quakers learned to create the kind of individual and community life that can prepare us to live fully and responsibly into a time of social and planetary change?

QuakerPress of FGC 2014
Paperback
210 pp
ISBN:1-937768-55-4

A short excerpt

The Covenant of Light

by Douglas Gwyn

Living more consistently attuned to the light/seed, we become more faithful to a presence that abides faithfully with us. We are befriending God, who is ready to help us and heal our lives, but who respects our freedom and must be actively invited into our lives. This is the beginning of life in the covenant, a very open-ended set of relationships that play out in three dimensions.

First, an open-ended relationship with God. Quaker faith and practice is rooted in a living experience and deep understanding of Christ. But the light we understand as Christ abides in people everywhere. Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, pagans, non-theists, atheists—all have access to this transforming, enlightening, saving presence. They will name it with whatever terms are available and meaningful to them. Creeds are counter-productive, even to Christian faith. They turn participation in the life of God into propositions about God. Not only do creeds rule out people who don’t have the “right answers,” they also invite hypocrisy when Christians mouth beliefs they don’t understand or secretly doubt. So an open-ended relationship with God is participation in a reality we cannot fully understand or set boundaries on.

Second, an open-ended relationship with others. The more attuned we become to the light within ourselves, the more we recognize it in widening varieties of people. Our belief that the same light enlightens all kinds of people invites new friendships, mutual respect and cooperation between women and men, different races, classes, and cultures. It prohibits us from resorting to violence – physical, verbal, emotional – to solve our conflicts. We seek to befriend the stranger, even the enemy, in the search for a peaceful life together. Friendship is a polymorphous form of relationship that bridges social boundaries and subverts hierarchies of all kinds. Friendship is patient listening, waiting for the truth of the situation to emerge through dialogue. We live the covenant of light by extending friendship toward others. Widening experiences of friendship naturally lead us into community action and political advocacy to ensure the full rights and privileges of all members of society, to promote alternatives to violence, to oppose war.

Third, an open-ended relationship with the earth. Befriending God within ourselves and “that of God in every one” is an embodied life. It is spiritual practice that locates the divine presence in our bodies. It is also material practice that leads us to live peacefully and equitably with others – and to live more simply on the earth. Quaker spiritual practice is primarily non-verbal. When we suspend language and quiet our minds, we not only become more centered in our bodies. We also feel more distinctly our relationship with the earth and its species of life. We become better stewards of God’s creation, befriending the earth and its creatures. We become less “territorial” – physically, emotionally, economically, culturally and religiously.

A Quaker Courtship

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by Ann Trueblood Raper

A Quaker Courtship is an intimate, endearing story of love and a tantalizing glimpse of the life, key leaders and organizations among Quakers in 1922, revealed in letters, photographs and telegrams exchanged almost daily by Paul Furnas and Betty Walter as they met, courted and planned to marry.

Paul and Betty were Quakers from different branches of Friends: the Furnases were Orthodox and the Walters were Hicksite. Their own courtship coincided with an effort among young adult Friends to unite these disparate branches and revive the Religious Society of Friends in the United States. As leaders of this movement much was made of their own union.

A Quaker Courtship was written and edited by Ann Trueblood Raper, who discovered their letters and became immersed in their world. It is an annotated memoir of the love of Paul and Betty, largely in their own words.

Paperback: 262 pages
Publisher: Ann Trueblood Raper (September 4, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0692254900
ISBN-13: 978-0692254905

BOUNTY: Lopez Island Farmers, Food, and Community

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BOUNTY: Lopez Island Farmers, Food, and Community is a 124-page book that combines photographs, profiles, and recipes to present an intimate, behind-the-scenes view of what it takes to bring food from earth to table on Lopez Island.

Photography by Steve Horn, Summer Moon Scriver, and Robert S. Harrison; profiles by Iris Graville; recipes created by Chef Kim Bast.

Available from the author: iris@irisgraville.com

Hands at Work

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Hands at Work – Portraits and Profiles of People Who Work with Their Hands is a collection of dramatic black and white portraits, by Summer Moon Scriver along with companion profiles by Iris Graville, that captures the drama and tells the stories of people who work with their hands.

The 144-page coffee-table book offers 23 full-length profiles and three themed collages of people passionate about their work. Many of the 126 black-and-white art images are printed larger than life. Viewed in such deft detail, hands take on sensual elegance; an oboe player’s thumb and forefinger steady his instrument; a midwife’s hand clasps the palm of a laboring mother. Author Graville also moves in close, allowing individuals to speak with unselfconscious candor. Written in the tradition of Studs Turkel’s classic book, Working, Graville and Scriver have created a collection of stories that connect and inspire.

Available from the author: iris@irisgraville.com and amazon.com.

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