Recent Posts

How to Grow a Quaker Yearly Meeting: A Piedmont Case Study

After sixty years among Quakers, I’ve developed a few seat-of-the-pants markers for evaluating yearly meetings (or YMs) annual sessions. These events are busy. Days are filled with committee meetings, workshops, fund appeals from service groups, wordsmithing save-the-world minutes to be sent to (& ignored by) the powerful, and in between, endless chatter. My Evaluation Form, … Continue reading How to Grow a Quaker Yearly Meeting: A Piedmont Case Study →

A Quaker Story for Black History Month: John Woolman & the Slave Girl

Here’s a Quaker story for Juneteenth. When I wrote it, I had read John Woolman’s famous Journal (it’s online here, free, and if thee claims to be a Quaker, or even Quaker curious, Friend, thee should read it too. Here’s also a historian’s sketch of Woolman.). Like so many, I admired the book, and the … Continue reading A Quaker Story for Black History Month: John Woolman & the Slave Girl →

Jesus Loves (Quakers), This I Know — Because “Pope” Pete Hegseth Told Me So

The Defense Department dropped a big shoe yesterday (June 4): it released a revised list of “faith groups” (aka religions) that will continue to be recognized by the military. And the “good news” is, ” Quakers are on it. (There’s “bad” Quaker news on it too; we’ll get to that shortly.) This paperwork “shoe” is … Continue reading Jesus Loves (Quakers), This I Know — Because “Pope” Pete Hegseth Told Me So →

A New Book of Resistance Verse, Serious & Whimsical

“Write to Congress!” That’s what our Quaker lobby told us. “Frequently. Your letters make a diﬀerence.” Well, I was skeptical; but I did it anyway. For a year-plus. Did it make a difference? Sort of: it produced my new book: Whistles That Rhyme. But in Congress? That jury’s still out. I remain skeptical. Why? Two … Continue reading A New Book of Resistance Verse, Serious & Whimsical →

Alligator Alley Is (Likely) Closing; Contractors Getting Bitten

If you believe the New York Times, the curtain will soon fall over a horrendous blot on our laws and values: “Alligator Alcatraz” (I call it The Traz for short) is closing, as soon as next month. I also say “if you believe,” because the Times based its story on four anonymous sources, so it’s … Continue reading Alligator Alley Is (Likely) Closing; Contractors Getting Bitten →