SEPTEMBER 2021
SEPTEMBER 2021
Our newsletter this month will focus on events happening in the fall, starting with a look at a few more of the upcoming events for Compassion Arts Festival 2021. To learn more email info@compassionarts.org or visit www.compassionarts.org
UPCOMING EVENTS
The Tulip Tree Project
Photo: Tulip Tree
Compassion Arts is excited to announce a new virtual program in development, THE TULIP TREE PROJECT, to highlight the creativity of children and young people who care about animals and nature. The Tulip Tree Project will collaborate with organizations and groups, using Compassion Arts original programs, to offer ways for youth of different ages to participate in virtual projects that give expression to stories, thoughts, experiences and feelings about animals and the natural world.
Programs will be announced on our website in our PROJECTS section starting in October and November. We will start accepting submissions in February 2022.
The first of the Tulip Tree programs to launch will be a virtual Community Youth Art Project for ages 6-12 years old for EarthDay 2022. The second program will be a true storytelling writing program for ages 12- 18 as part of our Animal Story series for next summer. Please check our website for details coming soon.
For more information visit compassionarts.org/news-events
CompassionSpeaks
PODCAST
Artwork by podcast guest Cyrus Mejia
We are pleased to share that our fledgling COMPASSION SPEAKS podcast is on track to launch at the end of this year. The focus of the podcast will be on creativity in animal advocacy. Programs will feature a wide range of different guest hosts who will lead interviews and roundtables, as well as readings, story slams, music shares and other presentations, for people using their work and artistry to give voice to compassion for all species. The podcast will also highlight upcoming programs of Compassion Arts and will close each show with a featured spotlight of a different sanctuary or animal rescue group. Podcast details, upcoming guests and schedule will be announced on our website next month.
COMING THIS FALL ...
Compassion Arts Festival 2021
A reminder that our 7th annual Compassion Arts Festival is coming in November with many events to explore! This year’s festival theme is Reflections on The Ten Trusts (inspired by the book “THE TEN TRUSTS: What We Must Do To Care For The Animals We Love” by Jane Goodall and Marc Bekoff). Twelve virtual programs will be presented over 10 days on the Ten Trust tenets, www.compassionartsfestival.org/program/welcome followed by a virtual Thanks-Living hosted by Vegans of New England, to close the festival. All events are free and will be streamed on the festival website homepage, except for 4 closed programs ( a humane education roundtable, poetry workshop, film screening, and a symposium on intersections of vegan living and social justice ) which will require advance sign-up by emailing info@compassionarts.org.
Each month leading up to the festival, Compassion Arts newsletters feature different programs from the schedule line-up to give an overview of events. (Past newsletters are on our website). Below are a few more highlights on some of the upcoming programs to look for in November.
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
TEACHING OUR CHILDREN
Humane Education & Why it Matters
Hosted by Zoe Weil
Join us on Wed., Nov. 17th for TEACHING OUR CHILDREN, a speaker presentation and roundtable discussion on humane education, hosted by and also featuring Zoe Weil. Considered a pioneer in the comprehensive humane education movement, Zoe Weil is the co-founder and president of the Institute for Humane Education (IHE) and the creator of groundbreaking programs in education, including her acclaimed MOGO (Most Good) workshops. She is the author of seven books including Most Good Least Harm , The World Becomes What We Teach, The Power and Promise of Humane Education, and Above All, Be Kind. A highly regarded speaker across the U.S. and Canada, she has served as a consultant on humane education to organizations around the world, written numerous articles (including a regular blog for Psychology Today), and is perhaps most well known to people for her inspiring TED Talks.
The TEACHING OUR CHILDREN roundtable program will also feature three amazing guest speakers to talk about their work and discuss different aspects of humane education – what it is, how it works, and why it matters. These participating roundtable speakers will be announced and highlighted in our October newsletter, along with more details about this event.
TEACHING OUR CHILDREN is a festival program for exploring “The Fourth Trust: Teach Our Children to Respect and Love Nature.” This is a closed webinar and so advance sign-up is required by November 12th at info@compassionarts.org .
WRITING LIKE AN ANIMAL
Persona Poem Workshop
with Gretchen Primack
Gretchen Primack www.gretchenprimack.com will lead a virtual poetry workshop on Sat., Nov. 20th at 2-4pmEST on writing poetry from the perspective of animals. Persona Poems, as they are called, are a uniquely personal kind of poetry and a creative tool for speaking through the voice of a fictional individual, human or animal, to see through their eyes. Using the power of words, imagination, and compassion, Persona Poems have the ability to connect deeply with the experiences of others, in ways that inspire empathy and meaningful change. This workshop is recommended for teachers, advocates, writers, and anyone who cares about animals and wishes to explore ways for encouraging the consideration of animals from a different view.
WRITING LIKE AN ANIMAL is a free workshop for a small group. The number of participants is limited,so advance sign-up is required by Nov 12th at info@compassionarts.org . All attendees who participate in the workshop will receive a copy of Gretchen Primack’s book Kind, and will also be offered the opportunity, for anyone who may be interested, to share their Persona Poems at Compassion Arts Creating Peace Reading Circle the following week on Friday 11/24,.
Gretchen Primack is a poet, educator, and a passionate advocate for the rights and welfare of both human and non-human animals. She has been a contributing presenter for Compassion Arts programs since 2016. We are deeply honored and excited to host this workshop with her.
MUSICAL PROGRAMS
RESPECT ALL LIFE
Piano Concert & Lecture
Joanne Kong & Paul Hanson
Music has the power to reawaken and deepen our emotional sensitivity, expanding our circles of compassion for others. RESPECT ALL LIFE is a classical piano performance and speaking presentation from Drs. Joanne Kong and Paul Hanson, for exploring the vital connections we share with our kindred animals and advocating for increased awareness that how we treat our fellow beings has vast ramifications for life on our planet. Drs. Kong & Hanson are acclaimed concert pianists and professors, as well as devoted vegan animal advocates. Joanne Kong is also the author of several books for vegan advocacy and the editor of an upcoming book Vegan Voices, as well as an internationally recognized speaker for compassion for animals and plant-based living.
RESPECT ALL LIFE is a pre-recorded piano concert and speaking presentation reflecting on the tenets of “The Second Trust”. It will stream on the festival website Monday., Nov 15., at 7:00pm
KINDRED SOUL
Virtual House Concert
for Tamerlaine Sanctuary
Composer/musician and multi-media performing artist Michael Harren will host a virtual house concert KINDRED SOUL with guest musicians, songwriters, poetry, and performing artists, to highlight the work of Tamerlaine Sanctuary & Preserve. A combination virtual concert and sanctuary tour all in one, this uplifting program opens the 2021 Compassion Arts Festival and celebrates “The First Trust: Rejoice that We Are Part of the Animal Kingdom.”
KINDRED SOUL will feature a wide range of performers, songwriters, and other artists who are using their work for animal advocacy and compassionate living. Guest artists will be announced in the coming weeks on our website and will be highlighted in the November newsletter.
Tamerlaine Sanctuary & Preserve is a safe haven for rescued farm animals and a natural preserve of forests, wetlands, wildlife, ponds, and fields. The sanctuary’s mission is to care for abused and neglected farmed animals, conserve nature and the land, educate about animal protection and environmental ethics, and advocate for a compassionate society.
This is a free event that will be streamed live on the festival website, Sun., Nov 14th at 1pm.
PERSPECTIVES ON ADVOCACY
ACT WITH HOPE
Speakers Roundtable
Hosted by Martin Rowe
Aysha Akhtar: Beneath the Dandelion Sea
Proceeds from sales of paintings by Aysha Akhtar are donated to Center for Contemporary Sciences
Our speaker roundtable ACT WITH HOPE will present the work of five people leading the way in positive action for animals. Each of the program’s guests are an example of how animal advocacy can serve in bold, creative, and illuminating ways that seed awareness and compel reflection as a catalyst for transformation and hope for the future.
ACT WITH HOPE will be hosted and moderated by writer and co-founder of Lantern Publishing & Media Martin Rowe and will feature guests Aysha Akhtar to talk about the work of Center for Contemporary Sciences to replace animal testing and her book Our Symphony with Animals; Ayrenish Birdie to talk about the work of the Encompass Movement for a globally diverse animal protection movement and her book Anti-Racism in Animal Advocacy ; Joanne Kong to share about her work as a vegan advocate and about her upcoming book Vegan Voices; Jo-Anne McArthur ( We Animals, Captive) to discuss her work as a photojournalist and as founder of We Animals Media and Unbound Project, and to speak about her newest book The Animals Are Leaving Us, co-authored with Martin Rowe.
ACT WITH HOPE program is a reflection on “The Tenth Trust: Act Knowing We Are Not Alone and Live With Hope.” It will be streamed on the festival website Tues., Nov. 23rd at 7PM EST
PRESERVING NATURE’S SONG
Reflecting on The Sixth Trust
Interviews, Readings & Meditations
Linda G. Fisher
PRESERVING NATURE’S SONG is a contemplative program on “The Sixth Step: Value and Help Preserve the Sounds of Nature” co-hosted by Linda G. Fisher, John Yunker, and Dawn Casteel-Lorick. The program will share selected videos and interviews from guest contributors (TBA), along with presentations, readings and meditations from the hosts, to reflect on how we can listen more deeply to animals and the natural world, and how creativity can be a force for helping to preserve nature’s song by connecting and communicating its importance to others.
Linda G Fisher is an artist, animal advocate, writer, and interspecies communicator, who uses her work to convey a message of compassion for all species . She is a tribal member of the Ojibwe Nation, and belongs to the Catfish clan.
John Yunker is a writer of works on human/animal relationships and co-founder of Ashland Creek Press, devoted to environmental and animal rights. He is editor of the anthologies Writing for Animals and Among Animals, and teacher of Writing for Animals class.
Dawn Casteel-Lorick is a healing arts facilitator for animals, writer, and creator of The Listening Project, a program using deep listening, meditations and writing, for reconnecting our inner landscape to the original voices of animals and the natural world.
PRESERVING NATURE’S SONG is a free program that will be streamed on the festival website Fri, Nov. 19th at 7PM EST.
All of our festival events are free and are made possible by our dedicated presenters, who donate time and work to offer these programs. We encourage people to visit their websites and to learn more about their important work, in support of all they do for animals, the earth, and all of us.
For more information please email info@compassionarts.orgCreating Peace Reading Circle is a Compassion Arts gathering on zoom that is presented on the fourth Friday of every month, in partnership with Unity of Central Mass for their Friday Night Spiritual Practice program. The book discussion circle shares writings on animals and nature, and stories of healing and transformation for a more compassionate and just world for all.
To sign up for this event please email info@compassionarts.org to receive the zoom link information.
For more information visit compassionarts.org/news-events
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