Episode 7

ABOUT the SONGWRITERS and their SONGS

Michigander Carrie Newcomer’s video for her beautiful song Sanctuary was inspired by a letter she received from her good friend, Quaker writer Parker Palmer. He had responded to her question on what can we do now—when things seem so bleak. This song says it all so well, with Newcomer’s wrap-you-up-in-her-arms-reassuring voice. “In a time of deep divisions, Carrie has become a national voice for finding how we still connect at the heart of the human story.”

Next up is Prayer for Peace, by Seth Handelman, and performed so passionately by Mark and Deb Bond, who also hail from New Hampshire. The song laments a world rife with unnecessary wars, and calls for a new era of peace to be ushered in by the collective power of millions of fervent voices. May the “Hundredth Monkey Effect” rise again!

Musical activist Purly Rae Gates‘ song Wake Up Now! has found its way into webinars, films and living rooms around the country over the last few years. The message becomes more urgent with every new moon: we must wake up and do whatever we can to ‘turn the ship around’, and keep the planet liveable for future generations. Time to lead the leaders.

Closing out the episode is the anthem, Peace, Salaam, Shalom, from west coast-based Emma’s Revolution. This wildly impactful, talented and rockin’ folk duo, a long-standing partnership between Pat Humphrey and Sandy O, was inspired by the anarchist and revolutionary Emma Goldman. Their song has travelled the world and has been sung by thousands—  bringing joy, inspiration and hope to many populations suffering now from global warming, toxic pollution and geopolitical strife.