Prepare for a ‘Season of Nonviolence’

by C. E. Taylor for So. Oregon Pachamama Alliance

Do you want to learn how to live in peace in today’s chaotic world? Are you inspired by reading about successful nonviolence movements?

Three Ashland organizations are co-hosting a promising book club that will address these questions and shed light on possibilities for peace activism. Peace House, South Mountain Friends Meeting, and Southern Oregon Pachamama Alliance invite you to join a four–week book club meeting on Wednesday evenings 6:30 to 8pm beginning September 20, 2023, at Peace House, 543 S. Mountain Ave., Ashland.

This unique reading group is part of Peace House’s 40th anniversary  “Season of Nonviolence” and Pace e Bene’s “Campaign Nonviolence Days of Action,” an annual international campaign dedicated to “working to end war, poverty, racism and environmental destruction —and building a nonviolent culture.”

Every September 21 (International Day of Peace) through October 2 (International Day of Nonviolence) groups across the country and around the world mobilize for a culture of peace, economic equality, racial justice and environmental healing.

The Fall Nonviolence Reading Group features three different books, each with a different perspective. Participants will explore together what it means to shift into a culture of peace and build a community of nonviolence.

You can register for the book club now (see the book descriptions and reading schedule below), and as we get closer to the first meeting we’ll send you a reminder. Prior to the first meeting, please locate the book of your choice and read the first week’s assignment for that book. For a 20% discount, purchase your book from Bloomsbury in Ashland, indicating it is for the Fall Nonviolence Reading Group, code #13.

Here are the 3 easy steps to participate:

• Sign up today indicating the book you plan to read.
• Get the book and begin reading (see reading schedule below)
• Save the dates and show up for the conversations.

All meetings will take place at Peace House, 543 S. Mountain Avenue in Ashland on
Wednesdays from 6:30-8pm, Sept 20 & 27, and Oct 4 & 11.

About the Books

See No Stranger by Valarie Kaur is a powerful personal story of how young Sikh woman, witnessing the hate directed toward her people after 9-11, came to be an international voice for “revolutionary love.” Learn more about the author and this book here.

The reading schedule for See No Stranger is:

• Sept. 20 – Introduction
• Sept. 27 – Part 1 (Chapters 1-3)
• Oct. 4 – Part 2 (Chapters 4-6)
• Oct. 11 – Part 3 (Chapters 7-9) & the Epilogue

Winds of Change by Rivera Sun is a novel that tells the compelling story of how non-violent ideas spread like dandelion seeds through a culture much like ours. Winds of Change is the third book in Rivera Sun’s Dandelion Trilogy. Learn more about the author and this book here.

The reading schedule for Winds of Change is:

• Sept. 20 – Author’s note & Chapter 1
• Sept. 27 – Chapters 2-11
• Oct. 4 – Chapters 12-21
• Oct. 11 – Chapters 22 to the end

Are We Done Fighting? By Matthew Legge is a “how to” book on practicing non-violence towards ourselves and others. Based on the latest research, Legge offers clear explanations and activities for skill development. Learn more about the author and this book here

The reading schedule for the Are We Don Fighting? is:

• Sept. 20 –
  • Chapter 1 (pages 3-8)
  • Chapter 6 (pages 53-70)
  • Chapter 7 (pages 75-84)
• Sept. 27 – Chapter 8 (pages 87-97)
  • Chapter 9 (pages 102-107)
  • Chapter 10 (pages 115-127)
  • Chapter 14 (pages 151-159)
  • Chapter 15 (pages 63-170)
• Oct. 4 – Chapter 16 (pages 173-188)
  • Chapter 17 (pages 193-194)
  • Chapter 18 (pages 200-208)
• Oct. 11 – Chapter 19 (pages 215-219)
  • Chapter 20 (pages 221-228)
  • Chapter 21 (pages 234-239)
  • Chapter 22 (pages 243-248)
  • Chapter 23 (pages 251-259)
  • Chapter 24 (pages 261-264)

Questions? Email info@southernoregonpachamama.org