2022 Season
Veterans Series
A much smaller percentage of U.S. families have shouldered military service during the post-9/11 conflicts than at any other time in our nation’s history. Nearly 10% of Americans served in the military during World War II. Less than 1% serve today.
As a result, most civilians don’t fully appreciate what military service is all about. In fact, both military families and civilian families report difficulty understanding each other’s experiences. Stereotypes are prevalent, but opportunities for meaningful conversation are rare.
In 2022, we explored ways to better understand and support our veterans.
July 11, 2022
Bridging the Civilian and Military Divide
Doug Bradley & Leanne Knobloch
July 27, 2022.
Book Discussion: Learning to Stay
Erin Celello
The culture of agriculture:
Family, farms, and farming in a changing world
August 8, 2022
James Ridge and Sarah Day presented the poems of Daniel Smith, with farmers Kal Maxwell and Dale Clark sharing their stories.
Daniel Smith’s ANCESTRAL draws from the thirty years he farmed his family’s dairy farm. It explores a family’s deep attachment to the land, the physical work of farming, and the emotional disruption one endures when such a life is no longer sustainable.
The evening featured Daniel’s work and farmers’ response to it.
Being the change: Getting from concern to action
September 12, 2022
There's a lot to be concerned about in our world. The daily grind of issues and worries can feel overwhelming and impossible to change. But you can make a difference. You can, as Gandhi encouraged, "be the change you want to see in the world."
Rob Greenfield is an activist and humanitarian dedicated to leading the way to a more sustainable and just world.
A Decent Home: screening and conversation
October 3, 2022
The evening began with a screening of A Decent Home, a feature length documentary film that addresses urgent issues of class and economic inequity through the lives of mobile home park residents who can’t afford housing anywhere else.
Candi Evans, Iowa park resident and activist for manufactured home park issues, shared her experiences after the screening.