This is one of the first long-form documentaries I ever did for NPR’s “Horizons” program. It explores the deep feminine through the eyes of several “witches” and priestesses who honor and worship female power and divinity through the myths, rituals and symbols associated with goddesses past, present and future. Features Starhawk, Z. Budapest, Francesco Dubie. Gina Banghart, Mathew Fox, Joseph Campbell, Winnie Lubelle and Diana Jordan, among others. Making this documentary changed my view of women forever. Turn off the lights and play it with headphones!
Tens of thousands of Hasidic devotees from around the world converged this week at the grave of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, also known as the “Lubavitcher Rebbe,” in Queens, New York. They came to pray, to celebrate, mourn and to ask for blessings from the man many in the Chabad-Lubavitch sect believe to be the Messiah, and whom the world recognizes as one of the great Jewish leaders of the 20th century. (from 2014)
Explorer. Hero. Genocidal Conqueror. Genius. Inventor. Adventurer. Fool. Prophet. All these names have been used to describe the “discoverer” of America. But what do we really know about the man who sailed the ocean blue in 14 hundred and ninety two? This long form doc, explores the many faces of Columbus as he has come down to us, and the enigma he represents within our own national history and character. (produced in conjunction with the 500th anniversary of 1492.)
New York’s Saint Thomas Church is one of the only boarding schools in America where talented young boys can go to learn to perform top notch liturgical chorale music and get a good secular education at the same time. Once puberty and the change of voice hit, their sweet sopranos are gone. In the meanwhile however, their boyishness and their music take center stage. This is their story.
Provincetown, Massachusetts, at the tip of Cape Cod was once home to one of the thriving Portugese communities anywhere in the world outside Portugal (and the Azore Islands, where most of those “Portagees” come from). Fishing was their livelihood (once mixed with whaling) was their livelihood. But with the near decimation of the North Atlantic fishing stock, the price of real estate, the out-migration of youth, and the town’s growth as a gay resort town, these Provincetown Portuguese and their culture are disappearing. This story focuses on those who remain, what they remember, and what they see as their prospects.
Every year, hundreds, or even thousands of talented young people come to New York to study, audition and do their damnedest to make it big on the stage whose ultimate Holy Grail is Broadway. In this story, I speak to some of these starry-eyed youth as they prepare for the Big Time in Musical Theater school, rehearsal and beyond. Go for it!
In our culture, self-denigration and unease with ourselves and others is a common theme. Our internal dialogs can mesmerize us, making us unhappy, and our lives unproductive and robotic. Being at peace in the moment, whatever arises, in a compassionate mode is a Buddhist way. In this piece, I discussed Radical Acceptance with Dharma teacher Tara Brach, who has written a brilliant book on this very subject.
Perhaps no one has done more to spread the spirit and craft of poetry more than Naomi Shihab Nye, a Palestinian American whose award winning books for both adults and children explore themes of loss and exile, the pace of modern life, family ties and spirituality – often with humor. I spoke with her while she visited New York in her capacity as chancellor of the Academy of American Poets. (Photo: Chehalis Hegner)