I will read the children's story from Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling. This story is a coming-of-age tale, a Hero's Journey of the old tradition, and an account of triumph over an abusive family system. It's also a funny story about a baby elephant, with lots of big rolling poetic phrases. This week's speaker […]

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion measures have been put in place to ensure access to education, government programs, jobs, etc. for disadvantaged groups such as women, people of color, queer people, and disabled people. But these measures aren't merely kind or fair, they also result in better outcomes for governments and stronger workforces. This talk will […]

"Everyone wants a revolution. No one wants to do the dishes." --Dorothy Day We have little control over how our nation allocates labor and resources (but use what you have! Vote and bug your representatives!), but we have a lot more in our own houses. How can we best divvy up the costs and the […]

We all sustain emotional wounds. Failure, guilt, rejection, and loss are as much a part of life as the occasional scraped elbow. But while we typically bandage a cut or ice a sprained ankle, our first aid kit for emotional injuries is not just understocked—it’s nonexistent. Fortunately, there is such a thing as mental first […]

I will read the children's story from Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling, about how the first animals came to be domesticated. I hope you will forgive the improbable prehistory and the gender essentialism for the sake of some lovely poetic language, a good story, and the truth about cats. This week's speaker will be […]

Distress Tolerance is one of the four pillars of Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and a valuable skill for anyone to have. This is not about staying in miserable situations or suffering for the sake of suffering, but about being able to sit with uncomfortable thoughts or feelings without immediately jumping to fix them, blame someone, escape, […]

The best leadership is not imposed from outside or above, it arises organically from within. Even preschoolers can organize spontaneously to achieve a goal. The group may end up deferring to the person with the best ideas or the clearest ways of communicating them. A group member may take the lead, follow a leader's direct […]

You see here a different kind of happiness book. The How of Happiness is a comprehensive guide to understanding the elements of happiness based on years of groundbreaking scientific research. It is also a practical, empowering, and easy-to-follow workbook, incorporating happiness strategies, exercises in new ways of thinking, and quizzes for understanding our individuality, all […]

I will read the award-winning science fiction short story Tideline by Elizabeth Bear and make some remarks about the power of stories to educate, inspire, and shape or even save our lives. This week's speaker will be Eva-Lise Carlstrom. After the talk, we'll have a group discussion to explore the ideas presented, and to share […]

Let's plan what we'll be doing for the next quarter! Is there a topic you'd like to give a talk about? Come have a voice in what we do next quarter! Even if you don’t want to volunteer to give a talk, your voice is valuable so that we know which talks to schedule! You […]