Laura Joy won the Songwriter Contest at the Great River Folk Fest 2017, and it's no mystery why. The young Phoenix-to-Chicago transplant has talent far beyond her actual miles. And what's more, "Laura Joy has been known to quell dark, angry bars full of ornery old Irishmen".

David LaMotte is rich in music, and bountiful in living out what he sings about. With 12 recordings, 3 books, founding credits for Abraham Jam and a Rotary World Peace Fellowship, there is so much to rhapsodize about. Situated in Black Mountain, North Carolina, David has voice, lyrics, & guitar to charm you deeper.

Stressful, challenging, daunting times call for special medicine. Al Gini, author of The Importance of Being Funny: Why We Need More Jokes in Our Lives, believes that humor is a vital ingredient in good emotional/mental health. Al is Professor of Business Ethics at the Quinlan School of Business at Loyola University, and for decades was the "resident philosopher" on NPR's affiliate WBEZ in Chicago. He's written oodles of books, humor-tinted and very serious, including God Can Quote Me on That: Quotations on the Meaning of Life, The Seven Deadly Sins Sampler: An Anthology, among others.

Past/current religious/spiritual influences:

Catholic 

What do people of color concerned about climate change and environmental impacts to their communities want white climate advocates to know? What roles do climate organizations with mostly white members play in environmental justice work? How do you define "the environment," and what is climate justice? Today we take on a big story. Bigger than any single extreme weather event, we explore the topics of environmental justice and climate justice.

Tash Terry is half of Indigie Femme, a confluence of two powerful, spiritually-rooted, women of native tribes of the global north and south. Tash is from the Dine/Navajo Nation, roots she draws on to express identity, love, connection, gratitude, & joy.

Art and music suffuse the work & play of Heidi Kalyani. Her musical collaborations are wide-ranging, including Turko-Balkan music with ORO! Orkestra, kirtan with Blue Lotus Trio and her Heart Wide Open Project, and Indonesian music as part of the Mindful Flower Gamelan. Heidi is Canadian, occupying a small town called Wolfville in Nova Scotia.

Brian Eastman is a hub for Alt-Med info - resources of non-mainstream US healing modalities, which he researches and shares in the Cincinnatti area, but he also has evolved his own technique to help folks produce amazing changes in themselves in a very short time. He calls it LIIFT (Life Improving Internal Focus Technique), and he demonstrates it today with an audience. You can call him at 513-724-4325.

A self-proclaimed "Budd Lite" (as in Buddhism), Catholic-raised, Americana musician, Joe Fahey lives the questions through his music. Today the questions include life & death, but there are no definitive answers on tap here, just experiences, feelings, & some whimsy, from this Twin Cities-based artist.

An American doctor becomes a sailor which leads her to climate advocacy in Panama. Hear some of Dr. Tami Kellogg's extraordinary journey. Tami sat down with Citizens' Climate Radio host, Peterson Toscano. She explains why she feels hopeful pursuing climate solutions in Central America. 

Hellen Lunkuse Waiswa Tanyinga is a women's (and human) rights pioneer in Uganda and the founder of the Rape Hurts Foundation. At the age of 11 she was raped while doing the tradtionally female job of hauling water, and she transformed that pain into healing & power for herself, women, and all abused people. As the 1st female graduate of the prestigious East African Makerere University in Kampala, she's on the cutting edge and a hero to women and to many men in Uganda.