Winter 2025: Singing for Liberation Songleader Incubator Series!

SINGING FOR LIBERATION: We're excited to be offering an 8-week series this winter to train up more songleaders for movement work! Singing is an essential organizing tool and we want to help you learn more songs, grow more confident in leading them, and think through how singing functions in building the world we want to live in.

We'll meet on Monday nights at CTUL, from 6:30-8 pm, starting January 6, 2025 and ending February 24th. Folx can come just to sing and drop in as they please, or come to all the sessions with the intention of practicing their songleading and skilling up.

Liberation movements throughout history have taught us that singing together helps us celebrate, march, grieve, stay true to our vision, and that the songs anchor our courage for the work to come. We're not singing to perform, we're singing because it changes us-- every voice is needed in the movement.

Songleading will be anchored by GOOD TROUBLE, aka Liz Digitale Anderson + Conie Borchardt, and friends. We're grateful to be partnering with Inquilinxs Unidxs and CTUL to make this happen! A sliding scale donation is requested of $5-20 per session, or $30-$100 for the whole series, no one turned away for lack of funds.

Pre-register your interest here and we'll send you reminders when it's time to roll!
https://forms.gle/U8WtG35GoGngXSMr5

Facebook link here.

Hosted at CTUL (Centro De Trabajadores Unidos En La Lucha) + Inquilinxs Unidxs @ 3715 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis

Setlist from Nov 22: Songs for Tending Our Hearts @ Yess Yoga

Friends,

Here are the songs we sang at Songs for Tending Our Hearts at Yess Yoga on Friday night, November 22, 2024:

• Holding Song (Ian Carrick) - Bandcamp
• The Hard Times (text: Bertolt Brecht; tune: Ahlay Blakely)
• One Body (Ahlay Blakely) - Bandcamp
• Grief (Sarina Partridge)
• The Cure for the Pain (text inspired by Rumi; tune: Yam)
• Tubwayhun lawile, trans: Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted (Neil Douglas-Klotz)
• What are we gonna do with all this grief (main lyric from Prentis Hemphill’s book, “What It Takes to Heal,” tune by Liz with melodic frame influenced by Ana Hernandez’s “Set it right again”, Black Blues + Spirituals, and Whiskey Shivers’ “Who’s gonna dig these graves”) 

* An online audio or video recording has not been found. Let us know if you find one in the comments!

Some of you asked about the Resources we shared. Here's a short list...

• About the Card Decks: Having a tangible tool to sit with and reflect our feelings back to us helps us slow down, process, and make space for emotional work and intentions we otherwise tend to ignore. We typically spread out two: 
1.  The Artist Grief Deck (https://griefdeck.com/) which was created by hospice workers during the pandemic
2. and the Rest Deck by Tricia Hersey (https://thenapministry.com/rest-deck/) based on Hersey's book "Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto"
• Instruments we use: 
• CajonTab by Louson Drum - Conie has a 12" CajonTab; Liz has one of the Pro series. Get to know a bit of the cajon's musical history here. Use Liz's affiliate link to get 10% off!
• Shruti Box, literally "sound" or "singing" in ancient Sankrit, replicates the sound of the Tambura, an East Asian Indian drone instrument. Part of the family of drone instruments that show up in many cultures, related to bagpipes and harmoniums. Conie's instrument is from Shrutibox.com run by Ron Kravitz of https://www.musicinthemoment.com/ in Philadelphia, PA
• Where else to sing in the Twin Cities? There's three places you can check! 
• Twin Cities Singing Circles (Facebook group)
• Perfection-Free Community Singing (Facebook group)
• AND this Google Doc of regular circles that Liz DA put together.

We are grateful to you if sang with us and to Yess Yoga for hosting.

If you'd like reminders of upcoming singing gatherings, sign up for the In-person Sings/Good Trouble mailing list here to get an email beforehand. Or just check the Yess Yoga's website.

Keep singing and stay warm, graceful, and creative!

Love, Liz and Conie, a.k.a. GOOD TROUBLE

Setlist from Nov 8 Singing for Liberation potluck

Here are the songs we sang at the Singing for Liberation potluck on Friday night, November 8 at CTUL/Inquilixs Unidxs.  Enjoy the links to online recordings for your at-home remembering pleasure!

• Endless Boundless Gratitude (Samara Jade)
• Liberation (Liz adapted from Earth, My Body tune, unknown creator)
• I did not come here alone (The Peace Poets)
• I am not afraid (Peace Poets)
• What are we gonna do with all this grief (main lyric from Prentis Hemphill’s book, “What It Takes to Heal,” tune by Liz with melodic frame influenced by Ana Hernandez’s “Set it right again”, Black Blues + Spirituals, and Whiskey Shivers’ “Who’s gonna dig these graves”)
• Another world (inspired by Arundhati Roy/Kerri Meyer; Spanish by LDA)
• Organize! Organize! Organize! (adapted by Charon Hribar, in We Rise: A Movement Songbook by The Poor People’s Campaign)
• Lead with Love (Melanie DeMore)
• We get there together (Or never get there at all) (Josh Blaine)

* no online recording available. If you discover one, please let us know in the comments!

If you are interested in being part of January-February 2025 Singing for Liberation choir and/or be trained as a movement songleader, please add yourself to this Google form!  

Apr 25-27: The Blessing Way of the Aramaic Jesus (Dubuque, IA)

The Blessing Way of the Aramaic Jesus

A Residential Retreat with Neil Douglas-Klotz

When:  

Friday-Sunday, April 25-27, 2025

Where:  

Shalom Spirituality Center in Dubuque, Iowa

An introduction to the spiritual practice and contemplative prayer of Jesus viewed through the lens of his native Aramaic language. Including meditation, chanting, body prayer, walking meditation, contemplative prayer, and Dances of Universal Peace.

To learn more about the retreat, where it will be located, what's included, and to register, click here. Below are alternate lodgings and useful travel logistics.