A Peace of My Mind

Then there was none…

September 19, 2016 by johnnoltner

Asheville is out of gas. It’s gone. Sold out. Nada. Nothing. I rolled into town today and installed my exhibit at UNC. I hadn’t been paying attention to the news. I hadn’t heard that the Colonial Pipeline had ruptured in Helena, Alabama, effecting delivery from Houston to New York. I arrived with 1/8 tank of gas. My truck computer told me I could reach my destination and then some. I figured I would fill up once I installed the exhibit. […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: a peace of my mind, American Stories, APoMM, Asheville, gas, North Carolina, peace, road trip, shortage, stories

What if?

September 18, 2016 by johnnoltner

Earlier this week I made a post on my personal FB page and it got some traction. 150 clicks. A basic feel good story. An example of the general goodness of people. Here’s the post again: “Yesterday I found myself carrying a load of cameras, three blocks from my truck, in a sudden downpour. I moved under a parking lot awning to stay dry. It wasn’t going to let up and I wondered how I was going to make it […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: APoMM, help, hope, kindness, payitforward, peace, rain, stories

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Talat Hamdani on Long Island, NY. Photo originally taken for A Peace of My Mind: American Stories. Express permission from the artist is required for any reuse or reproduction.

15 years

September 12, 2016 by johnnoltner

Like all of us, I have a clear memory of that day 15 years ago. I remember the replayed television footage, the quiet skies. I was scheduled to leave for Africa on September 17. So little made sense and even less felt certain. Since that day I have been to Ground Zero three times. The first time, it was still a construction zone. Most recently, we toured the moving museum at the site. We found the name of Thomas Burnett, who […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: 9-11, a peace of my mind, American Stories, APoMM, Ground Zero, healing, listen, Muslim, New York, NYC, peace, stories

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Myron Pourier in Pine Ridge SD. Photo originally taken for A Peace of My Mind: American Stories. Express permission from the artist is required for any reuse or reproduction.

Black Elk Peak

August 11, 2016 by johnnoltner

When I met Myron Pourier at his home on the Pine Ridge Reservation last summer, he was working to change the name of Harney Peak to Black Elk Peak. Myron is the great great grandson of Black Elk, and saw this effort as a symbolic step toward reconciliation. Just an hour ago, as I was doing final revisions on the book that Myron’s story is in, I saw that The Federal Board of Geographic Names voted to change Harney Peak […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: APoMM, Black Elk Peak, books, Harney Peak, names, Oglala Sioux, peace, reconcilliation, South Dakota

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A slow boat to paradise

August 7, 2016 by johnnoltner

I was nervous for what we would see. Under a warm blue sky, we motored north through the cold, deep waters of Lake Chelan, past rocky ridges, charred pine, and ashen mountainsides. One year ago…to the day…we were evacuated from Holden Village as the Wolverine Fire raced through the dry wilderness. We drove out through thick smoke and arrived at the Lucerne dock to wait for the ferry that would both deliver the forest service crews who would battle the […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: cascades, fire, fireweed, Holden, Lake Chelan, mountains, peace, rebirth, renewal, retreat, washington, wolverine fire

A Work in Progress

July 28, 2016 by johnnoltner

The Indiegogo campaign is complete. I am grateful for the patience, encouragement, and support that you all offered during the process. We closed the campaign two weeks ago and are now thick in the production process. The September 21 deadline is probably ambitious, but we are going to make it. Here’s a crash course in the editing process: Each of these interviews was roughly an hour long, recorded and later transcribed. An interview of this length generally transcribes to a […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: a peace of my mind, American Stories, APoMM, art, book, crowdfund, hope, Indiegogo, listening, peace, photography, stories

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Stories of Peace

July 10, 2016 by johnnoltner

We have one week left in our Indiegogo campaign to fund our book, A Peace of My Mind: American Stories. There’s work to do. We’d welcome your help to stand with us and do all we can to move toward peace and reconciliation in a difficult time. Help if you can. Share this message far and wide. Together we can turn ripples of hope into waves of compassion. Visit this link to help: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/a-peace-of-my-mind-american-stories/x/2664576#/

Categories: Blog, Video • Tags: a peace of my mind, American Stories, APoMM, art, book, crowdfund, dialog, healing, hope, Indiegogo, listening, peace, photography, race, restorative justice, social justice, stories, travel

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We’re all in this together

July 9, 2016 by johnnoltner

We’re all in this together Black or white. Gay or straight. Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, or Atheist. Man, woman, or child. Republican or Democrat. Cop, soldier, artist, teacher, banker, farmer, or unemployed… We’re all in this together. When I started A Peace of My Mind, I set out to hear from people of all backgrounds. Especially the ones I didn’t know well. Especially the ones whose voices seemed to be lost in the public debate. It was my own path […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: a peace of my mind, APoMM, art, book, crowdfund, dialog, diversity, Indiegogo, listening, peace, photography, portrait, race, social justice, stories

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Don’t run

July 8, 2016 by johnnoltner

**Note** I remember on 9/11 I had a job photographing corporate headshots for a construction company. It was a full schedule, and the most surreal day I can recall as little snippets of the news filtered in. There was a weight in the air at the loss of life, yet they wanted to continue with the project, so I spent my day asking people to smile, when all I wanted to do was cry. Yesterday I had a deadline project […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: American Stories, APoMM, healing, listening, peace, photography, race, reconcilliation, social justice, sojourners, stories

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Our book update

July 6, 2016 by johnnoltner

I owe you a story from our upcoming book, but the deadlines are looming, and I hope you’ll settle for an update for now. We have 10 days left of our Indiegogo campaign. We have raised more than $10,000 of our $25,000 goal. I just came back from a production meeting with the printer and designer, and as we head into the home stretch, I want to share with you a few things that I believe. I believe we are […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: a peace of my mind, American Stories, APoMM, art, books, diversity, healing, hope, listen, listening, peace, photography, portrait, social justice, stories

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	Catherine Mamer on Then there was none…
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	We’re all in t… on Sometimes there are bumps
	From the Summit \| A… on Just Listen
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A Peace of My Mind

Exploring the meaning of peace, one story at a time.

what does peace mean to you?

Then there was none…

What if?

15 years

Black Elk Peak

A slow boat to paradise

A Work in Progress