by johnnoltner
We visited Rutgers University for their Leadership Week and asked, “What do you want to be remembered for?”
Categories: Blog • Tags: a peace of my mind, black and white, leadership, leadership development, peace, photography, portrait photography, stories
by johnnoltner
Just wrapping up a busy month in Memphis, with American Stories at Memphis Theological Seminary and American Stories at First Congregational Church. I’ve been to Memphis a few times now, and I’m always drawn in by the combination of history, music, food, and good people. I had the chance tp speak at the seminary, and I also set up a studio to ask, “How does your faith impact your view of social justice?” Some of the replies are below, and […]
Categories: Blog • Tags: a peace of my mind, faith, healing, justice, memphis, race, reconciliation, seminary, service, social justice
by johnnoltner
One of the great joys of this project is encountering amazing people across the country and spending time together. We share an intense few hours talking about the big stuff, and then we make a portrait. One of the great challenges is that often I don’t ever see them again. Maybe I feel a bigger connection, because I spend so much time editing their story, but I’m never quite sure if the impact leaves such a big an impression on […]
Categories: Blog • Tags: a peace of my mind, American Stories, forgiveness, gang, Hashim Garrett, New Jersey, orange, peace, stories
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
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
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
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
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
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
by johnnoltner
This is the way things happen. A friend said, “You’ve got to meet a woman named Beth Howard. She has a project called The World Needs More Pie.” It sounded interesting. Beth uses pie baking as a way to connect people…as a way to make peace. She has traveled around the world baking pies in 10 countries. She has delivered pies to a grieving community in Newtown, CT. So I said, “Sounds good.” And then a thousand things landed on […]
Categories: Blog, Events • Tags: a peace of my mind, APoMM, community, heal, peace, pie, share, spiritual
