Fall 2026 Programs

ARTS OF LIVING ON A DAMAGED PLANET

A Reading-Action Program on Staying with the Trouble


Donna Haraway is one of the most daring and original thinkers of our time. In her extraordinarily creative and instigating book, Staying with the Trouble: Making Kin in the Chthulucene, she teaches us how to stay with the trouble of living and dying together on a damaged earth. And she inspires us to take an active role in the resurgence of life and building more livable futures.

Faciliator: Dr. Kim Curtis
Meeting Dates: August 25, Sept. 8, Sept 22nd, Oct. 6
On-line option available
Meeting times TBD in consultation with participants
Please purchase a copy of the book. (Course pack will be provided.)


Find out more about the program here.

Plastic Shaman:
A Reading Action Program on the Search for Spiritual Wholeness in a Culture of Deception

A partnership program with Sacred Land Alliance 


Award-winning author Annette McGivney has an important new book and we get to read it with her!


A charlatan running a bogus Native American sweat lodge ritual. Three people dead in Sedona, AZ and many more seriously injured. McGivney reveals the truth behind the new age influencer who got rich peddling expensive seminars and wellness retreats. Along the way, she exposes the dark side of the wellness "industry," the exploitation of native traditions, and the deep desire for meaning and belonging that makes many of us open to manipulation.


Meeting Dates: Sept. 17 (in person); Oct. 19 (in person); Nov. 2 (on-line)
Time: 7:00-8:30 p.m. AZ Time

Annette's book is available locally through Brightside Bookshop or on-line.
You can learn more about Annette's work here. 

Still Photo Storytelling

A workshop with Michael Collier, award-winning photographer, writer, and video storyteller  

How do you communicate what you hold dear to your heart? You've been taking pictures for years--of birthday parties, graduations, sunsets. Should you create a video instead?

What does a still-photo video require? Should you start by writing a script or wait to see how elements come together? How do you weave interviews and music into the script? What equipment will you need? Who do you want to share your video with?

Michael will share his answers, some of his videos, and his encouragement.  

Meeting Date: September 26th
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (AZ Time) 
The HeArt Box Art Gallery, 17 N San Francisco St #1b
Registration is limited to 8 participants! 

Michael Collier has been a photographer for sixty years. He's also been a Grand Canyon boatman, a pilot, an NAU geologist, and a physician. You can get a glimpse of his documentary video work here.