Dear John,

Thank you to all those who joined us for the Local Peace Economy meeting last night!

We absolutely loved having Crystal Arnold from the Post Growth Institute with us to share about the Offers and Needs Market! We left feeling really excited and inspired to bring this amazing organizing tool to our communities, and we hope you did too. If you want to revisit the content, or if you weren’t able to join us, you can watch the recording of last night's call.

Our next meeting will be Wednesday, May 22nd at 5:00pm PT/8:00pm ET.

Before our next gathering, continue reflecting on what you learned last night about how we can create cultures of community care where we live. How is care already woven into your community? How can this be amplified? What is needed? How can you lend support? Where do you need support?

We'd love to continue to hear about what you're learning! Join the local peace economy listserve to stay connected and continue learning with others in between our bi-weekly calls! You can join the listserve here.

Links shared during the call:

• Red Brocade by Naomi Shihab Nye
• The Offers and Needs Market
• The Offers and Needs Market - Consultancy Services
• Post Growth Institute
• Crystal Arnold - LinkedIn
• Shareable
• Indigenous Community Care: Traditions of Reciprocity
• When the Tents Go Down - PINK Tank article

Other supportive resources:

• Download The Local Peace Economy Workbook (free digital version)
• Purchase The Local Peace Economy Workbook (physical copy)
• Video introduction to the workbook
• Resources for the Cycle of (Re)connection
• Local Peace Economy Ecosystem
• Local Peace Economy Wiki
• CODEPINK Radio Ep. 242: The Local Peace Economy

If you have any questions, please email Emily at [email protected]. We look forward to seeing you on May 22nd!

With care,

Jodie and Emily

Red Brocade
by Naomi Shihab Nye

The Arabs used to say,
When a stranger appears at your door,
feed him for three days
before asking who he is,
where he’s come from,
where he’s headed.
That way, he’ll have strength
enough to answer.
Or, by then you’ll be
such good friends
you don’t care.

Let’s go back to that.
Rice? Pine nuts?
Here, take the red brocade pillow.
My child will serve water
to your horse.

No, I was not busy when you came!
I was not preparing to be busy.
That’s the armor everyone put on
to pretend they had a purpose
in the world.

I refuse to be claimed.
Your plate is waiting.
We will snip fresh mint
into your tea.