I’m deeply honored to be a part of this years Nobel Peace Prize Forum in Minneapolis as a workshop presenter alongside John Noltner of A Peace of My Mind. 

Sign up for any of the NPPF and if you’d like to join us, register for the Global Studies Day workshop entitled: “A Peace of My Mind: Exploring the Price of Peace One Story at a Time.”

Documentary photography John Noltner and I will share how our work has been inspired by Nobel Peace Laureates and we will facilitate conversation on the importance of listening to one another’s stories, “storydwelling” in practice, for the sake of peace on all levels.

You’ll hear songs and thoughts from Heatherlyn and excerpts from John’s most recent project A Peace of My Mind, a portrait of peace. Participate in the conversation too!

Registar at www.peaceprizeforum.org.

It would be be a lot of fun to see you there!

Peace and Hope,

Heatherlyn

www.heatherlynmusic.com

About 50 people gathered at the Buzz Coffee, bearing items to co-create care packages for unhoused neighbors, kits we call Love In The Glovebox. I was so sick that night, so all I could do was show up and share a few brief thoughts about why we, as Heatherlyn Music, would invite everyone together to do this.

It is about movement – not just emotional movement from songs like Jack Riddle, Wayfaring Stranger and Be the Love (all songs from the Storydwelling album) – but literal movements, acts of kindness and intention to reach beyond ourselves and realize the human connection that already is. Since I had lost my voice, Cassandra, who we know from hosting the monthly open mic at the Buzz, graciously stepped in to share a song with us and set the tone, sync up our heart beats, so-to-speak. 

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We were surrounded by piles of socks, gloves, hats, granola bars, hand warmers and other items for the care packages. A local connection to Conagra foods caught wind of the event via the local Burnsville Patch so he called the Buzz to ask if we could use a donation of granola bars. Then he dropped off hundred for us to add to the Love in The Glovebox kits. A group of girls from a nearby high school came with rolls of fleece and scissors and cut out a bunch of scarves for the packages. There were people representing at least 5 different groups that make up the Southern Metro community.

After everyone got to work, within about 45 minutes, 200+ Love In The Glovebox Kits were co-created. We all took some kits with us to stuff into our glove boxes, in preparation for those unanticipated encounters at the stoplight. About 70 kits were left at the Buzz for patrons to take with them and pass along the act of kindness beyond the 50 who gathered that night. Buzz customers were thrilled with the idea. They expressed great appreciation to Buzz owner Liz and they wanted to know how they can engage the next time something like this happens there!

The high school girls who were cutting fleece scarves decided they wanted to organize a Love In The Glovebox packing gathering at their school, so we were able to seed their effort by sending along left over socks and granola bars. The ripple effect continues on….

More photos of the evening and some info for you to do your own Love In The Glovebox Engage event at www.heatherlynmusic.com/love-in-the-glovebox/.

Our next Community Engage event is in March in partnership with The Buzz and Project Foodstock. Stay tuned. Connect online or through our mailing list if you’d like to know more about it.

May kindness continue…may it begin and carry on within and through you and me.

Peace and Love,

Heatherlyn

At the Youthrive office discussing the joint NYLC national service learning conference and PeaceJam.

It’s looking like we may be sharing some #Storydwelling songs at the Mpls Convention Center alongside Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi. What a delight and honor.

The closing event will be open to the public. Fri, Apr 13th 4:30pm. $10
You should come!

www.youthrive.net
www.heatherlynmusic.com

RESOLVE + INTENTION

Bull-headed resolution has never gotten me very far. I find long term maintenance of such energy to be nearly impossible, unhelpful and ungracious. Each new moment, each new hour, each new day, I seek to live presently, mindfully, in a way that benefits rather than sabotages myself and my true desires & dreams; in a way that will benefit beyond myself too.

Rather than make resolutions, I am seek to put more thoughtful intention behind my actions and deliberate, worthwhile actions behind my intentions.

I seek to forgive myself quickly and realize that every time I feel I’ve failed, I’ve succeeded in learning something that will benefit the next leg of the journey and ultimately, I seek to never give up on who I know I can be.

TIME IS NOT OUR ENEMY

What would it mean to view each day as a gift, offered in a plain old simple box to be decorated in any way we chose? What if *we* are the gifts delivered in the package of each day – presents through our presence.

May this turn of the year remind us that every day is new. Every hour, a gift to be given. May we have the openness to receive, the imagination to co-create something wondrous and the patience to see it through… “it” being all-inclusive of endless possibility.

Happy, Abundant New Year from us!

www.heatherlynmusic.com

Even though my primary art and expression is song, as an artist, sometimes I need to refuel my creative wells by engaging in a variety of non-pressured, playful expressions. Inspiration sometimes leads me to watercolor, go for a nature walk or it might lead me to create in the kitchen…

In college, a floor mate of mine introduced us ladies to her mom’s pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. I’ve had her recipe ever since and after several years of experimentation, enjoying, sharing and adapting, I’d like to share with all of you lovely people my own Playful Pumpkin Cookie Recipe!

These delightful treats are a favorite in our our home for this time of year, beginning about whenever autumn sets in and through to Christmas. Really, they’re great any time of year. They are especially enjoyed by our band when our living room turns into the rehearsal studio.

This vegan recipe is wholesome, full of whole grains, heart-healthy Omega-3s and fun spices. I also make suggestions for the fair-trade conscious baker. If you’re into all those things, hope you and yours thoroughly enjoy for your holiday celebrations!

Love,

Heatherlyn

Heatherlyn’s Playful Pumpkin Cookies Recipe!

Dry Mix

·      1 ½ c. whole wheat pastry flour (Such as Bob’s Red Mill)

·      1 ½ c. quick-cook oats

·      1 tsp. baking soda

·      ½ tsp. sea salt

·      1 tsp   cinnamon (vietnamese cassia cinnamon is my favorite – not a brand, just a type)

·      Up to 1/2 tsp blend of your favorite spices such as 1/8 tsp to 1/4 tsp each of ginger, cloves, nutmeg, allspice.

Wet Mix

·      1 cup (organic) brown sugar (such as Fair-Trade Wholesome Sweeteners)

·      1 cup (organic) granulated sugar

·      1 ½ c. canned/mashed pumpkin

·      ½ cup 100% apple butter (no sugar added)

·      1 Tbs. ground flax seed and 3 Tbs. water (let “jell” 3 minutes before adding to wet mixture)

·      1 tsp. Vanilla Extract (such as Fair-Trade Frontier Co-op)

PLUS 1 cup semi sweet fair-trade chocolate chips (such as SunSpire)

OR 1 cup of your favorite combination of Chocolate chips, Raisins, , chopped walnuts almonds, etc…I used 3/4 cup chocolate chips and 1/4 raisins once and it rocked.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Use non-stick cookie sheet. (I spray with a Canola Oil Spray.)

Combine the ground flax seed and water and set aside to jell.

Do the Dry mix.

Do the Wet mix separately.

Combine ‘em!

Add chocolate chips. Try a little dough. YUM! 

Scoop onto sheet, whatever size feels good to you and bake about 20-25 minutes.

I’d check ‘em at 20. The flax seed browns bake goods faster, and you can let ‘em “bake” on the sheet a little more after you remove them from the oven too! The apple butter will make these extra moist and cakey. The flax seed makes them chewy. 

During the month of December, we will be adding more home videos of playful winter songs and traditional Christmas carols for you and yours. Hope these songs from us fill your home with sweetness. Just click the link above!

Peace and Love,

Heatherlyn

Heatherlyn is excited to participate in Sample Night Live at 7pm on 12/7/2011 at the History Theatre in downtown Saint Paul.

Sample Night Live presents a dozen short samples of quality performing arts events plus a visual arts installation on the first Wednesday of each month.  Audiences use the playbill to opt in to the groups they love.  It’s a great way to learn what is happening in the arts scene and discover something new!

When I performed for S.N.L. this past fall, the audience voted for me and won me the honor of  “Audience Favorite of the month”! Because of their love and support, I’ve been invited to participate in the December Audience Favorite show. If you’re able to come and vote for me, I could win Audience Favorite for the year!  That could be fun. =)

Everyone who shows up gets the opportunity to win a pair of tickets to the Guthrie, The Ordway, CDs, and many other prizes donated by the groups performing that evening. Plus, everyone leaves with a goody bag filled with freebies and discount coupons to shows and events all over town.

Act I is Rated-G, Act II is Unrated; and kids get in FREE. Use Discount Code MEMBERS and get $5 off admission online. Buy tickets, check out the line-up and see the complete list of prizes at www.SampleNightLive.com.

You’re invited to the Facebook event.

We are grateful for the staff and volunteers that make SNL happen. Heatherlyn Music has been in relationship with them for a couple of years now and they have been so good to us. Everyone involved has a great spirit abouot them which seems to stem from a genuine appreciation for artists and enthusiams to see us thrive within the greater community. Cheers!

What do you do when you see someone with a cardboard sign at the street corner? What do you think as you sit at that red light? How do you feel towards the one reaching out…especially in this season when there’s a lot more talk about giving and sharing and “spreading the joy of the season”.

It’s a good question: “What DO we do…?”. What would be most beneficial and helpful? Though many questions need to be asked and addressed about larger societal and systemic circumstances that have led someone to the streets, in that moment, it seems to me that the better question is simply: “What is kind?”

Especially during the winter months, as the chill sets in, my husband and I, along with a group of friends, decide we’d like to be prepared to simply show kindness when such an unanticipated encounter at the street corner occurs. We would rather find a way to move out of a sense of shared human dignity instead of ignore, judge or make assumptions about that individual’s story or motivations. So we gather together, everyone providing something different to contribute to what we call “Love in the Glovebox Bundles“.

 We pool together large ziplock bags, hats, socks, gloves, chewy granola bars, hand warmers and other small, useful items to assemble simple care packages. Our hope is that this small gift will be of significance to whoever receives it. Our hope is that it will at least contribute a ray of hope into their day and communicate: “You are not alone. Someone cares.”

We want to do more this season than share songs about “comfort and joy”. On Thursday, December 8th, Heatherlyn Music is teaming up with The Buzz Coffee Cafe, inviting all the communities we’ve connected to, through the music to bring collected care package items and create Love in the Glovebox bundles together.

All of us will take a couple bundles to have in our gloveboxes and we’ll leave the rest at The Buzz for baristas to pass along to patrons and share the movement with the abundance of guests who come through the next day for their artisan fair!

Our time together will begin at 6:30pm with a couple songs from Heatherlyn and her brief reflection on why the heart beat of the music would naturally inspire us to lead our community in this simple movement of active compassion. Beyond being an audience and enjoying the music, we invite everyone to engage the music, engage kindness, engage humanity.

If you are not geographically near to us, but your heart is near to this conversation and you’ve been looking for a way to respond to that question: “What do we do…”, feel free to share the idea – collect, create, and care with your group of friends and family. Share your story here.

QUICK LINKS

Facebook Event

Heatherlyn Music

Love in the gLovebox

A couple of The Storydwellers, my band mates, Matt and Aaron joined me on the set of the KARE 11 Today Show to announce the release of our brand new album STORYDWELLING! We had so. much. fun. Check it out….

VIEW COMPLETE PHOTO GALLERY

LIVE TV :: BEST NOT TO TAKE OURSELVES TOO SERIOUSLY….”Laughter is the best relaxer.” says my friend Lindsey Lewis. She’s a smart lady.

And of this, Matt Patrick says: “That sweet old guitar of mine doesn’t like to played up past the 12th fret… Kinda like an old man that refuses to drive over 40mph on the freeway. You just can’t force it!”

WARMING UP AND RUNNING THROUGH OUR TEASERS BEFORE TAPING:

IT WAS A RATHER STAR STUDDED SHOW, but what the heckle does that mean? I believe that each and every one of us – we all are stars born with a light to illuminate our world. So shine on, Friends. VIEW COMPLETE PHOTO GALLERY

HOPE TO SEE YOU AT THE 10/04 STORYDWELLING ALBUM RELEASE CONCERT!!

PEACE TO YOU AND YOURS!

With a Grateful Heart,

Heatherlyn

When I walked into the room at the William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, students (upperclassmen in highschool and just heading into college) were discussing the stories of “upstanders” – people who learned about kidnapped and enslaved child soilders who, when they arrived at their “enough moment”, took action to be the change they wanted to see in the world.

This was a three day intensive, a summer student institute hosted by World Without Genocide. Ellen, the founder and director, told me that the students had been learning about genocide for the past two days and were to begin the next day with a panel discussion of holocaust and genocide survivors. The students were doing exceptionally well. She said she and her staff knew when they were planning the institute, that music should be a part of it, to add energy and inspiration, perhaps also lend a lift in the intensity of the program and to provide an example of how every part of live is influenced by and can, in turn, influence the issues of hate, dehuminization and genocide.

I had the opportunity to deliver a 45 minute interactive program of music and then, Jason and I stayed for a while longer to learn with the students, watch the latest Invisible Children film and create a red hand to contribute to the Red Hand Campaign, the universal symbol adopted world-wide by children, including former child soldiers, to demonstrate their determiniation to see the end of forced child labor in armed combat.

Thanks again to our friends at youthrive: LIVE! for connecting us to World Without Genocide so we could have to opportunity to practice some storydwelling, to see and hang out with some upstanding youth leaders who are changing the world, and have the chance to share some music too.

Thanks also to World Without Genocide for their incredible work, for the partnership we shared that evening and for the great mug and fair-trade coffee.

And thanks to these incredible students who are willing to give up 3 full days of summer to learn about issues of hate, prejudice, dehuminization and genocide; to not only learn, but also act and make a lasting difference. You all rock! Rock on!