Episode Summary
This episode we celebrate the new year and a fresh start. We have music from Bright Wings Chorus, Nightingale, Tim Eriksen, and Julie Vallimont. Julie reads poems by Emily Dickinson and Tony Hoagland, and Ben Williams reads a poem by Sarah Hirsch. It’s an honor to start the new year with you all. We often use the turn of the year as a chance to make changes. But of course all of that has a different context when so much of our lives is out of our control right now. So we have to be gentle with ourselves, do what we can, and pick some goals that feel approachable right now. Sometimes treading water is good enough. And when things are really overwhelming, I imagine myself just floating on my back, letting the waves carry me where they will until I have the energy to start swimming again. Wishing you all the best this year. As always, you can reach out to me at starsintherafters.com. You can send in music or poetry, send in suggestions of what you would like to hear on the podcast, or just say hello. You can also find links for our Patreon and our musicians’ fund there. Take care, everyone.
Episode Notes
1. Bright Wings – Bright Wings Chorus (VT). This song by Brendan Taaffe is on the 2013 Bright Wings Chorus album Signs and Wonders. https://brendantaaffe.bandcamp.com/
2. The word, by Tony Hoagland. Read by Julie Vallimont (Brattleboro, VT).
3. Soul of the Limestone Rock – Nightingale (VT). This waltz by Jeremiah McLane is on Nightingale’s 1996 album Sometimes When the Moon is High. www.nightingalevt.org
4. I dwell in possibility, by Emily Dickinson. Read by Julie Vallimont (Brattleboro, VT).
5. The Star of Bethlehem – Tim Eriksen (Amherst, MA). Tim’s setting of this hymn text is on his 2011 album Star In The East. https://timeriksen.bandcamp.com
6. When you must start again, by Sarah Hirsch (RI). Read by Ben Williams (Northampton, MA).
7. Spark in the Dark – Julie Vallimont (Brattleboro, VT). Julie plays this original tune with Noah VanNorstrand on her solo album, Dark Sky, Bright Stars. https://julievallimont.com/
The opening music is “The Pearl in Sorrow’s Hand” by Julie Vallimont, from her album Dark Sky, Bright Stars. Produced by Julie Vallimont. Mixed and mastered by Dana Billings. All content courtesy of the artists, all rights reserved. This series is supported in part by the Country Dance and Song Society, NEFFA, CDS-Boston, and Pinewoods Camp. If you enjoy this podcast, please consider supporting it via Patreon: www.patreon.com/starsintherafters