I had a wonderful time attending the Appalachian Equality Chorus June show on Sunday. The music was brilliant and the people who stopped by the resource table were kind.
Next Saturday, June 20 – the day before the Summer Solstice, you are invited to gather at Shakti in the Mountains for a special event called “Group Living and Other Recipes.”
The event title comes from Lola Milholland’s memoir which details her experiences growing up in a communal home, studying abroad in Japan, spending time in an intentional community in Washington state, and her choice to live with her brother and their friends as an adult. Interspersed throughout the book are recipes from each stage and place in her life: some of which will be cooked and shared with anyone who registers for the event.
The purpose of this event is twofold. I love gathering with folks and sharing food. Serving nourishing food is one way that I like to care for others. I enjoy watching how eating together supports connection and encourages folks to open to each other and new ideas.
I engaged in Civics last Thursday when I spoke in front of the County Owned Property Committee about the importance of preserving land as green spaces.
I am excited to hear what people think about the ideas embedded in this book. You do not need to read the book to learn and to have an opinion about communal living vs roommates, the power of food, and addressing the socio-economic housing crisis. These themes and more will be explored the night of June 20th. You also will have an opportunity to hear about the new Slow Food TriCities chapter and ways that you can become involved.
To attend the event, please go to the registration page. If you wish to purchase a copy of the book, I encourage you to support our local independent bookstore, Atlas Books, by ordering online or visiting their Johnson City location at The Generalist.
In other news, I am putting the finishing touches on the Shakti Summer Schedule which will launch July 1. If you are interested in learning more about facilitating an event at Shakti, then I encourage you to check out the Host an Event page. I am accepting proposals year round: however, people who complete applications by the seasonal deadline get priority dates and their event published in the seasonal, one-page calendar.
Spent Saturday at Catawba Falls restoring my nervous system.
One new summer offering that I want to highlight is the Community Clinic which seeks to make healing accessible to all. I am extremely grateful to Bae Parker and Chantel Brooks, the two licensed acupuncturists, who asked if they could serve our community. My hope is that the clinic will be so well received that we can add other practitioners and modalities in the future. The Community Clinic is first come, first served and requires no registration. Simply bring a cash donation ($10 minimum) the day of the clinic.
I realize this newsletter is focused on upcoming events. I promise to write more next week about my new role as a Funeral Celebrant. I just wrote and delivered my third eulogy and have many thoughts about grief and how we show up for the dead. In preparation for next week’s article, I welcome your thoughts and experiences around death. I promise to keep your share confidential.
Wishing everyone a wonderful week as we welcome the New Moon this Sunday.
Love,
Kim
For nearly thirty years, Kim Bushore-Maki has served Appalachia as both a pioneer and champion of holistic well-being and community health.
A licensed clinical counseling professional, she became the first Master level clinician at East Tennessee State University's Counseling Center, where she provided therapeutic services and directed the Sexual Violence Prevention Program and the Alcohol and Drug Prevention Program.
During her tenure at ETSU, she was a founding organizer of the Tennessee Coalition for Healthy and Safe Campus Communities as well as Tennessee's representative for the National Prevention Network. She drafted ETSU's first Sexual Violence Response Policy and coordinated the region's first "Take Back the Night" program and fundraiser (the oldest worldwide movement to stand against sexual violence in all forms), the proceeds of which funded the first SANE nurses at the Johnson City Medical Center. Kim also served as Interim Director of Disability Services for 11 months.
In 2010, Kim followed her intuition and vision to found Shakti in the Mountains, a thriving healing-arts center that draws on somatic expressive therapy, archetypal psychology, wisdom traditions, and regenerative economics. Kim continues to maintain a small private therapy practice and also leads healing programs and retreats, guides the Shakti Stewardship Program, and serves as a community-building consultant to justice-oriented initiatives committed to building safe, inclusive, vibrant, and resilient communities.
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