Showing results by author "Peter Menkin" in All Categories

Another in the series of ongoing interviews with American poets. This interview with University of Delaware Professor Jeanne Walker is part of the special subset in this series called American Anglican poets. This writer talked by phone in June, 2011 with Jeanne from his home office north of San Francisco to Jeanne, who was in that morning time at her home in the Philadelphia, PA area. We spoke for an hour, and the poet was forthcoming about her work as a poet, and as a University Professor of English .

A collection of voices in interview from American Jewish Community regarding the real concern by them of bullying Jewish students on some University campuses plays a significant role in unmasking anti-Israel actions and behavior as anti-Semitism. That is the Jewish Community thesis and argument brought to legal remedy through Federal Law that is the theme of this series.

An American journalist named Ben Harris, who works for Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA), is traveling the world in search of stories about Jews in their various communities. This lively interview with Harris, the "Wandering Jew", about his travels and traveling, was done mostly by email, with two conversations via webcam on Skype. When this writer spoke to Harris off the record for background, he was in the Jewish Telegraphic Agency offices in New York City, but the reported interview via email comes mostly while he was abroad.

Peter Menkin of The Church of England Newspaper conducted significant interviews with three Rabbis on the topic of religious education. These interviews are unique due to the new success of Internet education and its use in Jewish learning and the teaching of the Torah, as well as Orthodox Jewish adult education.

Senior Minister, Reverend Matt Broadbent of Los Altos, California Foothill Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, spoke with this writer by phone and webcam via Skype in February, 2010 about same sex marriage and same sex blessings. This is the first of a series of interviews with different clergy denomination members on the subject. Two other upcoming interviews are with The Rt. Reverend Marc Andrus of The Episcopal Church, USA (San Francisco Bay Area known as Diocese of California), and Rabbi Stephen Pearce of Reform Temple El Emanuel, San Francisco.

In this interview with Shari Karney, Esq., the attorney and commentator discusses her opinions on the subject of child molesting, specifically referencing the recent Sandusky trial.

There is increasing American national attention on the often secret subject of child molesting and child molesters. Attorney Shari Karney of Santa Monica, California, has been working on these kinds of cases with others in the United States and especially California - almost as a crusade, as revealed in this interview.

From one of the poems appearing in the interview-article with Scott Cairns, Missouri USA Poet: Advent Scott Cairns. We talked by phone between my home in Mill Valley, California and his home in Missouri; the interview follows. Though Scott Cairns wrote his answers after a background conversation, there was one follow-up to his answers to the questions. That was asked in writing by email and answered in writing by email.

In an effort to discover what the Yale Institute of Sacred Music does - and even take a look at how the Institute of Sacred Music explores Christianity - these two interviews were developed. The first is with Martin Jean, Director of the Institute. He speaks directly to the listener about the Institute. The second interview is with new fellow at the Institute for Sacred Music, David Stowe. He exemplifies one aspect of exploring Christianity and looking at Sacred Music.

This book draws on case material from Yale Professor, Sister Janet Ruffing's experience with directees and students for many years as well as postmodern understandings of the narrative-creating self.

This is a comprehensive and well-researched paper that should encourage those working to preserve marriage as an institution that strengthens our society. The paper on marriage written by Alan Wisdom titled, "Is Marriage Worth Defending," has been on my own interest-screen since January, 2011. This likeable and readable paper of some note and considerable interest on the subject of traditional marriage, with a section on Gay Marriage, was originally produced in 2009 by Institute on Religion and Democracy.

During a photo show, held in the Gallery 1055 in San Francisco, and a Gallery created by The Rt. Reverend Marc Andrus for display of religious and spiritual work relevant to the Diocese and its ministry, the author spoke with The Night Minister himself. Later this writer interviewed The Reverend Lyle Beckman in November, 2010 by phone in the evening on two separate evenings. This intriguing interview that tells so much of his work, and the work of others in Night Ministry.

Poet Susan Wheeler's interview is another in an ongoing series with Anglican and Christian poets. Professor Wheeler is director of Princeton University's creative writing department (Lewis Center for the Arts) in New Jersey. The students in the class immediately spoke of her personal relationship with Jesus. She was found out. She had a personal relationship with Jesus, and [it was] sort of thrilling. After that she became overt in her references. Ledger and Other Works is a combination of selected works. Ledger is about faith and stewardship.

For some time I have thought about and even meditated on the work of poetry recent to the body of this interview series, as created by the excellent Roman Catholic Christian poet Philip Kolin, of Mississippi, USA. His recent collection is titled "Reading God's Handwriting: Poems," as published by Kaufmann Publishing.

Pamela Cranston is an engaging and interesting woman, who as a poet has grown so much in these past years - that one well-known Western United States poet told me. Her sense of the Almighty, tastes in Biblical writing as literature and her thoughts on religious ideal, and some of her views of the 21st Century Church are touched on in this interview given by her over the phone June, 2011 from San Francisco's East Bay to the writer's home north of San Francisco.

When a writer dies, one favored and admired, even loved by devoted readers, there is a sigh of mourning as though one's friend has passed away. Sometimes death marks a new era, even the changing of the guard to a new generation. In the religious sense, churchgoers are known for passing their lessons, faith, and joy from generation to generation - in Jesus Christ.

The second slim book of poems by Peter Menkin, a continuation of the first, this work was an early inspiration in the manuscript preparation for his other works.

This interview with Illinois Poet Tania Runyan is the result of sending an inquiry to Wordfarm Press in Washington State asking to see some works in published form of Anglican and Christian poets who they thought make good subjects for this series. Sally Craft, an editor at the press, sent a number of books to review. Though all were worthwhile and certainly enjoyable to read, it was Tania Runyan who stood out in this religion writer’s mind.

In a City named Oakland, situated on San Francisco Bay, is the recognition that the construction of a modern Roman Catholic Cathedral captures the visual and religious sensibilities of the diverse worshipers of what these residents, mere humans with a lifetime so short, have built to their God with skill and style and up-to-date techniques for its 600 thousand or more Diocesan members use.

In a conversation spanning half hour segments numbering seven on the same number of separate days this religion writer talked with the Reverend Doctor Lawrence Michael Cameron, OAC. The subject: Mental Illness. That is the Reverend Doctor's business and has been for 25 years as a pastoral counselor. We talked by phone to his home in Indiana from mine in Mill Valley, California. An advocate for the mentally ill, Doctor C, as he is affectionately known, bent his comments to let the listener know of his favorable sense of hope for mentally ill people and their treatment.

Spirit Rock is not a New Age Center, per se. Located in San Francisco's Bay Area (Marin County's Woodacre), Spirit Rock is home to Buddhists. They are not Zen Buddhists, as they emphasized. They are Theravada, as is one of their founding members the teacher and popular writer Jack Kornfield.

Where it is located, Marin County, many find Spirit Rock a refreshing and spiritual place to visit and take for a retreat. Marin County, and in specific Southern Marin, is not a place for Christian worship.