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the voice of the abingtons abingtonsuburban.com | july 13, 2017
Abington residents plan a benefit to aid a longtime firefighter |PAGE 4
Two area students graduated with special honors |PAGE 5
The annual Dream Game will include Abington Heights players|PAGE 8
MEEtinG of thE Minds Keystone’s annual The Gathering examines literature, the arts and more by Linda Scott
the best features of other conferences and began The Gathering.” SPEciaL to tHE abinGton SUbURban Featured speakers for this year’s event will be Mara Liasson, Jennifer Michael People who have an interest in the Hecht and Steve McIntosh. arts, literature and current events come Liasson is a poet, historian, essaytogether at Keystone College in La Plume ist and commenter. She is a political for The Gathering. correspondent for the National Public Not to be confused with Clarks SumRadio and reports on the White House mit’s local education center The Gatherand Congress. She is also a contributor to ing Place, The Gathering is a three-day, themed-based symposium held annually Fox News. She covered the White House at Keystone that includes performances, during President Bill Clinton’s two terms. Her reports can be heard on NPR’s news discussions, lectures and workshops. programs “All Things Considered” and Now in its 11th year, the event is titled “Morning Edition.” “Finding Better Angels of Our Nature.” Hecht is the author of “Doubt: A His“A committee of people interested tory — The Great Doubters and their in literature, the arts and sciences and current events meet at a the beginning of Legacy of Innovation from Socrates and Jesus to Thomas Jefferson and Emily the year to arrange the speakers for the year’s event,” said Suzanne Fisher Staples Dickson.” She has also written “The End of the Soul: Scientific Modernity, Atheprogram coordinator for The Gathering. “The Gathering began in 2006 when Key- ism and Anthropology.” “Funny” is her stone College was looking for ways to use best-known volume of poetry. She has also written for several journals, includthe campus in the summer. Dr. Edward ing “A History of Ideas.” G. Boehm, then president at Keystone, Steve McIntosh is an American author asked if I’d be interested in working with and president of the Institute for Cultural Charlotte Ravaioli, who was a special Evolution (ICE) think tank. He has writassistant to the president, to put on a ten three books: “Integral Consciousness literature conference. I have spoken at and the Future of Evolution,” “Evolumany conferences and so I was excited tion’s Purpose” and “The Presence of the about the prospect of trying out ideas that guide some of the conferences I love Infinite.” “I’m coming to Pennsylvania from my the most. We took what we thought were home in Boulder, Colorado,” said McIntosh. “I’m a writer in the field of cultural development. My work explores how the evolution of values impacts politics and spirituality. I’ll be presenting a variety TS_CNG/SUBURBAN/PAGES [S01] | 07/12/17
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Mara Liasson is a political correspondent for the National Public Radio and reports on the White House and Congress.
of methods for how Americans can build the new agreements that can lead to partial political reconciliation. My main focus is on how we can expand the scope of what we are able to value.” The Gathering will also feature a panel discussion on climate change. Featured presenters will include Bernie McGurl, co-finder and executive director of the Lackawanna River Conservation Association; John Pullo, vice president of corporate development at Gentex Corp.; Liska Chan, an associate professor of landscape architecture at the University of Oregon; Brian Manning, a fourth-generation farmer at Manning’s Farm Dairy;
and Dr. Dale Holen, an associate professor of biology at Penn State University’s Worthington Scranton Campus. Another presenter will be rock journalist Sylvie Simmons. “As a young girl in England, I was a fan of Leonard Cohen’s deep and mysterious songs,” said Simmons. “Years later, I spent several days with him doing interviews for a British music magazine. I had the honor of being his biographer, publishing ‘I’m Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen.’ Following Cohen’s death in November of 2016, I’ve been asked to talk about him again. This presentation will be a tribute to him.”