Authors Dr. Resmaa Menakem & T. Mychael Rambo

GWI is thrilled to welcome New York Times bestselling author of My Grandmother’s Hands Dr. Resmaa Menakem to Kingston for a talk about his new book The Stories From My Grandmother’s Hands. He will be joined by co-author T. Mychael Rambo. Copies of their new book will be available for sale. The talk will be followed by a Q&A.

“In today’s America, we tend to think of healing as something binary: either we’re broken or we’re healed from that brokenness. But that’s not how healing operates, and it’s almost never how human growth works. More often, healing and growth take place on a continuum, with innumerable points between utter brokenness and total health.” ― Resmaa Menakem, My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies

This free, public event is sponsored by GWI, and supported by Rough Draft Bar & Books with support from the Radio Kingston Community Tech Team.

Event Overview:

  • 5:45 – 6:00pm : Check-in, pick up your book, grab a drink/snack, and settle in!
  • 6:00 – 7:15pm : Resmaa Menakem and T. Mychael Rambo, in conversation with Micah (GWI), discussing The Stories From My Grandmother’s Hands.
  • 7:15 – 8:00pm : Book-signing + mingling!

About Resmaa Menakem:

Embodied provocateur, multiple-levels thinker, and structural paradigm-shifter Resmaa Menakem (MSW, LICSW, SEP), is an author, agent of change, therapist, and licensed clinical worker specializing in racialized trauma, communal healing, and cultural first aid based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As the originator and leading proponent of Somatic Abolitionism, an embodied antiracist practice for living and culture building, Resmaa is the founder of Justice Leadership Solutions and the Cultural Somatics Institute and is an educator and coach. Working at the intersections of anti-racism, communal healing, and embodied purpose, Resmaa Menakem is the challenging yet compassionate coach we all need in this time of racial reckoning and near-global dysregulation.

About T. Mychael Rambo:

T. Mychael Rambo is a three-time Mid-West Emmy Award winning actor, vocalist, author, arts educator, and community organizer/healer; whose talents have made an indelible mark on stages across the twin cities. nationally and internationally. He has appeared in local and national television commercials, feature films, HBO mini-series and other television programming. Nationally and internationally his credits include Carnegie Hall and performances abroad in Africa, Europe, and South America. T. Mychael is an accomplished recording artist, highly sought-after public speaker, and affiliate professor in the College of ‪Liberal Arts, Theatre Arts and Dance at the University of Minnesota; where he has taught in excess of 20 years.  

Climate Grief Conversations

GWI and Jenny Bates are holding ongoing climate grief conversations. This group will meet on the first Thursdays of the month, (though this one is on the second Thursday) at The Greenhouse 65 St. James St. on the corner of Clinton street and St. James Street in Uptown Kingston. This group is free and open to anyone who has concerns about the climate, about our City of Kingston, and who are stressed about an uncertain future.

“We are picking up distress signals, as living beings on this planet” – Jenny Bates.


Grief is not easily processed alone. The grief felt, consciously or unconsciously regarding the planet is on a scale previously unknown to our species. This series of conversations is an opportunity to share and verbalize what is felt in the context of group that will be facilitated with care, support and a sense of belonging in a confidential and fully respectful manner.


You can listen to Micah and Jenny speak on The Good Work Hour about this topic.
If you have any questions, email [email protected] or [email protected]

Climate Grief Conversations

GWI and Jenny Bates are holding ongoing climate grief conversations. This group will meet on the first Thursdays of the month, (though this one is on the second Thursday) at The Greenhouse 65 St. James St. on the corner of Clinton street and St. James Street in Uptown Kingston. This group is free and open to anyone who has concerns about the climate, about our City of Kingston, and who are stressed about an uncertain future.

“We are picking up distress signals, as living beings on this planet” – Jenny Bates.


Grief is not easily processed alone. The grief felt, consciously or unconsciously regarding the planet is on a scale previously unknown to our species. This series of conversations is an opportunity to share and verbalize what is felt in the context of group that will be facilitated with care, support and a sense of belonging in a confidential and fully respectful manner.


You can listen to Micah and Jenny speak on The Good Work Hour about this topic.
If you have any questions, email [email protected] or [email protected]

Climate Grief Conversations

GWI and Jenny Bates are holding ongoing climate grief conversations. This group will meet on the first Thursdays of the month, (though this one is on the second Thursday) at The Greenhouse 65 St. James St. on the corner of Clinton street and St. James Street in Uptown Kingston. This group is free and open to anyone who has concerns about the climate, about our City of Kingston, and who are stressed about an uncertain future.

“We are picking up distress signals, as living beings on this planet” – Jenny Bates.


Grief is not easily processed alone. The grief felt, consciously or unconsciously regarding the planet is on a scale previously unknown to our species. This series of conversations is an opportunity to share and verbalize what is felt in the context of group that will be facilitated with care, support and a sense of belonging in a confidential and fully respectful manner.


You can listen to Micah and Jenny speak on The Good Work Hour about this topic.
If you have any questions, email [email protected] or [email protected]

Climate Grief Conversations

GWI and Jenny Bates are holding ongoing climate grief conversations. This group will meet on the first Thursdays of the month, (though this one is on the second Thursday) at The Greenhouse 65 St. James St. on the corner of Clinton street and St. James Street in Uptown Kingston. This group is free and open to anyone who has concerns about the climate, about our City of Kingston, and who are stressed about an uncertain future.

“We are picking up distress signals, as living beings on this planet” – Jenny Bates.


Grief is not easily processed alone. The grief felt, consciously or unconsciously regarding the planet is on a scale previously unknown to our species. This series of conversations is an opportunity to share and verbalize what is felt in the context of group that will be facilitated with care, support and a sense of belonging in a confidential and fully respectful manner.


You can listen to Micah and Jenny speak on The Good Work Hour about this topic.
If you have any questions, email [email protected] or [email protected]

At Work in the Ruins with Dougald Hine

“Let [Hine’s] song of loss and longing, his call to fugitivity, dispossess you of your steady gait and poise. Perhaps then we, collectively infected, might together witness the incomprehensible.”—Bayo Akomolafe, author of These Wilds Beyond Our Fences

GWI is excited to welcome writer and social thinker Dougald Hine to Kingston for a talk highlighting his book, At Work in the Ruins: Finding Our Place in the Time of Climate Crisis and Other Emergencies. Join us at the GWI Greenhouse, where we will gather to hear reflections on the consequences of our over-reliance on the single lens of science while inviting us to collectively explore paths beyond panic and polarization. Registration for this event includes a copy of the book and will be available on the evening of the event. The talk will be followed by a Q&A.

Event Overview:

5:45-6:15pm Check-in, pick up your book, grab a drink/snack, and settle in!

6:15-7:15pm Dougald, in conversation with David Brownstein, will discuss At Work in the Ruins. They will then open it up to the audience for a Q&A

7:15-8:00pm Book-signing + mingling!

About Dougald Hine:

Dougald Hine is a social thinker, writer and speaker. After an early career as a BBC journalist, he co-founded organizations including the Dark Mountain Project and a school called HOME. He has collaborated with scientists, artists and activists, serving as a leader of artistic development at Riksteatern (Sweden’s national theater) and as an associate of the Centre for Environment and Development Studies at Uppsala University. His latest book is At Work in the Ruins: Finding Our Place in the Time of Science, Climate Change, Pandemics & All the Other Emergencies (2023). He co-hosts The Great Humbling podcast and publishes a Substack called Writing Home. https://dougald.nu/

Stress Reduction | techniques and tools to sooth and calm your nervous system with Shawn Harrison

The Ulster County Crime Victims Assistance Program is offering this free 4 class series Wednesday September 4-25 from 5:30-6:30pm at the GWI Greenhouse (65 St James St, Kingston). The series offers a combination of breath-work, mindfulness exercises and basic stretching geared towards helping you manage stress. All are welcome. No experience, special clothing or equipment is needed. Come as your are. For more information call (845) 340-3443.

Stress Reduction | techniques and tools to sooth and calm your nervous system with Shawn Harrison

The Ulster County Crime Victims Assistance Program is offering this free 4 class series Wednesday September 4-25 from 5:30-6:30pm at the GWI Greenhouse (65 St James St, Kingston). The series offers a combination of breath-work, mindfulness exercises and basic stretching geared towards helping you manage stress. All are welcome. No experience, special clothing or equipment is needed. Come as your are. For more information call (845) 340-3443.

Stress Reduction | techniques and tools to sooth and calm your nervous system with Shawn Harrison

The Ulster County Crime Victims Assistance Program is offering this free 4 class series Wednesday September 4-25 from 5:30-6:30pm at the GWI Greenhouse (65 St James St, Kingston). The series offers a combination of breath-work, mindfulness exercises and basic stretching geared towards helping you manage stress. All are welcome. No experience, special clothing or equipment is needed. Come as your are. For more information call (845) 340-3443.

Stress Reduction | techniques and tools to soothe and calm your nervous system with Shawn Harrison

The Ulster County Crime Victims Assistance Program is offering this free 4 class series Wednesday September 4-25 from 5:30-6:30pm at the GWI Greenhouse (65 St James St, Kingston). The series offers a combination of breath-work, mindfulness exercises and basic stretching geared towards helping you manage stress. All are welcome. No experience, special clothing or equipment is needed. Come as your are. For more information call (845) 340-3443.

PJ Library and PJ Our Way Book Swap

This event is for families in the PJ Library and PJ Our Way programs in Ulster County. The Book Swap is intended for children who wish to swap old books for “new” ones, or ones they haven’t read yet. It is also for any family raising their child/ren Jewish who wishes to join PJ Library. They are welcome to take home a few books. Refreshments will be available. There is a possibility of older readers reading to pre-readers. Please click the link below to register.

Democratizing Work: Ways of Sharing Power, Leadership and Decision Making (1 of 3)

Join the Good Work Institute and Co-op Hudson Valley as we explore the tools, policies, practices, culture, frameworks, and models of shared leadership and democratic decision making.

In this three-part series, we will get into the nuts and bolts of tools, policies and practices that support democratic decision making, and discuss the kinds of  relational shifts that facilitate a culture of shared leadership. We will explore the broader context of shared leadership, including motivations, frameworks and models applicable to different types of organizations, both businesses and nonprofits. 

In 2019, the Good Work Institute team made the collective decision to move from a hierarchical organization to a Worker Self-Directed Nonprofit. Together, we built a system of shared governance that serves the needs of our organization while honoring our unique individual contributions. Since 2021, Co-op Hudson Valley has been supporting worker-owned cooperative businesses to start and grow. This series draws on the direct experience of these two organizations that have coached, facilitated and supported workers in a wide variety of contexts to navigate the challenges and experience the benefits of bringing democratic values into the way we work and building deeper connections to our impact, purpose, and each other. 

Here’s what a couple of participants from our most recent series had to say about the workshops:

These workshops have been a wonderful team-learning experience and a very timely response to our ongoing questions/inquiries into moving into a worker-directed collective. The resources, technical tools, frameworks, and approaches are truly invaluable and an incredible value-add. Through these workshops, our team has been introduced to and challenged to build shared language around power, leadership, structure, and decision-making. SOOOOOO good! Shawn W.

I came into this process totally green to the idea of democratized work, but now feel I have a good grasp of the potential for our company, as well as great practical tools and resources, and clear next steps for how to approach these changes.Lauren M. 

Rather than provide a specific template approach, this series is designed to support participating organizations to see opportunities to evolve their own structure and processes. Together, we will explore:

  • Frameworks and Models of Shared Leadership
  • GWI Case Study: Policies, Practices and Culture of a Worker Self-Directed Nonprofit
  • Tools that Support Democratic Ways of Working and Making Decisions Together

We request that participating organizations send a minimum of two workers, and that participants attend all three workshops. Shared leadership is a collaborative practice, and we believe that the more workers present, the easier it will be for an organization to engage with this work. Our recommended best practice is to send a delegation of workers that represent different professional backgrounds and different levels of authority within the organization. 

We’re excited to offer this opportunity for learning and support alongside free weekly discovery calls focused on org-specific challenges and a quarterly community of practice to connect, discuss, and offer mutual encouragement.