(photo: Brian Velenchencko)

For all my friends in the Bay Area of California, this one’s for you!

Over the past two years I’ve worked with writer, producer, educator, and activist Belvie Rooks on several occasions. We’ve made presentations together at the Denver Green Festival, the Institute of Noetic Sciences International Conference, and Central Connecticut State University.

I’m excited to share with you that Belvie–co-founder with her husband Dedan Gills of Growing a Global Heart–will host a series of “dialogues” in the fall titled ConverZations That Matter: Navigating the Boundaries of Race, Class, and Gender in the 21st Century and Beyond. These public events are sponsored by the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in San Francisco.

The first dialogue, An Evening with Dr. Cornel West: Speaking Our Vision of Hope and Possibility Out Loud!, takes place September 30, 2010. Dr. West teaches at Princeton University. He is considered one of America’s most provocative public intellectuals. He is the author of many books, including Race Matters (from the publisher of Inheriting the Trade, Beacon Press).

I’m honored and excited that the second dialogue, Slavery’s Legacy: What Would Healing Look Like?, will feature Belvie and me. Our presentation is scheduled for October 13.

The third in the series, Finding Common Ground: Stretching the Boundaries, on November 10, is an Intergenerational Spoken Word and Performance Dialogue with original Watts Prophet poet Amde Hamilton and some of the Bay Area’s most amazing female poets, rappers, and spoken word artists.

I strongly encourage you to SAVE the dates for the series, attend these events if you can, AND share this news with all your friends in the San Francisco Bay area. These will be some powerful ConverZations That Matter indeed!

Please note: space is limited so get your tickets early! For more information, and to register to attend, click here.