Donna Butts, Executive Director of Generations United, speaks to Janeane about the impact of intergenerational strategies to reduce isolation, loneliness and improve mental health

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Executive Director of Generations United

Generations United (gu.org)

Donna Butts is the Executive Director of Generations United, a position she has held since 1997. For more than 30 years, Butts has worked tirelessly to promote the well-being of children, youth and older adults through nonprofit organizations across the country and around the world. She began her career in her home state of Oregon as a youth worker with the YWCA, where she worked one-on-one with teens and saw the positive effects of intergenerational programs firsthand.

Butts has held leadership positions with Covenant House, a New York-based international youth serving organization, and the National 4-H Council. She served as the Executive Director for the National Organization on Adolescent Pregnancy, Parenting and Prevention before taking the helm of Generations United.

An internationally sought-after speaker, author and advocate, Butts frequently speaks on intergenerational connections, grandparents raising grandchildren and policies effective across the lifespan. Her commentary has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Christian Science Monitor and the Wall Street Journal. She has been interviewed on the TODAY Show, National Public Radio and ABC News, and was invited by the United Nations to sit on four expert panels most recently on intergenerational solidarity and social cohesion in preparation for the 2014 20th anniversary of the International Year or the Family.

In 2004, Butts was honored with the National Council on Aging’s Jack Ossofsky for Leadership, Creativity, and Innovation in Programs and Services for Older Persons. She served as a 2005 delegate to the White House Conference on Aging. A respected author, she has written countless articles, chapters and publications regarding the welfare of children, youth and older adults.

Butts received her undergraduate degree from Marylhurst College and is a graduate of Stanford University’s Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders. She is a former chair of the board of the International Consortium of Intergenerational Programmes (ICIP) and serves on the board of the Journal of Intergenerational Relationships. She was recognized three years in a row (2012, 2013 and 2014) by The Nonprofit Times as one of the Top 50 most powerful and influential nonprofit executives in the nation.

In 2015, she was named one of the Top 50 Influencers in Aging by Next Avenue. Under her leadership, Generations United received the 2015 Eisner Prize for Excellence in Intergenerational Advocacy. Recently she was honored with one of the 2017 International Federation for Family Development Awards.

Check out Generations United’s newest report, Family Matters: Multigenerational Living Is on the Rise and Here to Stay.

Session and plenary details for Generations United’s Virtual Intergenerational Conference are now available! Register by May 31st to get the best possible rate. www.guconf.org

Support Generations United through

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Listen to The Generations United Podcast

Director D.W. Thomas talks about her debut film, TOO LATE OPENING IN SELECT THEATERS & ON DIGITAL PLATFORMS ON JUNE 25. TOO LATE - STARRING ALYSSA LIMPERIS, RON LYNCH, WILL WELDON, MARY LYNN RAJSKUB, & FRED ARMISEN

TOO LATE

OPENING IN SELECT THEATERS & ON DIGITAL PLATFORMS ON JUNE 25
STARRING ALYSSA LIMPERIS, RON LYNCH, WILL WELDON, MARY LYNN RAJSKUB, & FRED ARMISEN

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This cozy horror comedy set in the Los Angeles indie comedy scene features Violet Fields who works a thankless job as the assistant to Bob Devore, famed comedian and host of the live variety show, Too Late. But what only Violet knows is that Bob is a monster both literally and figuratively. Resigned to her fate, Violet is caught by surprise when she meets aspiring comedian Jimmy Rhodes and sparks fly. But as her feelings for Jimmy grow and Bob starts to doubt her loyalty, she and Jimmy could end up as Bob’s next meal.


TOO LATE is the debut feature film from director D.W. Thomas and writer Tom Becker. It stars Alyssa Limperis (Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun), Ron Lynch (Bob’s Burgers, Adventure Time), Will Weldon (Comedy Central’s This Isn’t Happening), Mary Lynn Rajskub (24, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Fred Armisen (SNL, Portlandia), Jenny Zigrino (Bad Santa 2, 50 Shades of Black), Jack De Sena (Avatar: The Last Airbender), and Brooks Wheelan (SNL).

ABOUT DW THOMAS
D.W. Thomas has built upon her nearly two decades experience as a feature film editor to produce and direct films, develop scripted series and features. D.W. has edited feature films including the psychological drama BLACK LIMOUSINE (Winner, Audience Choice Award, Santa Cruz Film Festival), the offbeat crime thriller CALL BACK, and the documentary HOOP REALITY. She has produced and edited several behind-the-scenes featurettes for studios including NBC, Disney, Marvel, and Pixar.

 

TOO LATE has a running time of 80 minutes and will not be rated by the MPAA. Gravitas Ventures will release TOO LATE in select theaters and on digital platforms including iTunes, Google Play, Fandango Now and all major cable/satellite platforms on June 25.


To view the trailer, go to: https://youtu.be/_hlM-Vx_8lE


For more information, go to: https://toolatethemovie.com/



Social Media Handles:

toolatethemovie.com

facebook.com/toolatethemovie

instagram.com/toolatethemovie

twitter.com/toolatethemovie

She's back with her 21st novel! WHOA! New York Times bestselling novelist Kristan Higgins shares her latest novel, PACK UP THE MOON, her most ambitious and moving story yet

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New York Times bestselling novelist Kristan Higgins turned her worst fear—losing a spouse and being left alone—into the subject of her latest novel, PACK UP THE MOON, (Berkley Trade Original; June 8, 2021).

At twenty-four, Kristan lost her beloved father in a tragic accident. She’s keenly aware of life’s fragility and as the wife of a firefighter has spent most her marriage steeling herself for the potential loss of her husband, Terrence. Kristan and her husband share a very happy marriage, but she’s written Terrence’s eulogy four times. If he’s late coming home from work and she can’t reach him, she automatically prepares for the worst.

Kristan wrote PACK UP THE MOON to explore her own scariest question: how do you move on after losing the love of your life? In writing the book, she reaffirmed her belief that love has the power to transform even after the one you love is gone and that there is always space for hope.

In PACK UP THE MOON (Berkley Trade Paperback Original; June 8, 2021), Kristan Higgins delivers a tragic love story with a hopeful ending—just not the one you expect. Reminiscent of Me Before You, this is the story of young widower Joshua Park, whose late wife, Lauren, left him twelve letters with directions on moving forward in the first year after her death. In true Kristan Higgins fashion, the result is a laughter-through-tears page turner.

PACK UP THE MOON is her most ambitious and moving story yet.

Lauren’s letters lead Josh on a journey through pain and anger to fragile, cautious hope. The tasks he’s assigned range from the deceptively simple, like grocery shopping or hosting a dinner party for family and friends, to the unthinkable—getting rid of their bed and kissing a woman who isn’t Lauren. On Josh’s clumsy and occasionally humorous path to healing, sorrow slowly makes room for laughter and new relationships. Higgins’s heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful story affirms love has the power to transform a life and transcend death.

In its starred review Kirkus said “Higgins deftly navigates a premise that could’ve been sappy and instead turns it into something poignant, realistic, and occasionally even funny. A moving and life-affirming portrait of grief that’s sure to bring the tears.”

A beloved author with a devoted fan base, Kristan Higgins has sold 4.5 million books worldwide, scored nine New York Times bestsellers, and is published in more than two dozen languages around the world. Her two most recent novels were each selected as People magazine’s “Pick of the Week.” Kristan is also a cohost of the Crappy Friends podcast, which discusses the often complex dynamics of female friendships, with her friend and fellow writer, Joss Dey. Higgins lives in Connecticut with her family.

Learn more at kristanhiggins.com.

Emily A. Francis is a highly sought-after speaker, bestselling author, and wellness expert. She shares her new book, Healing Ourselves Whole

Healing Ourselves Whole: 

An Interactive Guide to Release Pain and Trauma by Utilizing the Wisdom of the Body

Publisher: HCI, distributed by
Simon & Schuster
Release Date: May 11th, 2021

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Your Body is Speaking to You, It's Time to Learn the Language to Answer!

Discover what your body is trying to tell you about reaching your highest health! Healing Ourselves Whole gives you the tools needed to clean your emotional house from top to bottom. This groundbreaking process contains meditations and exercises that will help you dig deep into past trauma to discover when and how it took root, but most importantly how to release it!

Get in touch with various parts of the physical and energy body, and learn how identify, and let go of stored traumas while rediscovering the deeply held happiness that is also stored within your body. From this empowering space, you will learn to live from a new mindful way of being.

As a trained body worker, Emily Francis offers a refreshing perspective into healing trauma. She reveals unique knowledge of the body as a holder for memory. Emily will lead you on a path deep within yourself to rearrange the ways that pain and trauma have been holding you back from whole body, mind, spirit, and energy healing.

Learn the process of rearranging the dialogue within the body memory systems as well as a practice to healing your past self, and come into the present to create your best possible life.

"Emily has developed a vernacular for healing that our body tissues speak which allows us to excise the chronic wounds of pain, traumas, and guilt. This book will help you undo what has perhaps been the cause of your chronic physical or mental pain". - Roberto Tostado M.D., author of WTF (What the Food) is Wrong with Our Health?







Emily A. Francis is a highly sought-after speaker, bestselling author, and wellness expert with an array of education and experience spanning over 20 years. Her knowledge of the body as well as the body/mind connection is extensive and her commitment to total body, mind, and spirit wellness is her driving force. She believes in a whole body, proactive approach to wellness where balance is the key, and kindness paves the way. Emily is the host of the internet radio show All About Healing on Healthy Life Radio.

She has a Bachelor's degree in Exercise Science and Wellness, BS & Masters in Physical Education/Human Performance Concentration. Emily graduated from the Atlanta School of Massage in clinical and neuromuscular massage therapy and went on to specialize through the Dr. Vodder School North America for a MLD/CDT in manual lymphatic drainage and combined de-congestive therapy, working specifically with lymphedema.

Emily holds a Gold Medal in the US Open in Tai Chi Forms, is a Usui & Karuna Ki Reiki master level practitioner, and has over 300 hours of yoga teacher training. https://www.emilyafrancisbooks.com


Some of the topics Emily can speak/write articles on:
Understanding the way that our bodies absorb and store trauma, and how to release it
How to process the Heavy Four emotions - Shame, Guilt, Grief & Trauma
Why "trauma" is more than you think, including living through a global pandemic, childbirth, or even an automobile accident
How to make room for the Fabulous Four emotions - Happiness, Joy, Connection & Empowerment
Using the wisdom of the body to find hope in the darkness of addictions
The process of moving from suppression to releasing negative emotions
Breathing, meditations and simple practices that help you get into a calm space, releasing anxiety before going to work
How pain is not random, and what it's trying to tell us
How to go deeper into your meditation and visualization practices that assist you to dialogue and hear the body's messages
Need a unique article for your magazine? Emily can create a topic based on your needs.

"Read this excellent healing manual and being the process of becoming whole and complete". - Dr. Bernie Siegel

STARTING May 27th and running through May 30th 2021 - TOGETHER APART, a collection of new short musicals written, composed, directed-by and starring Brown University alumni. TOGETHER APART premieres May 27 at 5:30 PT/8:30 ET and streams through May 30 to raise money for The Actors Fund. Maria Deasy and Deborah DeFuria, two of the talented writers/performers chat with Janeane on KUCI 88.9fm

Deborah De Furia & Maria Deasy
featured on KUCI 88.9fm

WATCH | LISTEN

Thu, May 27, 2021, 8:30 pm EDT

Sun, May 30, 2021, 8:30 pm EDT Online


TOGETHER APART, a collection of new short musicals written, composed, directed-by and starring Brown University alumni, will premiere on May 27 at 5:30 PT/8:30 ET and stream through May 30 to raise money for The Actors Fund.

The musical evolved out of a true Zoom moment: A Brown musical theater reunion attended by graduates from the early 80s through the late 90s. Lisa Loeb, ’90 Graduate and Grammy Award Winner, was energized by the digital reconnection, and inspired to write a musical about the experience. She asked the group if they wanted to collaborate, and the creative process began. Loeb said “As I sat in the Zoom reunion, listening to everyone talk about their current lives, connecting with friends, and reflecting on all of our vivid musical theater memories from Brown, I realized that we shouldn’t just talk about what happened in the past, but we should write a Zoom musical about what’s going on, and it should happen all in the world of Zoom. And by sharing our storytelling and our passion and love for theater, we can work together to provide an outlet for our shared creativity while giving back to this incredible cause.”

The production is a compilation of ten seven-minute musicals, all about connecting on Zoom at the beginning of the pandemic. Producer Beth Wishnie, ’89 Graduate and Tony Award winner, said “This entire project has been a labor of love. Once we decided to raise money for our friends in the entertainment industry, we worked around the clock to make something meaningful to anyone who was able to see it."

Emmy and SAG award winner Julie Bowen ’90, who was in the midst of filming in Canada, was especially enthusiastic to join, knowing the show would be raising money for The Actors Fund. David Lai ‘86, who was deep in production on the music for the movie of Come From Away, came aboard as well, as did so many other talented Brown alums including Broadway veteran Ann Harada, Emmy Award winner Josh Hamilton ’92, and film icon JoBeth Williams ’70.

General admission tickets start at $25 with a VIP pre-show event available for donations of $100 or more. Tickets can be purchased through Eventbrite with proceeds benefitting The Actors Fund.

Performers Include Akin Adams, Syd Atlas, Jessie Austrian, Kitty Balay, Julie Bowen, Isabel Brodsky, Noah Brody, Karen Bryant, Imani Camara, June Carryl, Sara Clarke, Maria Deasy, Mia Ellis, Abby Espiritu, Deborah DeFuria, Duncan Gallagher, Becky Gibel, Oamiya Haque, Ann Harada, Josh Hamilton, Laurie Israel, Claire Karpen, Eric Kirchberger, Pebble Kranz, Lisa Loeb, Tisola Logan, Gillian Maimon, Meg MacCary, Dan Mackenzie, Gillian Maimon, Joseph Meissner, Luisa Patino, Gabriel Rosen, Rhonda Ross, Jonathan Schaffir, Marcy Schaffir ,Sirsa Shekim, Lawrence Stern, Charlie Thurston, Paco Tolson, Anthony Walley, JoBeth Williams, Joe Wilson Jr., Beth Wishnie and Arianna Zukerman.

Writers: June Carryl, Matt Hoverman (Emmy Award winner), Maria Deasy, Deborah DeFuria, Eric Kirchberger, Derek Livingston, Lisa Loeb, Meg MacCary, Dan Mackenzie, Sam Phillips, Lawrence Stern and Lorin Wertheimer.

Directors: Seth Bockley, Leslie Buxbaum, Vivienne Benesch, Sarah Cusick, Michael Lippman, Derek Livingston, Cris Sales, Pam Seiderman and Margie Zohn.

Composers: Jocelyn Adams, Carl Belfatti, Jules Cohen, Jonathan Feinberg, Lisa Loeb, Dan Mackenzie, Erin McKeown, Maria Seigenthaler and Lawrence Stern.

Produced by Beth Wishnie and Lisa Loeb, and co-produced by The 24 Hour Plays.

Musical direction by David Lai.

Video direction and editing by Kevin Surace.

TICKET PRICES
General admission tickets start at $25 with a VIP pre-show event available for donations of $100 or more.

VISIT: Actorsfund.org

Deborah Belford de Furia
www.haikuonaplumtree.com

Maria Deasy
www.mariadeasy.com
http://linkedin.com/in/mariadeasy

Travel and wellness journalist, Annie Daly, talks about her debut book, DESTINATION WELLNESS: Global Secrets for Better Living Wherever You Are

LISTEN to the conversation featuring Annie Daly.

Disillusioned with the commercialization of the wellness industry, Annie embarked on an inspiring adventure through some of the world's happiest and healthiest cities and villages to find out what we can learn from them. Whether she's hiking along gorgeous fjords in Norway to see why Norwegians are so dedicated to getting outside, soothing her spirit with Hawaiian salt water cleanses, or learning about the importance Brazilians place on community, Annie combines on-the-ground reporting with heartfelt personal narrative to share the global lessons, philosophies, and customs that prove that wellness is not about the products—it's about the way you live your life.

Whether you’re a foodie, travel enthusiast, history lover, or just someone looking for that extra dose of inspiration this year, Annie’s book is guaranteed to satisfy your needs.

Here are a few of Annie’s recent travel and wellness articles:
Here’s How You Can Explore Norway’s Wellness Culture
11 global beauty rituals to try at home
How not traveling in 2020 has helped me to heal

Annie discusses:

• How to use these ideas to "travel from home" during the pandemic (ex, the best globally-inspired DIY beauty rituals, recipes, music, home decor and design, and more).
• What it was like to work on a travel book during a travel shutdown.
• The difference between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation—especially when it comes to travel.
• All things female solo travel, from how to stay safe on the road to how to make friends on the road to how to combat occasional loneliness.
• The best travel gear for every type of trip, from an around-the-world adventure to a weekend getaway.
• What the wellness industry has gotten wrong about wellness—and what it's gotten right, too.
• The rise of wellness travel, plus the best wellness destinations to put on your post-pandemic “wanderlist.”
• The ethics/best practices of travel photography in the age of Instagram.
• The difference between self-soothing and self-care--how “true self care is soul work.”
• What a meal following an Ital diet consists of, and how we can incorporate it into our daily lives.
• The Ital diet is a nourishing plant-based lifestyle from Rastafari culture. It’s main goal is to enhance vitality through food, and encourages growing your own food when possible. This enhances one’s connection and respect for Mother Nature.
• The friluftsliv lifestyle (popular in Norway) and the importance of spending time outside and celebrating nature. How to live a more friluftsliv lifestyle while battling weather, work, and other factors.
• The importance of conversation and the art of listening in Hawaiian culture, and how we may benefit from this practice.
• Her experience with traditional Japanese onsen soaks and attending a tea ceremony.
• What she took from these experiences back home with her.
• How, according to Ayurveda, lifestyle choices, diet, the weather, etc. can all throw off the balance of our doshas.
• How Ayurveda is all about personalized wellness -- what works for one person may not work for someone else. It’s about listening to your body.
• How, according to Brazilians, well-being is a group thing rather than an individual thing. How our overall wellness can benefit from human connection.

True well-being isn’t hard to find. You just have to know where to look. In this insightful, full-color tour of Jamaica, Norway, Hawai'i, Japan, India, and Brazil, wellness and travel journalist Annie Daly shares a diverse array of philosophies, lifestyles, and practices for better living.

With candid photography, lesser-known history sidebars, and guidance on how to incorporate these often ancient and always timeless practices into your own lifestyle, this culturally-immersive read invites you to view the world through a different lens and decide what being well means to you.

DESTINATION WELLNESS also explores many other ideas, such as:
● Wellness is not a commodity. It’s a lifestyle and a mindset.
● It’s also not about adding — it’s about subtracting.
● The wellness philosophies that work best are often the simple, timeless ones: change your relationship to food, get outside when you can, connect to your roots, be present, stay balanced, and lean into your social connections.
● Self-care was originally created by and for Black people during the civil rights movement, but now many things labeled as self-care are really only self-soothing.
● True well-being is not something you can buy. It’s about tapping into what you have already, and what’s already inside of you.
● Our connection to both the past and the present is key to our well-being.


About Annie Daly
Annie Daly is a fourth-generation journalist who has worked at and written for a variety of wellness and travel publications, including SELF, AFAR, BuzzFeed,
Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, and Cosmopolitan. Her specialties are travel and wellness, and how and where those two intersect. She lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her husband.
Connect with Annie!
Website // Instagram // Twitter

Writer and a former editor at The New York Times, Cate Doty, shares her new book MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS: Or, Everything I Know About Love I Learned on the Wedding Pages

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If your weekends consist of devouring the weddings section of The New York Times, Cate Doty's Mergers and Acquisitions needs to be on your TBR list.” —Marie Claire


“Navigating the world of weddings can’t be easy, but Cate handles it fearlessly with to-the-point sass in this eye-opening expose.”

—Jen Lancaster, author of Bitter Is the New Black


MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS: Or, Everything I Know About Love I Learned on the Wedding Pages by Cate Doty is a compulsively readable behind-the-scenes debut memoir that takes readers inside the weddings section of The New York Times—the good, bad, and just plain weird—through the eyes of a young reporter just as she's falling in love herself.


Cate Doty talks about:

· Her experience at The New York Times

· How The New York Times wedding section has endured and why it is still so coveted

· Her predictions on changes we might foresee in the wedding industry post-pandemic

· Advice she would give someone planning their wedding for the first time


Growing up in the south, where tradition reigns supreme, Cate Doty thought about weddings…a lot. She catered for them, she attended many, she imagined her own. So, when she moved to New York City in pursuit of love—and to write for The New York Times—she finds her natural home in the weddings section, a first step to her own happily-ever-after, surely. Soon Cate is thrown into the cutthroat world of metropolitan society pages, experiencing the lengths couples go to have their announcements accepted and the lengths the writers go in fact-checking their stories; the surprising, status signaling details that matter most to brides and grooms; and the politics of the paper at a time of vast cultural and industry changes.

Reporting weekly on couples whose relationships seem enviable—or eye-roll worthy—and dealing with last-minute snafus, Cate is surrounded by love, or what we’re told to believe is love. But when she starts to take the leap herself, she begins to ask her own questions about what it means to truly commit…


Warm, witty, and keenly observed, MERGERS AND ACQUISITONS is an enthralling dive into one of society’s most esteemed institutions, its creators and subjects, and a young woman’s coming-of-age.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Cate Doty is a writer and a former editor at The New York Times, where she worked for nearly 15 years, including as a wedding announcements writer, presidential campaign reporter, and a senior staff editor on the Food desk. She occasionally teaches journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, from which she graduated, and lives in North Carolina with her family.