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The Cathexis team is diving into our latest summer reading circle. We unanimously selected All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis, a collection of essays and poetry edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine K. Wilkinson.
Described as “an anthology of writings by 60 women at the forefront of the climate movement who are harnessing truth, courage, and solutions to lead humanity forward,” the book aligns well with the intention of our summer reading circles (which we’ve run since 2020) to dive deep into topics related to equity and inclusion, truth and reconciliation, anti-oppression, anti-racism, and showing bold leadership. The book’s themes merge nicely with our team’s ambition to elevate our action on climate change.
Our reading circle draws from the many resources the All We Can Save Project has on their website. There is a specific guide for workplace circles that we are using to inspire and lead our discussions. The workplace guide provides a great starting place to keep the dialogue in the circle inclusive and educational, including these five “agreements”:
- Generous Dialogue: We will ask open and generous questions, offer our own stories and ideas generously, and listen to one another with a generosity of spirit.
- Equitable Dialogue: We will have a single conversation — one voice at a time, with roughly equal time to share. We will each step up or step back as needed.
- Confidential Dialogue: We will ensure that sharings made within our Circle are not shared beyond it, unless someone gives clear permission to do so.
- Growing Dialogue: We will lean into learning, welcome diverse opinions and perspectives, and support our mutual growth in knowledge and power.
- Courageous Dialogue: We will bring our heads and hearts to this space, holding hard truths while looking towards what is possible and how we can best contribute.
We kicked off our reading circle in late May with Session 1 – Begin. We’ll continue to meet about once every 2 weeks through the summer, covering about 7 of the 10 sections of the book. Here’s a snapshot of each week from the session guides:
Session 1: Begin
“My heart is moved by all I cannot save: so much has been destroyed”
Session 2: Root
A call, a welcoming, a place to ground; The foundation of Indigenous wisdom.
Session 3: Advocate
How we hold the powerful to account; And (re)write the rules with all people in mind.
Session 4: Reframe
Language and story, creativity and culture; Our means of making sense.
Session 5: Reshape
Problems embedded in the contours; Of cities, transport, infrastructure, capitalism.
Session 6: Persist
Standing for justice, for health, for the sacred; We don’t have to do this alone.
Session 7: Feel
Awake, aware, attuned; Hearts break, souls shake with anxiety.
Session 8: Nourish
Soil, food, water, sky—inseparable; The foundations of our aliveness.
Session 9: Rise
For a future that holds us, all of us; This is the work of our lifetimes.
Session 10: Onward
“There must be those among whom we can sit down and weep, and still be counted as warriors”
Through our reading circle, we hope to spark meaningful conversations, inspire innovative solutions, and ultimately contribute to building a more sustainable and equitable future for all. And we’ll be posting some of our learnings and favourite resources over the next few months. Stay tuned!
Resources we like:
- How empowering women and girls can help stop global warming – Ted Talk by Katharine K. Wilkinson
- What I Know about the ocean – we need ocean justice – Essay in Sierra Magazine by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
- Madeline Jubilee Saito’s art collection – Artist for the book