Commonweal

10/13/2026

With deep gratitude for Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D.'s life and legacy, the Commonweal community gathered together at the beginning of October for a beautiful celebration in her honor. Through medicine, teaching, storytelling, and more, Rachel brought healing to many. Among a lifetime of achievements, 40 years ago she helped to found the Commonweal Cancer Help Program, which remains one of our core programs to this day.

This was a live event only, but look for a few reflections from the event to be shared soon.

How did Rachel Naomi Remen impact your life? Share your thoughtful responses in the comments below.

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Photo 1: A gathering in Gallery Commonweal celebrates the life of Rachel Naomi Remen by honoring some of her cherished group practices. Credit: Kyra Epstein

Photo 2: Cynthia Li, MD speaks at Rachel Naomi Remen's celebration of life. Credit: Isabelle Ellingson

Photo 3: Dr. Vivek Murthy speaks at Rachel Naomi Remen's celebration of life. Credit: Kyra Epstein

Photo 4: Community altar for Rachel—participants brought unique items that represented their connection with Rachel and set them on the altar. What would you bring? Credit: Kyra Epstein

10/11/2026

As the urgency and complexity of the polycrisis unfolds all around us, one of the profound challenges of our time is determining where we can make a difference. How can leaders meet these ongoing challenges in a way that inspires energy, fosters resilience, and brings healing to the systems and organizations needed to sustain our movements and communities?

Join us for conversation with Annie Leonard, creator of The Story of Stuff and former executive director of Greenpeace USA; Brandi Jenkins, deputy director of the Beyond Petrochemicals campaign and a 20-year veteran of the EPA; Gary Cohen, Co-founder of Health Care Without Harm; and Commonweal Co-founder Michael Lerner in conversation about the long road that has brought the environmental health and justice movement to where we are in this moment. Come for the conversation and stay for a reception afterward.

Details below:

Leading Through the Polycrisis: Healing, Resilience, and the Future of Environmental Health and Justice
with Gary Cohen, Annie Leonard, and Brandi Jenkins, with Host Michael Lerner

* Sunday, Oct 18 | 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm PDT
In Gallery Commonweal and on Zoom

$15 suggested, no one turned away

Learn more and register to attend (required) by following the linktree in bio. Look under "Events."

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This event is part of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation's 45th anniversary Defying Boundaries celebrations, inspiring public dialogue through a series of nationwide events and conversations with MacArthur Fellows. Sponsors also include the Jenifer Altman Foundation, Marisla Foundation, and The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Global.

Art credit: Jon Marro, in Gallery Commonweal until January 2027

10/10/2026

* Podcast Premiere

The world is alive around us and communicating in ways beyond human language—telling the story of what it means to be alive on this Earth in a time when so much is changing. Are you tuned in to the ways the land speaks?

For this weekend's podcast premiere, you're invited to explore what it means to listen to the land. Join New School Visiting Scholar Melissa K. Nelson in conversation with Host Jaune Evans, discussing Melissa's latest project dedicated to revitalizing the Indigenous and feminist roots of science by centering care, belonging, kinship, and respectful intimacy with the natural world and each other.

Find the premiere on YouTube by following the linktree in bio.

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Look for new podcast releases on Saturdays, just in time for your weekend listening.

10/07/2026

When seeking to understand something as vast, complex, and without precedent as our own turning point in human evolution, we must start with the recognition that, to one extent or another, we’re all seeing through a glass darkly. Yet, the urgency of the crisis and the disorientation accompanying it demands that we try. In this conversation, Richard Tarnas will join Host Michael Lerner to discuss possible insights and perspectives that might help shed light on our situation. Details below:

Our Genuinely Unprecedented Moment in History
with Richard Tarnas and Host Michael Lerner

*Wednesday, Oct 28 | 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm PDT
In Commonweal Library or on Zoom

$15 suggested, no one turned away

Learn more and register to attend (required) by following the linktree in bio. Look under "Events."

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Image credit: Unsplash

The crisis of our current moment in time demands that we do our utmost to see through a glass darkly. In this conversation, Richard Tarnas will join Host Michael Lerner to discuss insights and perspectives that might help shed light on the current turning point in human evolution.

10/05/2026

Some leaders have said we are the first generation to understand the full dimensions of the climate crisis and the last generation to do something about it. We are facing new realities when it comes to human health, community health and planetary health, as well as assaults on democracy, human rights and denial of our shared history. As leaders, how can we hold the polycrisis without being crushed by the enormity of the personal, political and planetary challenges? How can we heal ourselves and build resilience in the organizations we need to sustain our movements?

Join us for conversation with Annie Leonard, creator of The Story of Stuff and former executive director of Greenpeace USA; Brandi Jenkins, deputy director of the Beyond Petrochemicals campaign and a 20-year veteran of the EPA; Gary Cohen, Co-founder of Health Care Without Harm; and Commonweal Co-founder Michael Lerner in conversation about the long road that has brought the environmental health and justice movement to where we are in this moment. Come for the conversation and stay for a reception afterward.

Details below:

Leading Through the Polycrisis: Healing, Resilience, and the Future of Environmental Health and Justice
with Gary Cohen, Annie Leonard, and Brandi Jenkins, with Host Michael Lerner

* Sunday, Oct 18 | 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm PDT
In Gallery Commonweal and on Zoom

$15 suggested, no one turned away

Learn more and register to attend (required) by following the linktree in bio. Look under "Events."

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This event is part of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation's 45th anniversary Defying Boundaries celebrations, inspiring public dialogue through a series of nationwide events and conversations with MacArthur Fellows. Sponsors also include the Jenifer Altman Foundation, Marisla Foundation, and The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Global.

Art credit: Jon Marro, in Gallery Commonweal until January 2027

10/04/2026

In honor of Commonweal's 50th year, an exhibit has come to Gallery Commonweal that explores the wild and unexpected growth of our work, the mycelium beneath the surface, and the tools and values that have naturally developed in our community.

Featuring visionary artwork by Jon Marro, this collection shares a small selection of the interconnected programs and projects that have unfolded alongside the values that have naturally emerged and grounded us. As we all navigate these turbulent times, we find courage and hope in looking back at what we have created and looking ahead to reimagine the future.

"Reimagining the Future" is on display now until January 2027. Find out more by following the linktree in bio. Look under "Events."

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Photos: Carlos Guerrero from SpeedPro Marin helped to print and install the exhibit this week alongside Commonweal staff. Credit: Susan Grelock Yusem

10/03/2026

* Podcast Premiere

There is an eternal song emanating from the heart of existence, and that song may just be calling on us to heal our way of being in the world. In times of global crisis and upheaval, stepping outside a modern, individualistic perspective can feel daunting—and future generations are counting on us to listen.

For this weekend's podcast premiere, you're invited to explore these ideas with New School Host Susan Grelock Yusem in conversation with Zaya Ralitza Benazzo and Maurizio Benazzo—the amazingly prolific filmmakers and founders of SAND (Science and Nonduality Conference)—as they discuss their award-winning film The Eternal Song. The film is the first in a documentary series that explores the devastating impact of colonization on indigenous people, lands, and cultures—and how our collective future depends on remembering the eternal song of existence which calls us back to our original sense of belonging.

Find the premiere on YouTube by following the linktree in bio.

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Look for new podcast releases on Saturdays, just in time for your weekend listening.

10/02/2026

We were thrilled to greet Melissa K. Nelson this week and welcome her to Commonweal New School as our fall visiting scholar. On Tuesday, board member Jaune Evans hosted a conversation with Melissa exploring the topic of rematriating science—returning to and revitalizing the Indigenous and feminist roots of science by embracing ways of knowing that are based on care, belonging, kinship, and respectful intimacy with the natural world and each other.

Melissa’s residency is part of our celebration of 50 years of reimagining the future. Read more about what rematriating science means to Melissa by reading her introductory essay "Listening to the Land." Follow the linktree in bio, and look under "Articles."

Look for the podcast recording of this conversation coming soon.

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Art credit: Jon Marro, in the "Reimagining the Future" exhibit October 2026 - January 2027
Photo by: Kyra Epstein

09/30/2026

Situated at the southern end of the Point Reyes National Seashore, Commonweal is deeply connected with the land all around us, and that includes the many more-than-human beings who kindly share this wild stretch of coastline with us.

This photo from our archives shows one of our neighbors—do you know what kind of animal this is? Put your guesses in the comments below. Who are your more-than-human neighbors where you live?

If you haven't been out to greet the land in person yet, you're invited to join us for an upcoming event. Discover what's happening by following the Linktree in bio. Look under "Events."

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Photo credit: Alex Kushner