Culture Articles
Stories to grow on
Books are low on many children’s Christmas wish lists, but we continue to give them as presents. Nothing else has such power to take children into the lives of other people and enlarge their sympathies. The quality of writing for children has never been higher. Here we offer suggestions...
As we live…
Antony Barlow’s new book is an account of the service and lives of various branches of his family over several hundred years and encompasses many of the better-known Quaker names.
Not in God’s name
While former chief rabbi Jonathan Sacks does not give answers as to how the violence and atrocities being perpetrated by Islamic State might actually be stopped, he does suggest how they arise, how wrong are the reasons given by the perpetrators and how, when all their bloodletting is done, they...
Women of courage
On the door of one of the prison cells in the former Inquisitor’s Palace in Birgu, Malta, there is an unexpected notice. The first lines read: Sarah Cheevers, 50 years of age British Quaker from Wiltshire, wife of Henry Katherine Evans, 40 years of age British Quaker from Somerset, wife of...
Voices of Kagisong
There is something totally serene about the colour photo of Kagisong on the cover of Voices of Kagisong: History of a Refugee Programme in Botswana. There are some trees coming into fresh spring leaf; sundry dogs; a few 200-litre oil drums to remind us of the transience of piped water...
While it is yet day
In an afterword to While it is yet Day: The story of Elizabeth Fry Averil Douglas Opperman, an Irish journalist brought up in a Quaker family in Dublin, sets out her hopes for her version of the life of Elizabeth Fry. She wishes to keep the story ‘light’ in order...
The Quaker Tapestry
The Quaker Tapestry has just enjoyed a hugely successful visit to Lisburn in Northern Ireland. The embroidered panels – crafted by 4,000 men, women and children – are a stunning visual representation of 350 years of Quaker life and experience. They combine artistic expression with storytelling to produce a memorable celebration of Quakerism.
Painting with purpose
Art benefits us in so many ways. It nourishes our spirits and provides sanctuary for our troubled souls. It encourages peaceful, joyful collaborations, cements communities and forges friendships within a framework of equality – one reason why it is targeted for destruction in war zones. On a personal basis, Quakerism has...
Ploughshares
Always the guns he used Were those that had killed. Rendered safe, they were flattened With a strong force for once positive And made into sturdy shovels, Gleaming spades, with which people In the Third World planted trees, Dug in other fruitful crops And made earth banks to protect Their...
Inside Out/Outside In
The exhibition ‘Inside Out/Outside In’, at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, brings together a collaborative exhibition of three Quaker artists. We come from multi-faith backgrounds, namely Jewish, Hindu and Christian. For the three of us in this exhibition, our creative practice uses the figure as a vehicle both metaphorically and...