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Issue 260430 (c) 2026 People's Music Network for Songs of Freedom and Struggle
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. Sweet Spring Songs! May 29th through May 31st! For this year's "Summer" gathering, we will again be at the Grotonwood Camp & Conference Center in Groton, Massachusetts. We always have a wonderful time there. If you have attended before, please come again! If you have never attended, please join us! Here are some of the workshops currently scheduled for the gathering (please check the website for updates): AVAILABLE IN-PERSON ONLY Selling Recordings: After the Last CD Player Died Charlie King LGBTQ+ Song Swap Mara Sapon-Shevin Grain of Salt Songwriting Terry Kitchen Hoops of Hope: Dream Song and Story Weaving Nyanna Susan Tobin Singing Resistance: Short Songs for the Streets Marcie Boyd AVAILABLE ON-LINE ONLY Friday Night Kaballat Shabbat and Social Shmooze Joanie Calem Woody Guthrie’s LIfe and Songs Marc Hecker Healing Power of Music Freedome Nsoroma Lee-El If I Had a Song Joanie Calem Songs for the Planet Louise Ina Hertzler HYBRID PRESENTATIONS The PMN Round-Robin (Friday night & Saturday night) Thank you! The Steering Committee
Cara Schwartz, Lindsey Wilson and Judy Gorman sing out strong!
URGENT!!! SUPPORT STRATEGIC PLANNING Strategic planning is the most critical component of non-profit work: Everything turns out better with some planning -- particularly planning that is linked to an integrated and inspirational approach to the programming and fundraising. PMN is a non-profit organization with its share of organizational rollercoaster rides, but now is the time to re-focus on who we are, who we want to be and what we want to accomplish moving forward. We are needed more than ever and we need each other more than ever. It makes sense, therefore, to move into the 50th year of our existence with greater clarity and determination than we have had in recent decades. To do this, the Steering Committee has established a Strategic Plan Working Group with an aggressive schedule for the Summer 2026 sessions (CLICK HERE for more information). In the interest of efficiency, Working Group membership will be limited to no more than 15 individuals. That being said, we are hoping to create a group that is representative of different constituencies within PMN, so please do not be shy about asking questions and speaking up. If you think you might be interested in being part of this group, please send an email to Chris Owens, Steering Committee Chair ASAP, and no later than May 11th.
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 At Shrine, Joel Landy lends his voice and parodies to the struggle!
Rubén González produces the NYC Chapter's Shrine Showcase series!
MEMBERS OF THE MONTH MAY, 2026 A “Member of the Month” is a PMN member in good standing (your dues are current). Since this presentation is focused on educating ourselves about our colleagues and learning from each other, there is no “test” you need to pass to be nominated – though preference may sometimes go to an individual who has been “of service” to PMN. The MOMs-to-date have been Joanie Calem, Eric Law, Lindsey Wilson, Jane Sapp, Colleen Kattau, Evan Greer, and Rubén González! Please welcome our newest MOMs, Dan & Faith Senie, and Dilson Hernandez. DAN & FAITH SENIE
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PLEASE REVIEW THE TWO PMN EVENT CALENDARS BELOW:
Happy Birthday to our PMN May Babies! You share this month with millions, including these folks: Al Franken, Albert Finney, Andre 3000 Andrea Corr, Annette Bening, Artie Shaw Audrey Hepburn, Bea Arthur Benny Goodman, Beverly Sills Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Billy Joel Bobby Darin, Bono, Brian Williams Burt Bacharach, Busta Rhymes Candace Bergen, Cate Blanchett Chazz Palminteri, Cher, Christine Baranski Colin Farrell, Cynthia McFadden Darius Rucker, Dave Buckner Dave Mason, Debra Winger Dennis Hopper, Dixie Carter, Eddy Arnold Edward Lear, Engelbert Humperdinck Enya, Fats Waller, Florence Nightingale Frank Capra, Frank Oz, Frankie Valli Gabourey Sidibe, Gabriel Byrne Gary Cooper, George Carlin George Clooney, George Lucas Gladys Knight, Grace Jones Hank Williams, Jr., Harvey Keitel Helena Bonham Carter, Henry Fonda Ian McKellen, Idina Menzel Irving Berlin, Isadora Duncan, Jack Paar James Brown, James Mason, Janet Jackson Jewel, Jim Thorpe, Jimmy Stewart J.M. Barrie, Joan Collins, Joe Cocker Joe Louis, Joe Namath, Joey Ramone John F. Kennedy, John Fogerty Joseph Fiennes, Judy Collins Julia Ward Howe, Karl Marx Katharine Hepburn, Laurence Olivier Lauryn Hill, Lenny Kravitz, Liberace Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, Louis Gossett, Jr. Malcolm X, Martha Graham, Mel Blanc Melissa Etheridge, Melissa Gilbert Mike Myers, Mike Wallace, Miles Davis Nora Ephron, Orson Welles, Patti LaBelle Paul Winfield, Peggy Lee, Pete Seeger Pete Townsend, Peter Carl Faberge Peter Yarrow, Ralph Waldo Emerson Ramsey Lewis, Raymond Burr Remy Ma, Richard Schiff, Rita Coolidge Ritchie Valens, Rosanne Cash Rosario Dawson, Rosemary Clooney Scatman Crothers, Sharon Gless Stephen Colbert, Steve Winwood Stevie Wonder, Sugar Ray Leonard Sugar Ray Robinson, Tammy Wynette Tim Russert, Tommy Chong, Trini Lopez Tyrone Power, Vincent Price Ving Rhames, Walt Whitman Willie Mays, Wynonna Judd Name one living PMN member whose birthday is in May! If you can’t name one, then get to know your fellow members better when you attend the Summer Gathering at Grotonwood from May 29 - May 31! By the way, if you would like to compile a list of social justice movement leader birthdays that we should put on our monthly lists, then please feel free to volunteer! :)
Chris Oledude presents his "small ensemble" set featuring PMN member Barry Kornhauser, along with Barbara Frankel and Jonathan Finkelman | Dan and Faith are an award-winning, touring New Hampshire-based husband and wife singer-songwriter duo who describe their music as dream-inspired folk. Daniel Senie (guitar, banjo, harmonica, vocals) and Faith Senie (mandolin, acoustic bass guitar, ukulele, mountain dulcimer, vocals) tap into the imagery captured from dreams and everyday life in crafting their original songs that tell the stories of people and places, real and imagined. Among the duo’s five studio albums are Who We Are (2024), Then and Now (2020), Seeking (2016), and Simple Grace (2014). An earlier album and a live EP are no longer available. Their latest album, Who We Are, was produced by Joe Jencks, mixed by Mark Dann and mastered by Charlie Pilzer. Contributing artists include Tracy Grammer, Joe Jencks, Michael G. Ronstadt, Mark Dann, Christine Stay and Aidan Quinn (Friction Farm), Catherine Miles (Miles and Mafale), Brad Yoder, and Raianne Richards. The album has received airplay and has charted on the Folk DJ chart. Tracks from Who We Are and from prior albums and singles have received a great deal of play on Spotify, reaching over 500,000 streams in 164 countries in 2025. It has also received stellar reviews. Recording is underway at this time for a new album. A recent review notes, "Fans of storytellers like Joan Baez and John Gorka will find much to love. Dan and Faith push themselves, and the genre, with rich ideas and honest sound." Raised in New York City and the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, Dan Senie has been singing for as long as he can remember. Although he took piano and French horn as a child, neither instrument kept his interest. However, he enjoyed spending many summers at Camp Taconic, singing folk songs of the 1960s and 1970s, many of which remain favorites of his to this day. Upon moving back to NYC, Dan joined the Manhattan borough-wide chorus and, later, the New York All-City Chorus and Concert Choir. Faith Senie was raised in Cooperstown, NY, where she began playing piano at an early age. She sang in her school choir, was an accompanist for school shows and concerts, and also took to acting. Faith and Dan met while both were students at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Although professional life led them to abandon their musical pursuits for more than 20 years, a songwriting workshop series with Pete and Maura Kennedy prompted them to return to their musical roots. The duo got their musical start in New England and now travel throughout the U.S. and Canada in a camper-van packed with instruments and sound gear as they bring their music and stories to coffeehouses, festivals, libraries, house concerts, and other listening rooms. DILSON HERNANDEZ
Dilson is a Dominican-American performing artist from the Bronx, New York. His talents include creative writing, playing various instruments, spoken-word poetry, singing, and digital production. He has been involved with PMN's NYC Chapter for a few years. In 2019, Dilson was named the Resident Artist for the Inspired Word, an open mic series in New York City. As the Resident Artist, he made his Off-Broadway debut at the Triad Theatre, where he performed the blueprint to his one-man show Bachatú. In 2024, Dilson was the recipient of 3 major grants from the Bronx Council of Arts: The Juvenile Justice Residency, the Arts Fund, and Bronx Cultural Visions Fund. The Visions Fund allowed him to present a reading of Bachatú at Intar Theatre. In addition to performing, Dilson has composed for a variety of Off-Broadway productions such as, Guadalís del Carmen's Bees and Honey (MCC Theatre) and Julissa Calderon's Vámonos! (Intar Theatre). Dilson wishes to change the world with his art and community work, aiming to strive for a more progressive and creative future. Some of his work abroad included teaching English in Haiti and building dorm spaces for underprivileged children in rural India. In New York City, Dilson facilitated music workshops and advocated in courtrooms for incarcerated youth via the Youth Justice Network. He is currently an employee at Carnegie Hall's Social Impact Programs where he helps curate programming for justice-involved youth via the Future Music Project. Dilson received a Bachelor's of Arts in both English and Music from the University at Albany in 2015. He also received an engineering certification from the Institute of Audio Research in 2017. Dilson is in the process of revising his one-man show, Bachatú, and is looking to release his first music project, The Bachatú EP, on all streaming services.
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Please use the website’s home page as your first reference point. There are two calendars – the official PMN activities is on top and below that is a calendar of events presented by organizations or individuals with connections to PMN, including members. So, please check the website daily for important information and updates, including registration for the Summer Gathering and registration for other events. If you have suggestions for the website or events to schedule, please contact newsletter@peoplesmusic.org. |
The People’s Music Network for Songs of Freedom and Struggle is a diverse community of singers, artists, activists and allies that cultivates music and cultural work as catalysts for a just and peaceful world.
We use music and culture to promote progressive ideas and values. We’re committed to working with and supporting grassroots and community organizations, to explore and present the diversity of people’s culture. We learn from our communities and each other and we have fun doing it!
We represent many social, racial, cultural, and ethnic communities as well as a great variety of musical and political interests. We are anti-racist activists, peace activists, children’s activists, feminists, labor organizers, lesbians and gays, and more. Our network stretches across the U. S. and Canada and includes other international members.
PMN is based on the celebration and respect of diversity, including gender, age, race, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, economic status, gender expression, and personality.