RNA Newsletter – June 2021 – IRAS Conference

Hello RNAers –

There’s still time to register to attend the IRAS Conference on Star Island, NH, entitled “Naturalism – as Religion, within Religions, without Religion.” Dates are Sunday June 27 – Saturday July 3.

The full program is here https://www.iras.org/2021-conference-program.html, and registration and more information is here https://starisland.org/program/iras/. A stringent infrastructure has been established by the Star Island Corporation for covid safety. 

The woman running the children’s program – Jennifer Whitten – is splendid in every way, and has been doing it for decades. The chapel speaker, Janet Newton, is magnificent. My daughter Jessica Sanseverino, a professional soprano, will offer gorgeous music. And the island, with all the granite beauty of the Maine coast, is incomparable. 

Should the schedule look daunting, keep in mind that attendance is optional for everything. Many conferees spend a good part of the week “out on the rocks” or hanging out in a rocking chair on the front porch, surrounded by the ocean. After more than a year of forced hibernation, the conference should provide us all with the opportunity to expand, relax, and re-center – alone, with family, and with old and new friends.

We’ve arranged to have the first RNA “meet-up” during lunch on Monday June 28, at tables marked “RNA” in the corner of the front porch of the main building. At that time we’ll come up with additional locales/times for connecting and for pulling in interested not-yet-members.

Many of the speakers, paper presenters, and registrants are RNA members, including Jennifer, Janet, and Jessica, and it will be so wonderful to finally match people with names and come to know all of you. 

Please email me at goodenough@wustl.edu with any questions.

With love and in anticipation of a splendid week with many of you.

Ursula

Ursula Goodenough

President, Religious Naturalist Association