Eileen Flanagan is a Quaker writer who you’re going to hear a whole lot more about in coming years. She’s just finding her voice nationally–and what a voice it is!
David Crumm, editor of Read the Spirit

Articles on Effective Activism

Choose Democracy’s whirlwind effort is a crash course in good organizing

Despite flagrant assault on Capital, the pillars of democracy are still holding

Engaging New Activists for the Long Haul

Fight Back: Five Ways to Make Your Activism More Strategic

Where Are the Victims?

Please keep reading since many of the articles in the next section also include strategy lessons.

Climate Change and Environmental Justice

The Connection Between Climate Change and Racism is Real
How environmental racism contributes to the problem and how green jobs can address both.

How to Move a Utility: Get Moving Yourself
EQAT’s campaign for local solar

Don’t Drink the Water
Why fossil fuels will always poison some communities.

Wake up! This is Climate Change
How recent floods and wildfires are connected

It’s Up to Us
Eileen’s report from Paris at the end of the landmark climate summit.

How the KXL Pipeline fight turned tens of thousands into “radical environmentalists”
Salon story on how Keystone changed the movement

Small Quaker Group Takes on Big Bank and Wins
The David and Goliath story of EQAT

Temperature Rising
Christian Century cover story on climate change in Africa.

Acting Locally and Globally at the People’s Climate March
PNC Investigated for Climate Disruption in NYC Direct Action

Africa, Appalachia, and Arrest
The story of how Eileen developed a calling to work for climate justice

Rapid Escalation at PowerShift
Why Earth Quaker Action Team pulled off the largest bank branch action in history.

The Few and the Many
Why Eileen got arrested with 350.org and the Sierra Club

For African Environmentalists, Time to Get Beyond Polar Bears
A report on Greenpeace Africa published on Waging Nonviolence

Fighting Fracking in South Africa
As South Africa allows fracking exploration, activists mobilize.

Moving the Green Movement Forward (Literally)
Huffington Post piece on four groups taking their message to the road

Green Your Money
About a new Quaker-led program to get PNC Bank to stop financing mountaintop removal coal mining.

Quakers Advocate Living in “Right Relationship” with Creation
Huffington Post piece

A Religious Society of Friends of the Earth
Written for the Washington Post Online’s On Faith Column

Spirituality in Everyday Life

Using My Gifts
Eileen’s midlife realization that she wasn’t using her potential and what she did about it.

Finding Serenity as a Caregiver
Washington Post piece about caring for aging parents

God Matters
Tikkun piece on how our image of God affects our position on health care reform

Revolutionary Love
Huffington Post piece on the role of faith in social change

Living the Serenity Prayer
Slide show for Beliefnet

Buddhism Meets the 12 Steps
Guest blog post on Guinevere Gets Sober

The Serenity Prayer and Racism
Published by Read the Spirit

How Religion Changes Lives
Huffington Post piece on what religion says about change

Changing Faith
Huffington Post essay on finding one’s own concept of God

Family & Feminism

The Hidden Cost of Body-Shaming Women
Too many brilliant ideas have not gotten the audience they deserve because a woman thought she should lose ten pounds before pitching a TED Talk.

Keep Your Brunch
Salon article on the real history of Mother’s Day

The Art of Letting Go
Article on marriage and relationships for More

Shaken to the Core: Oprah’s Surprise Sister–and Mine
Huffington Post essay on learning I had a sister

Here Comes the Judgment
Article for Brain, Child Magazine

Sex and the Second Grade Girl
Essay for Mothers Movement Online

Ten Things I’ve Learned about Head Lice
A sad, but true story

Writing

Five Tips for Writing to Change the World
Writer’s Digest post for writers with an agenda

Remembering the Small Stuff
She Writes post on a Challenge of Writing Memoir

Criticism and Perseverance
She Writes post on knowing when to ignore feedback and when to heed it

Spread the Love for Your Author Friend
Eileen’s most popular blog post, picked up by the Minneapolis Star Tribune

Making a Change
Guest blog post on Writer Unboxed on changing literary agents

Eileen’s Blog

Imperfect Serenity
Eileen’s occasional reflections on family, activism, and current events