Summer Week Eleven

Sholeh Wolpé

Sholeh Wolpé is an Iranian-born poet, playwright, and librettist. Her performances, solo or in collaboration with musicians and artists, have been hailed by audiences as mesmerizing. Her literary work includes six collections of poetry, several plays, three books of translations, and three anthologies. Her translations of 12th century Sufi mystic poet, Attar, The Conference of the Birds (W.W. Norton & Co), and 20th-century Iranian rebel poet Forugh Farrokhzad,  Sin: Selected Poems of Forugh Farrokhzad (Univ. of Arkansas Press) have garnered awards and established Wolpé as a celebrated re-creator of Persian poetry into English.

Peeyush Kumar

Peeyush Kumar is a systems scholar of cultures, economics & technology. His primary work is to build social technologies which support in building cultures of harmony, richness and equity. We live in a complex world with unprecedent precarity across both natural and human systems. It needs a holistic approach to bridge across these systems to create a culture of harmony and richness. Currently, he is working as a senior research scientist at Microsoft Research with a focus on food supply chain and energy systems and independent consultant across various aspects such as artificial intelligence, sustainability, resiliency, equity, and efficiency. Peeyush holds a PhD from UW Seattle in Artificial Intelligence and Operations Research.

John Beck

John Beck  received a BS in Art Education from Western Oregon University, completed a 5th year Art Education program at Portland State University, and received a MA in Education from Portland State University.  He is a member of the Oregon Art Education Association as well as the National Art Education Association. He started his teaching career at Toledo High School (Oregon) in the fall of 1990, and taught through until 1996.  He and his family moved to Dallas Oregon where he taught drawing, painting, pottery, and sculpture until he retired in the spring of 2016.  John was called back to teach full time at Dallas High in the fall of 2021, and may be retiring again in the spring of 2024.  He has continued to teach workshops, substitute, and an Integrated Arts section for a Masters program for Western Oregon University.  He has taught both undergraduate and graduate art courses for prospective teachers and continuing ed. workshops and courses for teachers already in the field.  John first came to Holden Village as a short term summer Potter in 1999 and has continued to volunteer to teach pottery, colored pencils, and watercolors over the years.  It is his favorite place to teach and recharge.

Brad Ellingboe

Bradley Ellingboe is an award-winning composer and arranger of choral music, with over 150 pieces in print. His works have been heard across the United States, Europe, and Asia. Ellingboe was on the faculty of the University of New Mexico for 30 years, retiring in 2015 as Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities. He is a graduate of Saint Olaf College and the Eastman School of Music and has done further study at the Aspen Music Festival, the Bach Aria Festival, the University of Oslo and the Vatican.For his work on making the music of Norway better known among English-speaking singers, Ellingboe was awarded The Medal of Saint Olav by His Majesty, King Harald of Norway, in 1994.

Moses Paul Peter Penumaka 

Moses Penumaka serves on the faculty at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary of California Lutheran University. He has been serving as the Director of Theological Education for Emerging Ministers at PLTS of California Lutheran University since 2008. He graduated with my Doctor of Theology degree at Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA in 2006. He worked with Ted Peters, Jane Strohl, Rosemary Radford Ruether and Surjit Singh on my dissertation on Communicatio Idiomatum and ahum Brahmasmi, a comparative study on Martin Luther’s and Adhi Shankara’s understanding of the nature of God. He was a mission developer for South Asian Ministry in Fremont, California before joining the faculty as assistant professor of Contextual Theology and Director of TEEM. He was born in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh in India and served as an ordained pastor for the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church in India for three year, as the national general secretary for the Student Christian Movement of India affiliated to World Student Christian Federation for six years, and as Director for the GTU Asia Project for three years. Moses has a rich experience in teaching and administration. His areas of teaching are Systematic Theology with a focus on Christology, theology from the margins, and Asian and Oceanic cultural and faith traditions, religion and interfaith studies.

John Helgen 

John Helgen currently serves as Director of Music Ministry at Roseville Lutheran Church in St. Paul, MN, where he conducts numerous vocal and instrumental ensembles. Since 1979, John has lived in Minneapolis and has been active as piano player, arranger, composer, performer, and producer. His performing credits include numerous appearances as the pianist/leader of the jazz and variety quartet First Inversion and as keyboardist/arranger with the Jay Beech Band.  His choral anthems and arrangements are published by Neil Kjos Music Company, Augsburg Fortress, Concordia Publishing House, and MorningStar Music Publishers.