Author: Rivera Sun

A Poem by Rivera Sun Learning words for landscapeplace-terms in the language of geologyan incantation linking my wayward soulwith tenterhooks and spiderwebshair-thin roots and curling pea shoot tendrilsanchoring my humanity to this earth:tuckamore, vly, chockstone, fen. Can you feel the wilds awakeningwithin you at their sound? Stirring like spring,fertile and feral:hummock, loess, nickpoint, pediment,oxbow, portage, riprap, scarp. […]

By Gayle Morrow I am not a devoted fan of the fantasy genre so did not expect to care for this first in a series work by Rivera Sun. Instead I was captivated almost immediately. The premise is a “lost heir” of a dead queen turning out to be a pixie, fairy-like young girl; fairly […]

A Review by Rivera Sun “When everyone knows how to plan, you start to get strategic behavior.” These words from Ivan Marovic serve as my mantra as I facilitate trainings in strategy for nonviolent campaigns. When I met Marovic at the James Lawson Institute in 2014, he impressed upon me that everyone should understand strategy, […]

We say we want change. So, every few years, we elect new officials, and they continue to churn out more of the same policies, legislation, and rhetoric. The rich continue to get richer. The poor slide deeper into poverty. Corporations and the wealthy see pet projects and sweet deals passed through Congress. The People receive […]

Review of The Way Between by Liz Moon The Way Between is a thoughtful story which infuses rich fantasy and nonviolent action principals, together. This combination not only draws you into the storyline to learn more about the characters and how they intertwine with both their shared and individual history, but also allows you to […]

An Essay of the Man From the North by Rivera Sun A nation built on greed is not a nation; it is just a legal framework for rape and pillage, slavery and exploitation, theft, murder, and genocide. A nation whose primary function is to protect the exclusive right of the rich to engage in those […]

An Essay of the Man From the North by Rivera Sun The tools of nonviolent action and the skills of struggle are as vital to these times as reading, writing, and arithmetic. Training to use them is as essential as learning how to use a computer. The ability to boycott and strike is as important […]

An Essay of the Man from the North by Rivera Sun If we, the people, wrote a constitution now, what would go in it? Equal rights for women, men, non-binary, and undefined? Caps on wealth tied to poverty levels? Rights of nature? Reparations for past crimes, wrongs, and thefts? Limits on military spending? A free […]

A Review by Rivera Sun The Occupy Movement ignited popular awareness of “horizontal” concepts, yet many years have passed and few movements – and even fewer organizations – have really figured out how to embody those ideas. Samantha Slade’s new book, Going Horizontal, offers practical tools and tangible practices for all of us seeking to […]

(Note: This tale is part of the fictional Stories of the Third Brother, an ancient book of folktales about Alaren in Ari Ara’s world. Each folktale teaches a lesson in waging peace using true stories as a spark of inspiration for the tales of courageous nonviolent action. You can find the stories in The Adventures […]

An Essay of the Man From the Northby Rivera Sun I want to love this broken-hearted country, this land of shattered dreams and dashed hopes. I want to place my ear to the drumming cadence of our cities and hear the insistent pulse of life. I want to wander the forgotten highways of stories that […]

Good news for humanity: the NRA is weakening. The gun-lobbying group is in “deep financial trouble,” Fortune Magazine reported, and warns that the NRA may not be able to keep going. “The group says it is under such financial distress because New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has convinced a number of financial service providers, banks, […]

Urchins’ Feast Note: This chapter is excerpted from The Lost Heir:  An Unruly Royal, An Urchin Queen, and A Quest For Justice by Rivera Sun. You can purchase the book here. And find the eBook version here. “No, absolutely not,” the Great Lady Brinelle spoke as she continued reading a draft bill, not bothering to […]

If you like being a peon, a serf, or a slave, by all means, continue on with business-as-usual. Your corporate overlords are delighted to exploit you. They’re thrilled at the prospect of profiting off your descendants for all eternity. But their hourglass is running out of sand. The planet’s ecosystems are collapsing. We will not […]

I recently left the country (for a weekend) and joined an international group of feminists of all genders at the Entrepreneurial Feminist Forum (EFF) in Toronto. I had been invited to offer a workshop on the tools and strategies activists use to make change. When I first heard about this group (not knowing anything about […]

Murmuration Exercise Adapted for movements and organizations by Rivera Sun Please use and share, but please let participants know where it comes from so a sense of lineage and longevity is built through our movements. Thank you. History: I first learned this exercise as a group improvisational dance structure at Bennington College with Dance Professor […]

An Essay of the Man from the Northby Rivera Sun What do we do when we finally understand that the elections really are stolen? Or rigged? Or thrust out of our reach by the manipulations of rich and powerful people? Corrupted by corporations? How long does it take before we call the bluff? Another disappointing […]

An Essay of the Man From the Northby Rivera Sun The time is up. The time is now. Gather the people to do the work: the healing, transformative, deepening work of building community, solutions, understanding, skills, knowledge, and hope. You must be the one to make a change, to step out of the rutted tracks […]

The Lost Heir: Chapter One By Rivera Sun Note: This novel is the stand-alone sequel to The Way Between.You can purchase the book here. And find the eBook version here. Ari Ara swung her leg over the window ledge and peered down the high stone wall of the House of Marin. She was about to break a […]

Note: This short story is part of The Adventures of Alaren, the fictional folktales of the world in the Ari Ara Series. You can learn more and find the books here. Alaren and the Brothers Wall In the Stony Pass, north of the East-West Road, the two kings Marin and Shirar were building a wall. Two walls, […]

An Essay of the Man From the North (The Writings of the Fictional Character Charlie Rider from The Dandelion Insurrection) by Rivera Sun The Vote – the beloved, abused, scorned, corrupted, stolen, hijacked, pointless, profound, hopeful, depressing, hard-won, cherished vote – is not the only way to take action for meaningful change. Currently, the elections […]

Join in the fun of the magical celebration of the Community Publishing Campaign for The Lost Heir, Rivera Sun’s newest, unforgettable, and heart-warming novel. Today’s the Day! Hooray for The Lost Heir! Your new favorite book is here! The adventure begins. You can get The Lost Heir here and help send this book into the world. In our Community Publishing Campaign, you’ll find the early-release, […]

The Lost Heir: Ari Ara Is Back! An Unruly Royal. An Urchin Queen. A Quest for Justice. Are you ready for an adventure? The Lost Heir, sequel to The Way Between is almost here! In less than one month, the next part of our remarkable shero’s journey from mountain shepherdess to warrior’s apprentice to royal heir will be […]

“The Universe is made of stories, not atoms,” said Muriel Rukeyser in The Speed of Darkness. View this email in your browse What Do Hit Movies, Feminist Classics, & Rivera Sun’s Newest Novel Have In Common? They all weave the story of the world, for better or for worse. Confession: I watch movies. I check out amazing […]