Speaking & Discussion

Let's talk about justice, peace, and human dignity.

Joseph joins groups (in person or by webinar) for conversations about 26 Weekends in County Jail, Quaker witness, war tax resistance, his experiences in jail and life after, economic justice, and the human beings caught inside systems of punishment.

Empty chairs arranged for a community conversation

Invite Joseph to speak

Join Joseph in conversation about conscience, justice, peace, and human dignity.

Joseph speaks with Quaker meetings, Unitarian Universalist congregations, book clubs, peace and justice groups, campuses, churches, interfaith communities, restorative justice circles, prison reform groups, and community organizations.

Invite him to speak about 26 Weekends in County Jail, war tax resistance, Quaker witness, the men he met inside, economic justice, addiction, punishment, and what it means to keep seeing that of God in each person.

Invite Joseph

Use this form to ask about book talks, interviews, classrooms, spiritual or religious communities, peace and justice gatherings, prison reform groups, or community conversations.

Who this is for

Groups gathering around moral courage, justice, and community repair.

Joseph’s story and experiences open conversations for communities wrestling with war, punishment, poverty, faith, citizenship, moral courage, and how to see the person beyond the charge or label.

Quaker & Interfaith meetings

Communities centered on peace witness, discernment, conscience, and the practice of seeing that of God in every person.

Unitarian Universalist congregations

Congregations exploring conscience, justice, public witness, and moral responsibility across a diverse religious life.

Book clubs and reading groups

Readers looking for a direct conversation about the book, the jail experience, and the questions the story opens.

Peace and justice groups

Groups working around war, prison reform, restorative justice, economic justice, and nonviolence in public life.

Campuses and classrooms

Students and faculty engaging civil disobedience, incarceration, moral injury, public policy, and ethical action.

Churches and interfaith communities

Faith communities that want a conversation about testimony, compassion, suffering, and the dignity of people inside systems of punishment.

Restorative justice groups

Practitioners and organizers working to move from punishment toward accountability, repair, and community care.

Community organizations

Local groups hosting conversations on incarceration, family impact, poverty, addiction, and the conditions that shape survival.

Media and interview hosts

Podcasts, interview series, and public conversations looking for a plainspoken voice on conscience and witness.

Speaking topics

Conversations opened by the book.

Each gathering can be shaped around the needs of the group, but these are some of the central questions Joseph can help open.

01

26 Weekends in County Jail

The story behind the book, how it was written, and what changed as Joseph kept returning to the jail each weekend.

02

War tax resistance and conscience

Why Joseph refused to fund war, how conscience became public action, and what refusal can cost.

03

Quaker witness and the Inner Light

How Quaker practice shaped the way Joseph saw the men around him and the responsibility to bear witness.

04

Jail, poverty, addiction, and punishment

What county jail reveals about untreated pain, debt, low-wage work, addiction, and the machinery of punishment.

05

The men inside and human dignity

What Joseph learned by listening to the men inside and refusing to reduce them to their charges.

06

Economic justice and the prison-industrial complex

How jail connects to debt, work, bureaucracy, profit, and the broader systems that keep people cycling through harm.

07

Moral courage in a violent society

What it takes to refuse violence, endure pressure, and keep choosing conscience when systems reward compliance.

08

Building communities of peace and accountability

How communities can hold harm seriously without surrendering compassion, truth, or the possibility of repair.

Conversation formats

In person or via webinar, join Joseph for a talk, a discussion, a classroom visit, or a community conversation.

The format can be simple. Joseph can join a group to speak about the book, answer questions, participate in a discussion, or help open a more focused conversation around conscience, peace, jail, and justice.

Empty chairs arranged for a community conversation

Book talk

A prepared talk about the story behind the book and what Joseph saw during 26 weekends in county jail.

Q&A

An open question-and-answer conversation with room for the group’s concerns and priorities.

Book club discussion

A conversational format for reading groups, libraries, and other readers who want to explore the text together.

Meeting or congregational conversation

A faith-centered discussion shaped around conscience, witness, listening, and communal reflection.

Classroom visit

A focused conversation on civil disobedience, incarceration, public policy, and moral responsibility.

Interview or podcast

A media conversation about the book, peace witness, tax resistance, Quaker faith, and human dignity.

Workshop-style discussion

A more participatory format for groups that want to move from listening into reflection and action.

Start the conversation

Have a gathering in mind?

Share a few details about your group, event, or classroom, and Joseph can follow up about what kind of conversation would fit.

Invite Joseph