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Sonjel Vreeland

In her innermost heart, Sonjel is a mother, a wife and a bookworm but professionally she is a museologist and a library technician. She currently lives on Prince Edward Island, an isle in the shape of a smile on the eastern Canadian coast. Sonjel is a writer who loves to listen to jazz when she's driving at night.

“I Paint the Spiritual World”: The Art of Ania Telfer

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Baha’i Blog aims to celebrate creative and artistic expressions that are inspired by the Baha’i Revelation. Sometimes we hear about these artistic expressions from friends, from the artists who’ve made them, or sometimes they pop up on our social media feeds. Every now and then I follow a trail that leads me to an artist I’ve never heard of and artwork that takes my breath away.

Ania Telfer is one such artist, the creative mind behind such work. And I am absolutely thrilled to share with you a small gallery of her work, and a few of her words about her creative process.

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The Journey West Podcast – Episode 9: No True Happiness and Progress Without Spirituality

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The Journey West podcast celebrates the centenary of Abdu’l-Baha’s travels to Egypt, Europe and North America in 1911-1913. Each episode features a reading of one of Abdu’l-Baha’s talks, as well as dramatized stories and historical accounts. Each episode concludes with a discussion of the talk that was featured.  Continue reading →

Cloud9: Juliet Crossley – Portraying Black Nobility

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Cloud9 is a podcast produced by Baha’i Teachings. Its aim is to feature interviews with artists and discuss what inspires them to make a positive contribution to the world. In this episode, Baha’i Teachings’ arts editor Shadi Toloui-Wallace interviews Juliet Crossley, a Nashville-based portrait artist driven by an “intense desire to change the imagery of black people.” Through the application of marker on paper, Juliet uses her voice and creative gifts to promote justice, equality and the elimination of racial prejudice.  Continue reading →

BWNS: Exploring How Houses of Worship Are Connecting with Their Societies

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This podcast episode produced by the Baha’i World News Service is the second episode about Baha’i Houses of Worship (you can listen to part one here). In this episode we hear from Felipe Duhart and Eduardo Rioseco of Chile, Santos Odhiambo of Uganda, and M. A. Ghanbari of India who explore the impact that Temples are having on visitors and on surrounding populations. Creating a sacred space open to all has given rise to greater consciousness of and action for the betterment of society. Continue reading →

Cloud9: Louise Profeit-LaBlanc – Stories of Our First Peoples

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Cloud9 is a podcast produced by Baha’i Teachings. Its aim is to feature interviews with artists and discuss what inspires them to make a positive contribution to the world. In this episode, Baha’i Teachings’ arts editor Shadi Toloui-Wallace speaks with internationally-acclaimed traditional storyteller, poet and multidisciplinary artist Louise Profeit-LaBlanc. Louise is a Nacho N’yak Dun First Nation Baha’i from northern Yukon Territory, Canada. In her interview with Cloud9, Louise opens up about her childhood in Canada’s north, and her early memories of attending residential school. She reflects on the strength and power of her grandmother who cared for her throughout her life, and passed on the traditions and stories of her ancestors. We also learn about how Louise was introduced to the power of prayer, which led her to discover the Baha’i Faith. Continue reading →

The Imaginary Garden: A Choral Piece Inspired by a Poem by Mavash Sabet of the Yaran

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Marie-Claire Saindon has composed a moving choral adaptation of a poem by Mahvash Sabet titled “The Imaginary Garden”. The poem was published in Prison Poems, a collection smuggled out Evin prison during Sabet’s unjust 10 year imprisonment for being a Baha’i and for being one of the leaders of the Baha’i community in Iran (known as the Yaran). Marie-Claire’s composition won the 2018 Eastern Horizon Choral Writing Competition, which was hosted and performed by Choirs For Change, Nova Scotia, Canada, on June 14th 2018. Continue reading →

Susan Gammage Releases 8 New Books!

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Part of Baha’i Blog’s mission is to support Baha’i-inspired content online: we strive to see what’s currently out there in English and we try to lend support by highlighting initiatives, interviewing creators, and curating videos and songs. Susan Gammage has been tirelessly creating and promoting uplifting and resourceful Baha’i-inspired content for many years. When her website was hacked and taken offline, we keenly felt the absence of her online voice for many, many months — as did a whole community of people who have found Susan’s materials helpful. We are thrilled that she’s back online, with a newly designed site, and has recently released not one, but eight new books! Continue reading →