Kitty Reads Lit for Peace: Charles Dickens – A Christmas Carol plus The Next Peacelands

In today’s holiday edition, Kitty O’Compost reads a short, seasonally grounded passage from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol—his mid-career meditation on generosity, personal transformation, and the moral imagination required to change one’s life. Kitty offers only a brief excerpt, enough to settle listeners into the thoughtful clarity Dickens brought to questions of compassion and social responsibility.

These December readings are part of Kitty’s warm-up for The Peace Experiments: Experiment Zero, the new Peace Is Here series launching on New Year’s Day.

The episode closes with a special holiday version of The Next Peacelands. Instead of the usual real-time list of warzones and weapons suppliers, this month’s practice offers the names of spiritual and humanitarian organizations working quietly and steadily for peace around the world—an invitation to join your intention with theirs during this reflective season.

• Get the books: www.AvisKalfsbeek.com
• Contact Avis to say hello or let her know how to say “Peace is Here” in your language: Contact Me Here
• The Next Peacelands source: Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) and the Stockholm Internation Peace Research Institute’s Arms Transfers Database [as updated on Wikipedia.
• Music: "The Red Kite" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez

Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

Intro Music: PulseBox on Pixabay

• Peace is Here podcast series Coming Soon!: The Peace Experiments (Season Zero)
• Charles Dickens – A Christmas Carol on Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19337

Kitty Reads Lit for Peace: Leo Tolstoy – Letter to a Hindu plus The Next Peacelands

This episode includes a short reading from “Tolstoy’s Letter to a Hindu,” a late-life reflection on nonviolence, conscience, and the moral strength of ordinary people. Kitty offers only a brief portion, giving listeners a steady moment inside Tolstoy’s clear-hearted thinking.

Kitty O'Compost warms up for The Peace Experiments, the upcoming Peace Is Here series exploring peace, AI, and the commons.

The episode closes with The Next Peacelands, where Avis Kalfsbeek reads a real-time list of global warzones and major arms suppliers—an honest grounding in the world as it is, and an invitation to practice peace with intention.

• Get the books: www.AvisKalfsbeek.com
• Contact Avis to say hello or let her know how to say “Peace is Here” in your language: Contact Me Here
• The Next Peacelands source: Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) and the Stockholm Internation Peace Research Institute’s Arms Transfers Database [as updated on Wikipedia.
• Music: "The Red Kite" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez

Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

• Peace is Here podcast series Coming Soon!: The Peace Experiments
• Leo Tolstoy Letter to a Hindu on Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/7176/7176-h/7176-h.htm

Kitty Reads Lit for Peace: Edgar Allan Poe – The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall plus The Next Peacelands

This episode features a short reading from Edgar Allan Poe’s playful tale “The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall,” a story that steps away from his darker moods and into a world of odd inventions and improbable journeys. Kitty offers just a brief excerpt, giving listeners a light, curious moment inside Poe’s imaginative side.

Kitty O'Compost warms up for The Peace Experiments (Season Zero) , the upcoming Peace Is Here series exploring peace, AI, and the commons.

The episode closes with The Next Peacelands, where Avis Kalfsbeek reads a real-time list of global warzones and major arms suppliers—an honest grounding in the world as it is, and an invitation to practice peace with intention.

• Get the books: www.AvisKalfsbeek.com
• Contact Avis to say hello or let her know how to say “Peace is Here” in your language: Contact Me Here
• The Next Peacelands source: Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) and the Stockholm Internation Peace Research Institute’s Arms Transfers Database [as updated on Wikipedia.
• Music: "The Red Kite" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez

Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

• Peace is Here podcast series Coming Soon!: The Peace Experiments (Season Zero)
• Edgar Allan Poe – The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall on Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2147/2147-h/2147-h.htm

Kitty Reads Lit for Peace: Plato – Book XI “The Law of Treasure Trove” plus The Next Peacelands

This episode features a brief excerpt from Plato’s Laws, Book XI, where he reflects on the habits and challenges of retail trade and daily commerce. Kitty reads only a short portion, offering listeners a moment inside Plato’s practical, grounded side—less cosmic than the Republic, more tied to the rhythms of ordinary life.

Kitty O'Compost warms up for The Peace Experiments (Season Zero) , the upcoming Peace Is Here series exploring peace, AI, and the commons.

The episode closes with The Next Peacelands, where Avis Kalfsbeek reads a real-time list of global warzones and major arms suppliers—an honest grounding in the world as it is, and an invitation to practice peace with intention.

• Get the books: www.AvisKalfsbeek.com
• Contact Avis to say hello or let her know how to say “Peace is Here” in your language: Contact Me Here
• The Next Peacelands source: Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) and the Stockholm Internation Peace Research Institute’s Arms Transfers Database [as updated on Wikipedia.
• Music: "The Red Kite" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez

Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

• Peace is Here podcast series Coming Soon!: The Peace Experiments (Season Zero)
• Plato – Book XI on Guttenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1750/1750-h/1750-h.htm

Kitty Reads Lit for Peace: Thomas Carlyle – Sartor Resartus plus The Next Peacelands

This episode features a brief reading from Thomas Carlyle’s Sartor Resartus, a playful and philosophical work that blends commentary, imagination, and the search for meaning. Kitty offers only a small portion, giving listeners a gentle, thoughtful moment inside Carlyle’s unusual world.

Kitty O'Compost warms up for The Peace Experiments (Season Zero) , the upcoming Peace Is Here series exploring peace, AI, and the commons.

The episode closes with The Next Peacelands, where Avis Kalfsbeek reads a real-time list of global warzones and major arms suppliers—an honest grounding in the world as it is, and an invitation to practice peace with intention.

• Get the books: www.AvisKalfsbeek.com
• Contact Avis to say hello or let her know how to say “Peace is Here” in your language: Contact Me Here
• The Next Peacelands source: Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) and the Stockholm Internation Peace Research Institute’s Arms Transfers Database [as updated on Wikipedia.
• Music: "The Red Kite" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez

Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

• Peace is Here Podcast Series Coming Soon!: The Peace Experiments
• Carlyle – Sartor Resartus on Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1051/pg1051-images.html

Daniel Defoe – The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe plus The Next Peacelands

This episode includes a brief excerpt from Daniel Defoe’s The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, offering a small step into the early moments of the novel’s world. Kitty reads just enough to catch Defoe’s plainspoken tone and the quiet sense of possibility that opens the story.

Kitty O'Compost warms up for The Peace Experiments (Season Zero) , the upcoming Peace Is Here series exploring peace, AI, and the commons.

The episode closes with The Next Peacelands, where Avis Kalfsbeek reads a real-time list of global warzones and major arms suppliers—an honest grounding in the world as it is, and an invitation to practice peace with intention.

• Get the books: www.AvisKalfsbeek.com
• Contact Avis to say hello or let her know how to say “Peace is Here” in your language: Contact Me Here
• The Next Peacelands source: Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) and the Stockholm Internation Peace Research Institute’s Arms Transfers Database [as updated on Wikipedia.
• Music: "The Red Kite" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez

Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

• Peace is Here podcast series Coming Soon!: The Peace Experiments (Season Zero)
• Daniel Defoe – The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe on Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/521

In this episode, Avis Kalfsbeek shares the origin story of Kitty O’Compost, the warm-witted, plain-spoken reporter who has become a recurring voice on the Peace Is Here podcast. Avis explains how Kitty emerged as a character within this broader peace-studies project, and why a touch of satire can sometimes reveal truths that are harder to reach through straightforward commentary. Over the past couple of weeks, Kitty has been reading literature for peace on the podcast, and today’s episode explores why she belongs in this ongoing experiment in cultural storytelling and disarmament.

Avis also turns to The Next Peacelands, describing how this developing thread connects to the long-term mission of imagining peaceful futures, strengthening the cultural commons, and examining the technologies and habits that shape our ability to build a more livable world. The episode places Kitty, The Next Peacelands, and the larger Peace Is Here project within a shared commitment to inquiry, imagination, and the slow peace work of cultural and planetary repair.

• Get the books: www.AvisKalfsbeek.com
• Follow the podcast to get notified: Coming New Year’s Day! The Next Peacelands (Season Zero)
• Music: Nick Panek on Pixabay NickPanek620

Kitty Reads Lit for Peace: Washington Irving – Rip Van Winkle plus The Next Peacelands

This episode features a brief passage from Washington Irving’s Rip Van Winkle, offering a small step into one of America’s classic folk tales. Kitty reads just enough to feel the gentle rhythm of Irving’s storytelling and the quiet magic he wove into everyday life.

Each day’s reading continues to serve as Kitty’s warm-up for CTRL–AI–DISARM, the upcoming Peace Is Here series exploring truth, power, and the systems shaping our shared future.

The episode closes with The Next Peacelands, where Avis Kalfsbeek reads a real-time list of global warzones and major arms suppliers—an honest grounding in the world as it is, and an invitation to practice peace with intention.

• Get the books: www.AvisKalfsbeek.com
• Contact Avis to say hello or let her know how to say “Peace is Here” in your language: Contact Me Here
• Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving on Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/60976/60976-h/60976-h.htm
• The Next Peacelands source: Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) and the Stockholm Internation Peace Research Institute’s Arms Transfers Database [as updated on Wikipedia.
• Music: "Dalai Llama Riding a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez

Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

• Peace is Here podcast series Coming Soon!: CTRL-AI-DISARM