Reflections
Reflections, observations, and behind-the-scenes thoughts inspired by the conversations and people featured on the ReImagination Café™
Jessica Cherry
Host of the ReImagination Café podcast
Building a More Hopeful and Resilient Future by Reimagining the Civic Commons
March 9, 2026
Dear visitors to the ReImagination Café™,
I have been fortunate to live in some wonderful cities and to spend time in many extraordinary public spaces.
In Boston, I loved stretching out on a blanket along the Esplanade for the Fourth of July fireworks and listening to street musicians in Harvard Square. In San Francisco, my favorite way to start the day was a run at Crissy Field followed by the farmers’ market at the Ferry Building. And in New York City, I have spent countless hours running, walking, and people-watching in its glorious parks—Central Park, Bryant Park, and Washington Square among them.
What strikes me now is that some of my most vivid memories of these cities are tied to those shared spaces. That’s where life happened and where, without even thinking about it, I felt connected to those around me.
Today, I spend much of my time working in my office at home. Many of my conversations happen through a screen rather than face-to-face. And despite my dog Lorenzo’s insistence that it has been far too long since we visited the local recreation center—where he loves the surrounding walking trails and never misses a chance to greet another dog—finding even a 30-minute break in the day can feel impossible.
Like many Americans, I sometimes struggle with feelings of loneliness and disconnection. I miss the casual interactions I once had at the local library, bookstore, or coffee shop. And yet, it’s so easy now to have what I need delivered to my door rather than venturing out into the world. And honestly, I can’t remember the last time I stretched out on a blanket in the grass among others.
That’s part of what led me to create this latest two-part episode of the ReImagination Café podcast, Building a More Hopeful and Resilient Future by Reimagining the Civic Commons.
In speaking with Bridget Marquis, Director of Reimagining the Civic Commons, and with local leaders in Akron, Detroit, and Memphis, I kept returning to a question that feels especially urgent right now: Could our public spaces—our parks, trails, libraries, neighborhood main streets, and recreation centers—offer an antidote to the loneliness and disconnection so many of us are feeling? At a time marked by polarization and division, could they also help bring us closer together?
The more I learned about the Civic Commons work at Bartram’s Garden in Philadelphia, Summit Lake in Akron, the Fitzgerald neighborhood in Detroit, and Memphis’s riverfront, the more the answer felt like a resounding yes.
During our conversations, Bridget made a compelling case that investing in our shared public spaces can help address many of our biggest challenges, including loneliness and social isolation, but also distrust, social segregation, and even the impacts of climate change.
I was equally moved by the perspectives of local leaders—Dan Rice and Grace Hudson in Akron; Alexa Bush and Karlyta Williams in Detroit; and Carol Coletta in Memphis—whose on-the-ground experiences show what becomes possible when local organizations, residents, small business owners, and public leaders work together with intention, humility, and trust.
Their stories illustrate that when investments in public spaces are made thoughtfully—when they are designed to encourage socioeconomic mixing, foster belonging, restore environmental resilience, and reflect the identity of the communities they serve—those places can become powerful catalysts for connection, trust, joy, and greater equity.
The data and the stories of impact are compelling. But what stayed with me most is how deeply personal this all feels.
In the podcast, Grace Hudson reflects on the simple act of walking her dog along Akron’s Towpath Trail and saying “good morning” to people as they pass by—and the potential for those two words to open the
door to a conversation with someone you might not otherwise meet.
Maybe that’s where rebuilding civic life begins.
It begins with choosing to step outside. Lingering a little longer in the park. Going
to the rec center. Saying hello on the walking trail. Finding our common ground.
Lorenzo, as usual, may be onto something.
Jessica Cherry
Cultivating Change: The Transformative Power of Care Farming
November 13, 2025
Dear visitors to the ReImagination Café™,
Earlier this year, I interviewed Kristen Powers, Executive Director of Benevolence Farm, which provides transitional housing, employment, and wraparound services to women and gender-expansive people exiting incarceration in North Carolina. Residents working at the farm benefit from being in nature—where they can slow down, heal, and have their basic needs met. You can find that interview here.
A few months later, I met Kate Mudge, Co-Director of the Care Farming Network, and learned that Benevolence Farm is one of hundreds of "care farms" across the U.S., each using therapeutic farming to promote health, well-being, and belonging.
I discovered that no two care farms are alike. While rooted in farming, they're customized to meet the needs of the people and communities they serve, offering reciprocal benefits—to participants (often members of marginalized or overlooked groups) and to local communities, through organic vegetables, care for rescued animals, green spaces, and safe havens. The Care Farming Network brings care farmers together to share resources and support each other.
In a world obsessed with scale and mega-mergers, care farms remind us that bigger isn't always better—that sometimes the most powerful change comes from small, unique places tailored to the people and communities they serve.
Working on this episode had a profound impact on me. It took me back to simpler times—day camp, playing in the mud, skinny-dipping in the lake, scavenger hunts. I spent my early years being active outdoors, with unstructured time to slow down, explore, and take in the world.
Fast forward fifty years - life seems to be moving at lightning speed. I'm inside most of the time, sitting at my desk. Unstructured time is rare. Too many conversations happen through a screen.
Maybe it's time to slow down, step outside, and engage more fully with the world - trade some Zoom calls for walks in the woods.
And maybe the next time I find myself standing in the mud, I'll take my shoes off.
Care to join me?
A huge thank you to Kate Mudge, Woody Woodroof, Shawn Hayden, Adam and Lacey Ingrao, and Charley Schwartz for sharing their knowledge, passion, and wisdom—and for reminding us of the power of nature and community to heal and connect us.
Reimagining always,
Jessica Cherry
Building Connection & Hope Through the Universal Expression of Dance
July 10, 2025
Dear visitors to the ReImagination Café™,
Almost every day, I talk to people who are feeling overwhelmed by the state of the world and anxious about where we’re headed. It feels like certain values that once grounded us – compassion, integrity, a shared sense of purpose – are slipping away. We feel unsettled - unmoored.
I believe one of the most powerful ways we can respond to what’s happening in the world is by using our work as a vehicle for addressing society’s most urgent challenges. At the ReImagination Café™, we’re committed to spotlighting the voices of those who are doing exactly that—people like Jonathan Hollander, our latest guest on the ReImagination Café™ podcast. As the founder of Battery Dance, Jonathan has spent decades using dance to create meaningful change around the world—a mission he began long before “social impact” became part of the broader cultural conversation.
Through their acclaimed Dancing to Connect program, Jonathan and his team have traveled all over the world, serving as cultural ambassadors for the United States, and empowering thousands of young people, often in post-conflict or marginalized regions, to express themselves, build trust, and connect through the universal language of dance.
It was a tremendous honor to speak at length with Jonathan and several of his colleagues, Emad Salem, Robin Cantrell, and Rutkay Özpinar, who are also featured in the episode. Their generous access was essential in helping us create a podcast that we hope honors the depth and impact of this remarkable organization.
My heartfelt thanks to Jonathan and everyone at Battery Dance for entrusting us with the privilege of sharing their incredible story.
Reimagining always,
Jessica Cherry
