I was talking to Bev Palmer about the idea for a New Buddhist Center, and she asked where we would locate that. I told her that I didn’t know; I thought we might see if we could find some space in a temple or a church, depending on when we held our meetings, but that we were still a ways away from dealing with that question.

Bev told me about the building that Women Writing for (a) Change had recently purchased and remodeled, and she said that she thought that they would be interested in hosting a group like we were discussing. Bev is a member of WWf(a)C, and she volunteered to talk to the people who run the group and let them know what we were thinking of doing. The result of that was that I visited them on Monday and was thrilled with the reception I received and with the space I saw. Kathy Wade, the Executive Director; Mary Pierce Brosmer, the Founder; and Andrea Nichols, the facilities manager, were all very interested in what we were thinking about, and they were all eager to have us use their space for our meetings. There would be a cost, but a relatively modest one: $150 to use the space for half a day.

The space itself is quite magical (and most of you know that I don’t use words like that lightly). They’ve put a lot of thought, love, and craft into making it a space where people can feel safe and comfortable, communicate easily with one another, and express their creativity. I think that it’s a space that would accomodate the concept of a New Dharma Center gracefully and naturally, and I’d love the chance to take an interested group back for another visit. It’s in Silverton, on Plainfield Road near the corner of Montgomery. There’s a free municipal parking lot just a few buildings north of the WWf(a)C building.