Kresge’s Arts & Culture Program has curated a reading list that highlights the importance of human connections, rest and healing to drive change in communities. These books underscore the strength of using culture and creativity to advance our health and wellbeing.

• Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto – What would it be like to live in a well-rested world? Brainwashed by capitalism, we subject our bodies and minds to work at an unrealistic, damaging pace. In this book, Tricia Hersey encourages us to connect to the liberating power of rest and daydreaming as a foundation for healing and justice.

• This Long Thread: Women of Color on Craft, Community and Connection – In early 2019, the craft community experienced a reckoning when crafters of color began sharing stories about exclusion and racial injustice in their field. Author Jen Hewett explores the personal, political, and creative potential of textile arts and crafts.

• The Connected Community: Discovering the Health, Wealth, and Power of Neighborhoods – Authors Cormac Russell and John McKnight examine how to uncover the hidden talents, assets, and abilities in your neighborhood and bring them together to create a vibrant and joyful community.

• The Future Is Analog: How to Create a More Human World – We live in a digital universe of instant communication and virtual everything. Best-selling culture writer David Sax lays out the case for a more human future where we use innovation to create real experiences, relationships, and spaces for the good of humanity.