{"id":4251,"date":"2023-02-02T19:48:42","date_gmt":"2023-02-02T19:48:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/?p=4251"},"modified":"2023-02-02T19:48:42","modified_gmt":"2023-02-02T19:48:42","slug":"how-to-transform-a-conflict-an-interview-with-gwendolyn-olton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/2023\/02\/how-to-transform-a-conflict-an-interview-with-gwendolyn-olton\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Transform a Conflict: An Interview with Gwendolyn Olton"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>This week on the <a href=\"https:\/\/microcosm.pub\/podcast\">People&#8217;s Guide to Publishing podcast<\/a>, we <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/dfvjqwXkE3Q\">were joined by Gwen Olton<\/a>, co-director of the <a href=\"https:\/\/gandhiinstitute.org\/\">M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence<\/a>, to talk about her new book that&#8217;s hot off the press from Microcosm, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/catalog\/books\/27976\">From Conflict to Community: Transforming Conflicts without Authorities<\/a>.<\/em> We love this book, which borrows from many different styles of conflict transformation and resolution to bring us the practical tools we need to listen to each other and navigate the conflicts we face every day \u2014 without calling the cops or HR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Check out the video below, and also read the blog interview Gwen wrote for us to talk more about her book and its process of coming into the world!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"From Conflict to Community, an interview with Gwen Olton (A People&#039;s Guide to Publishing)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dfvjqwXkE3Q?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><br><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>MCP: <strong>What inspired you to write your book?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>GO: There were a few things that coalesced to inspire me to write the book. I had finished reading Sarah Schulman\u2019s <em><a href=\"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/catalog\/books\/7696\">Conflict Is Not Abuse<\/a><\/em> and her discussions of \u201cbad friend\u201d groups and the influence they have on conflicts stuck with me. At the same time, I was supporting many folks with conflicts that were relatively minor &#8211; not the sort of thing you might bring to a mediator but enough that they were disruptive in a person\u2019s life. Meanwhile, whenever I was invited to facilitate a workshop on conflict or attend someone else\u2019s workshops or skillbuilding on conflict we were very rarely talking about how to support others in conflict when you\u2019re not a mediator or the parties aren\u2019t really sitting down together to discuss. And amidst all of this, has been the growing awareness of just how much we escalate conflicts up to authorities instead of working within our circles to try to work things out.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-with-book-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4252\" srcset=\"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-with-book-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-with-book-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-with-book-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-with-book-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-with-book-1320x1760.jpeg 1320w, https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-with-book-scaled.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What was it like to publish with Microcosm?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Easy peasy! I don\u2019t have a basis of comparison since this is my first book, but communication and transparency have been excellent, which I really appreciate.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What was the submission\/query process like for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They were pretty straightforward processes. I had an idea for this book, I fleshed it out a bit and submitted the idea. Then, I exchanged some emails with Microcosm and provided a writing sample or two and that was that!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Do you still have your original query to us? Are you willing to share it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sure! See below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This book would benefit the reader by offering a large array of strategies for transforming conflicts without appeals to punitive authority figures.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Three publications similar to mine would be:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>1. <a href=\"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/catalog\/books\/14443\">How to be Accountable Workbook<\/a>: Take responsibility to change your behavior<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>2. <a href=\"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/catalog\/zines\/9119\">Doing it Better<\/a>: Conflict resolution and accountability after abuse in leftist communities<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>3. <a href=\"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/catalog\/books\/8188\">Unfuck Your Boundaries<\/a>: Build better relationships through consent, communication, and expressing your needs<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>My book is unique from these and other titles in that it provides the reader with tools for successfully navigating these struggles as both a participant in a conflict and as a 3rd-party intervener without formal training. Folks would be interested in buying this book when they want help keeping community and relationship intact and don\u2019t have access to formal mediators or facilitators, or cannot afford them. I want to offer this book because I see a deep need for collaboration and conflict transformation skills and believe folks can be empowered to work on these practices even without formal training. I want to offer something that is approachable and easy to pick up and brings relief to those who are in conflict and don\u2019t know where to turn. I have a background in transformative mediation, restorative justice and restorative process facilitation, group decision making facilitation, and a number of communication practices including Motivational Interviewing and NVC. I have a MA in conflict resolution. I volunteer as a mediator and conflict consultant for a number of small organizations including a local low-power radio station and roller derby league. I also offer non-court based mediation to folks by referral for free.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>I appreciate your consideration and am open to feedback about this pitch if you have time and willingness to share it. Thank you.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-1-1024x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4253\" srcset=\"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-1-1024x1024.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-1-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-1-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-1-768x768.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-1-1536x1536.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-1-125x125.jpeg 125w, https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-1-1320x1320.jpeg 1320w, https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-1.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What else have you written?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the only book I\u2019ve written but I write newsletters for the organization I work at frequently as well as blog posts. <a href=\"https:\/\/gwendolynolton.medium.com\/\">I have some things on Medium<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What are you currently reading?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Right now, I\u2019m reading:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/1273\/9781643753041\">Inciting Joy<\/a><\/em> by Ross Gay<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/1273\/9780231197403\">The Way Out: How to Overcome Toxic Polarization<\/a><\/em> by Peter T. Coleman<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/1273\/9781626561106\">Pro-Voice: How to Keep Listening When the World Wants a Fight<\/a><\/em>, by Aspen Baker<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/1273\/9780593083888\">The Myth of Normal<\/a><\/em> by Gabor Mate<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What\u2019s the best book you read in the last year?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is weirdly hard for me to answer because I have an aversion to choosing a favorite or best anything and also because of my poor sense of time but two books I really enjoyed and <em>think<\/em> I read last year are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/1273\/9780399589737\">Oak Flat: A fight for sacred land in the American West<\/a><\/em> by Lauren Redniss<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/p\/books\/the-three-body-problem-cixin-liu\/265918?ean=9780765382030\">The Three-Body Problem<\/a><\/em> by Cixin Liu (or maybe the <a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/1273\/9781250254498\">whole trilogy<\/a>)\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What\u2019s next for you?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Besides living, working, and trying to be part of community generally here in Rochester, NY, I\u2019m working on some projects combining visuals \/ illustrations and writing. Right now I\u2019m working on a visual guide or workbook or zine on some conflict practices, trying to turn some information into some easier to digest and use illustrations. I\u2019m also in the early stages of collaborating with a friend in the Netherlands on visuals, maybe a book, on collaborative practices.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Where can people find you online?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m not in a ton of places \/ spaces online but here are a few I can think of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/424go\/\">Instagram<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/gwendolynolton.medium.com\/\">Medium<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/gandhiinstitute.org\">MK Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence\u2019s site<\/a> generally and our <a href=\"https:\/\/gandhiinstitute.org\/register-for-our-newsletter\/\">newsletter<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Any in-person events coming up soon?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not for the book at the moment. I do a lot of in-person events related to conflict with work which you can find at our website. Hoping to do some in-person book events soon!&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This week on the People&#8217;s Guide to Publishing podcast, we were joined by Gwen Olton, co-director of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence, to talk about her new book that&#8217;s hot off the press from Microcosm, From Conflict to Community: Transforming Conflicts without Authorities. We love this book, which borrows from many different styles of&#8230;  <a class=\"excerpt-read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/2023\/02\/how-to-transform-a-conflict-an-interview-with-gwendolyn-olton\/\" title=\"Read How to Transform a Conflict: An Interview with Gwendolyn Olton\">Read more &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[137,14,12,51,11,26],"class_list":["post-4251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blogifesto","tag-authors","tag-books","tag-business-of-publishing","tag-diy","tag-interviews","tag-podcast"],"my_excerpt":"<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>This week on the <a href=\"https:\/\/microcosm.pub\/podcast\">People's Guide to Publishing podcast<\/a>, we <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/dfvjqwXkE3Q\">were joined by Gwen Olton<\/a>, co-director of the <a href=\"https:\/\/gandhiinstitute.org\/\">M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence<\/a>, to talk about her new book that's hot off the press from Microcosm, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/catalog\/books\/27976\">From Conflict to Community: Transforming Conflicts without Authorities<\/a>.<\/em> We love this book, which borrows from many different styles of conflict transformation and resolution to bring us the practical tools we need to listen to each other and navigate the conflicts we face every day \u2014 without calling the cops or HR.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Check out the video below, and also read the blog interview Gwen wrote for us to talk more about her book and its process of coming into the world!<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:embed {\"url\":\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/dfvjqwXkE3Q\",\"type\":\"video\",\"providerNameSlug\":\"youtube\",\"responsive\":true,\"className\":\"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"} -->\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/dfvjqwXkE3Q\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><br><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<!-- \/wp:embed -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>MCP: <strong>What inspired you to write your book?<\/strong><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>GO: There were a few things that coalesced to inspire me to write the book. I had finished reading Sarah Schulman\u2019s <em><a href=\"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/catalog\/books\/7696\">Conflict Is Not Abuse<\/a><\/em> and her discussions of \u201cbad friend\u201d groups and the influence they have on conflicts stuck with me. At the same time, I was supporting many folks with conflicts that were relatively minor - not the sort of thing you might bring to a mediator but enough that they were disruptive in a person\u2019s life. Meanwhile, whenever I was invited to facilitate a workshop on conflict or attend someone else\u2019s workshops or skillbuilding on conflict we were very rarely talking about how to support others in conflict when you\u2019re not a mediator or the parties aren\u2019t really sitting down together to discuss. And amidst all of this, has been the growing awareness of just how much we escalate conflicts up to authorities instead of working within our circles to try to work things out.\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:image {\"id\":4252,\"sizeSlug\":\"large\",\"linkDestination\":\"none\"} -->\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img src=\"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-with-book-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4252\"\/><\/figure>\n<!-- \/wp:image -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><strong>What was it like to publish with Microcosm?<\/strong><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Easy peasy! I don\u2019t have a basis of comparison since this is my first book, but communication and transparency have been excellent, which I really appreciate.\u00a0<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><strong>What was the submission\/query process like for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>They were pretty straightforward processes. I had an idea for this book, I fleshed it out a bit and submitted the idea. Then, I exchanged some emails with Microcosm and provided a writing sample or two and that was that!&nbsp;<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><strong>Do you still have your original query to us? Are you willing to share it?<\/strong><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Sure! See below:<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><em>This book would benefit the reader by offering a large array of strategies for transforming conflicts without appeals to punitive authority figures.<\/em><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><em>Three publications similar to mine would be:<\/em><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><em>1. <a href=\"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/catalog\/books\/14443\">How to be Accountable Workbook<\/a>: Take responsibility to change your behavior<\/em><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><em>2. <a href=\"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/catalog\/zines\/9119\">Doing it Better<\/a>: Conflict resolution and accountability after abuse in leftist communities<\/em><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><em>3. <a href=\"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/catalog\/books\/8188\">Unfuck Your Boundaries<\/a>: Build better relationships through consent, communication, and expressing your needs<\/em><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><em>My book is unique from these and other titles in that it provides the reader with tools for successfully navigating these struggles as both a participant in a conflict and as a 3rd-party intervener without formal training. Folks would be interested in buying this book when they want help keeping community and relationship intact and don\u2019t have access to formal mediators or facilitators, or cannot afford them. I want to offer this book because I see a deep need for collaboration and conflict transformation skills and believe folks can be empowered to work on these practices even without formal training. I want to offer something that is approachable and easy to pick up and brings relief to those who are in conflict and don\u2019t know where to turn. I have a background in transformative mediation, restorative justice and restorative process facilitation, group decision making facilitation, and a number of communication practices including Motivational Interviewing and NVC. I have a MA in conflict resolution. I volunteer as a mediator and conflict consultant for a number of small organizations including a local low-power radio station and roller derby league. I also offer non-court based mediation to folks by referral for free.<\/em><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><em>I appreciate your consideration and am open to feedback about this pitch if you have time and willingness to share it. Thank you.<\/em><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:image {\"id\":4253,\"sizeSlug\":\"large\",\"linkDestination\":\"none\"} -->\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img src=\"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-1-1024x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4253\"\/><\/figure>\n<!-- \/wp:image -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><strong>What else have you written?<\/strong><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>This is the only book I\u2019ve written but I write newsletters for the organization I work at frequently as well as blog posts. <a href=\"https:\/\/gwendolynolton.medium.com\/\">I have some things on Medium<\/a>.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><strong>What are you currently reading?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Right now, I\u2019m reading:<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:list -->\n<ul><!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/1273\/9781643753041\">Inciting Joy<\/a><\/em> by Ross Gay<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/1273\/9780231197403\">The Way Out: How to Overcome Toxic Polarization<\/a><\/em> by Peter T. Coleman<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/1273\/9781626561106\">Pro-Voice: How to Keep Listening When the World Wants a Fight<\/a><\/em>, by Aspen Baker<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/1273\/9780593083888\">The Myth of Normal<\/a><\/em> by Gabor Mate<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ul>\n<!-- \/wp:list -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><strong>What\u2019s the best book you read in the last year?<\/strong><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>This is weirdly hard for me to answer because I have an aversion to choosing a favorite or best anything and also because of my poor sense of time but two books I really enjoyed and <em>think<\/em> I read last year are:<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:list -->\n<ul><!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/1273\/9780399589737\">Oak Flat: A fight for sacred land in the American West<\/a><\/em> by Lauren Redniss<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/p\/books\/the-three-body-problem-cixin-liu\/265918?ean=9780765382030\">The Three-Body Problem<\/a><\/em> by Cixin Liu (or maybe the <a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/1273\/9781250254498\">whole trilogy<\/a>)\u00a0<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ul>\n<!-- \/wp:list -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><strong>What\u2019s next for you?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Besides living, working, and trying to be part of community generally here in Rochester, NY, I\u2019m working on some projects combining visuals \/ illustrations and writing. Right now I\u2019m working on a visual guide or workbook or zine on some conflict practices, trying to turn some information into some easier to digest and use illustrations. I\u2019m also in the early stages of collaborating with a friend in the Netherlands on visuals, maybe a book, on collaborative practices.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><strong>Where can people find you online?<\/strong><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>I\u2019m not in a ton of places \/ spaces online but here are a few I can think of:<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:list -->\n<ul><!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/424go\/\">Instagram<\/a><\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/gwendolynolton.medium.com\/\">Medium<\/a><\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/gandhiinstitute.org\">MK Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence\u2019s site<\/a> generally and our <a href=\"https:\/\/gandhiinstitute.org\/register-for-our-newsletter\/\">newsletter<\/a>.<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ul>\n<!-- \/wp:list -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><strong>Any in-person events coming up soon?<\/strong><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Not for the book at the moment. I do a lot of in-person events related to conflict with work which you can find at our website. Hoping to do some in-person book events soon!&nbsp;<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->","my_excerpt_rendered":"\n<p>This week on the <a href=\"https:\/\/microcosm.pub\/podcast\">People&#8217;s Guide to Publishing podcast<\/a>, we <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/dfvjqwXkE3Q\">were joined by Gwen Olton<\/a>, co-director of the <a href=\"https:\/\/gandhiinstitute.org\/\">M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence<\/a>, to talk about her new book that&#8217;s hot off the press from Microcosm, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/catalog\/books\/27976\">From Conflict to Community: Transforming Conflicts without Authorities<\/a>.<\/em> We love this book, which borrows from many different styles of conflict transformation and resolution to bring us the practical tools we need to listen to each other and navigate the conflicts we face every day \u2014 without calling the cops or HR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Check out the video below, and also read the blog interview Gwen wrote for us to talk more about her book and its process of coming into the world!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"From Conflict to Community, an interview with Gwen Olton (A People&#039;s Guide to Publishing)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dfvjqwXkE3Q?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><br><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>MCP: <strong>What inspired you to write your book?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>GO: There were a few things that coalesced to inspire me to write the book. I had finished reading Sarah Schulman\u2019s <em><a href=\"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/catalog\/books\/7696\">Conflict Is Not Abuse<\/a><\/em> and her discussions of \u201cbad friend\u201d groups and the influence they have on conflicts stuck with me. At the same time, I was supporting many folks with conflicts that were relatively minor &#8211; not the sort of thing you might bring to a mediator but enough that they were disruptive in a person\u2019s life. Meanwhile, whenever I was invited to facilitate a workshop on conflict or attend someone else\u2019s workshops or skillbuilding on conflict we were very rarely talking about how to support others in conflict when you\u2019re not a mediator or the parties aren\u2019t really sitting down together to discuss. And amidst all of this, has been the growing awareness of just how much we escalate conflicts up to authorities instead of working within our circles to try to work things out.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-with-book-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4252\" srcset=\"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-with-book-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-with-book-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-with-book-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-with-book-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-with-book-1320x1760.jpeg 1320w, https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-with-book-scaled.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What was it like to publish with Microcosm?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Easy peasy! I don\u2019t have a basis of comparison since this is my first book, but communication and transparency have been excellent, which I really appreciate.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What was the submission\/query process like for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They were pretty straightforward processes. I had an idea for this book, I fleshed it out a bit and submitted the idea. Then, I exchanged some emails with Microcosm and provided a writing sample or two and that was that!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Do you still have your original query to us? Are you willing to share it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sure! See below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This book would benefit the reader by offering a large array of strategies for transforming conflicts without appeals to punitive authority figures.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Three publications similar to mine would be:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>1. <a href=\"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/catalog\/books\/14443\">How to be Accountable Workbook<\/a>: Take responsibility to change your behavior<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>2. <a href=\"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/catalog\/zines\/9119\">Doing it Better<\/a>: Conflict resolution and accountability after abuse in leftist communities<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>3. <a href=\"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/catalog\/books\/8188\">Unfuck Your Boundaries<\/a>: Build better relationships through consent, communication, and expressing your needs<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>My book is unique from these and other titles in that it provides the reader with tools for successfully navigating these struggles as both a participant in a conflict and as a 3rd-party intervener without formal training. Folks would be interested in buying this book when they want help keeping community and relationship intact and don\u2019t have access to formal mediators or facilitators, or cannot afford them. I want to offer this book because I see a deep need for collaboration and conflict transformation skills and believe folks can be empowered to work on these practices even without formal training. I want to offer something that is approachable and easy to pick up and brings relief to those who are in conflict and don\u2019t know where to turn. I have a background in transformative mediation, restorative justice and restorative process facilitation, group decision making facilitation, and a number of communication practices including Motivational Interviewing and NVC. I have a MA in conflict resolution. I volunteer as a mediator and conflict consultant for a number of small organizations including a local low-power radio station and roller derby league. I also offer non-court based mediation to folks by referral for free.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>I appreciate your consideration and am open to feedback about this pitch if you have time and willingness to share it. Thank you.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-1-1024x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4253\" srcset=\"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-1-1024x1024.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-1-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-1-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-1-768x768.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-1-1536x1536.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-1-125x125.jpeg 125w, https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-1-1320x1320.jpeg 1320w, https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/gwen-1.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What else have you written?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the only book I\u2019ve written but I write newsletters for the organization I work at frequently as well as blog posts. <a href=\"https:\/\/gwendolynolton.medium.com\/\">I have some things on Medium<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What are you currently reading?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Right now, I\u2019m reading:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/1273\/9781643753041\">Inciting Joy<\/a><\/em> by Ross Gay<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/1273\/9780231197403\">The Way Out: How to Overcome Toxic Polarization<\/a><\/em> by Peter T. Coleman<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/1273\/9781626561106\">Pro-Voice: How to Keep Listening When the World Wants a Fight<\/a><\/em>, by Aspen Baker<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/1273\/9780593083888\">The Myth of Normal<\/a><\/em> by Gabor Mate<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What\u2019s the best book you read in the last year?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is weirdly hard for me to answer because I have an aversion to choosing a favorite or best anything and also because of my poor sense of time but two books I really enjoyed and <em>think<\/em> I read last year are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/1273\/9780399589737\">Oak Flat: A fight for sacred land in the American West<\/a><\/em> by Lauren Redniss<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/p\/books\/the-three-body-problem-cixin-liu\/265918?ean=9780765382030\">The Three-Body Problem<\/a><\/em> by Cixin Liu (or maybe the <a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/a\/1273\/9781250254498\">whole trilogy<\/a>)\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What\u2019s next for you?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Besides living, working, and trying to be part of community generally here in Rochester, NY, I\u2019m working on some projects combining visuals \/ illustrations and writing. Right now I\u2019m working on a visual guide or workbook or zine on some conflict practices, trying to turn some information into some easier to digest and use illustrations. I\u2019m also in the early stages of collaborating with a friend in the Netherlands on visuals, maybe a book, on collaborative practices.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Where can people find you online?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m not in a ton of places \/ spaces online but here are a few I can think of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/424go\/\">Instagram<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/gwendolynolton.medium.com\/\">Medium<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/gandhiinstitute.org\">MK Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence\u2019s site<\/a> generally and our <a href=\"https:\/\/gandhiinstitute.org\/register-for-our-newsletter\/\">newsletter<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Any in-person events coming up soon?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not for the book at the moment. I do a lot of in-person events related to conflict with work which you can find at our website. Hoping to do some in-person book events soon!&nbsp;<\/p>\n","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4251"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4251\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4280,"href":"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4251\/revisions\/4280"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microcosmpublishing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}