"Men of Their Word" : The Triangle Men's Centers 1st book of poems is out!

Martin Brossman (founder of The Men's Inquiry) is a contributing poet for The Triangle Men's Centers new book of poems: "Men of Their Word" . Limited copies will be available at the annual gathering (listed in the blog post before this one). Martin Brossman is still working to complete the book: Finding Our Fire" and info on that can be found at: http://www.toinquire.com/findingourfire.htm

You can learn more about the book &purchase a copy of this great book of poems "Men of Their Word" now at:
http://www.lulu.com/content/266878

Click here to see a PDF preview of the 1st
10 pages from "Men of Their Word"

Description about the book: Men of Their Word:
A collection of poems, edited by John Allran, from men attending the North Carolina Annual Gathering of Men in Efland, North Carolina 1996-2005

This anthology was produced as a fundraiser for The Triangle Men's Center serving the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area in North Carolina since 1986.

This was a 100% volunteer-driven project and we appreciate your support by purchasing a copy. Also, 100% of all profits goes to The Triangle Men's center.

The 30 contributing poets: John Allran, Martin Brossman, Sheldon Clark, Ray Collins, Len Daley, Randy Dodd, Hilton Freed, Levi Gardner, Dan Glenn, Sid Harrell, John Harvey, Kevin Hedeen, Don Henchel, Doug Jennette, Bruce Lader, Jerry Levit, Lou Lipsitz, John Marmaud, Wilson McCreary, Henry Molter, G. Bennett Myers, 'Old Men With Bongos', Steven Reeves, Mark Smith, Peter Solet, Larry Sorkin, Dana Staats, Fred Stephens, Don Sylvester, Paul Tierney, and Ron Wolfe.

To see more of Martin Brossman's 'Men's' poems go to:
http://www.toinquire.com/poems1.htm

The home page of this (Men's & Women's Inquiry) blog is: http://toinquire.blogspot.com/

The biggest event in the Triangle NC area for men & a display of a draft of the book.. Join us!

Join us at the The 11th Annual GATHERING OF MEN IN NORTH CAROLINA
“Reclaiming the Sacred Masculine” Martin Brossman will be speaking and displaying a draft of the book as well as man other great free workshops

Friday, April 21 to Sunday, April 23, 2006
Register before April 4 Room, food, great men & only for: $110.
After April 4, registration is $130.

If you don’t have a registration form, call Temple Porter at
(919)862-0301 or email at temple@tricoach.biz
for more info about the Triangle Men's Center & the event go to: http://www.trianglemenscenter.org/

If you can make it please send in your registration as soon as you can. The Triangle Men's Center will also have the 10 years of Men's poems book in print for you to purchase.. Martin Brossman is one of the contributing poets.

The Home page of this blog is: http://toinquire.blogspot.com/

Latest update on the book "Finding Our Fire"

Picture of the project chart for the book from this date ->


We have received all the contributions from over 120 men, about 400 pages and are now integrating and editing. Having 120 men’s ‘voices’ and attempting to make the minimum edits to make it readable has turned out to be quite a challenge for the main editor John Sharpe and my father (that is helping with the 12 additions). If any of you know of groups that we could speak at or ways to let people know about the book please email us. Also, for Martin Brossman’s birthday next month he is asking men to come to a special men’s inquiry that will be recorded live at his house. Your names will stay confidential but you will be asked to sign a simple ‘release’. This will allow men wanting to start a group be able to ‘hear a live’ inquiry in progress. If you are open to being part of this exciting event and can come to the Raleigh NC area email us directly at men@toinquire.com

A article from the book can be read at: http://www.toinquire.com/ourfire.htm

Keep your comments comming to us! It is inspiring!

Please email us if you would like to be notified of it's availability at: men@toinquire.com

The home page of this (Men's & Women's Inquiry) blog is: http://toinquire.blogspot.com/

Another Men’s group started that The Men’s Inquiry was honored to participate in helping!

Another Men’s group started that The Men’s Inquiry was honored to participate in helping!
Many men’s groups have started with help from The Men’s Inquiry, but we did not ‘track’ their progress. The help was given freely. In the future we will share the good news of anyone who has used The Men’s Inquiry as a resource to start a group of men, and would like to start today with a wonderful man who found us on the Internet and is building his team of men in Laurinburg NC . This is the comment he wrote, and check out his web site. Even though the Men’s Inquiry is NOT faith-based ( and we support men of all faiths ) we are open to helping men reach men in any way they are called to do so. I am proud to post Leroy’s note and website..

“Martin, I would like to share, how the Raleigh Men's Inquiry Meeting Helped Me. Shortly after I moved to Laurinburg and became reasonably settled, I was ready to interact with other positive men who were interested in getting together to discuss issues of substance, such as ways to enjoy better relationships across the board issues that dealt with refining our emotional qualities. I was seeking a group that was interested in discussing topics that dealt with acquiring more balance in our lives.

I searched the Internet and found The Triangle Men’s Inquiry Meeting. Since I could not find a group such as this in Laurinburg, I decided to attend the meetings in Raleigh. This would give me an opportunity to achieve personal growth and to get some pointers for starting a group such as this in Scotland County. As a result of participating in the meetings in Raleigh, I received growth, support and encouragement from all the men. Martin provided information and other resources to help us get our program off the ground in Scotland County. He also committed to providing support that would help sustain our program. He has and continues to be a friend and supporter every step of the way.

I feel the most significant thing that I received from being involved with The Triangle Men’s Inquiry Meeting is that it made me feel that I wasn’t alone in my pursuit to move to the next level of awareness about healthy wholesome relationships.”

Please check out their website at:
http://www.lmcidomain.com/ and it’s current working title is: AN AFRICAN AMERICAN MENS GROUP

I want to acknowledge that what I love about Leroy is his clear courage to make a difference in his own town, to start something new, and to do his best to listen to the needs of the men in that area in building the group! He drive 100 miles each way to come to the meetings!

GREAT JOB Leroy, you inspire me!

Be well,
Martin Brossman
http://www.toinquire.com/
men@toinquire.com

The home page of this (Men's & Women's Inquiry) blog is: http://toinquire.blogspot.com/

Update on the progress of the book “Finding Our Fire”

Update on the progress of the book “Finding Our Fire”

We have received all the contributions to the book, including two more chapters that are being added-- competition & money. This completes the 12- week program that was used to collect more contributions to the book in the chapters that I felt needed a little more information or did not have enough diversity.

John Sharpe (http://www.cprm.com/ please check out) is working hard on editing the core book while my father, Martin Brossman II, has just completed editing weeks 1 through 4 of the 12 week extension ( over 145 pages of new contributions ). Now my father is working on editing weeks 6-10, about 180 pages in Word, while I am integrating weeks 11 & 12. This ‘integration’ involves converting the real names of each man to their pseudonym and adding each man’s reply under each question in a single Word document. I am finding all of this work very tedious and slow. I do have to work on making a living while doing this (grin). Since I use text- to- speech software to read for me (due to my dyslexia), I get to enjoy the wonderfully courageous contributions of these men discussing their lives.

I have found 5 possible printer/publishers and a friend is researching to decide which is the best for the book. Over 500 postcards are being hand-distributed about the book and some on-line men’s websites are exploring writing reviews of the book.

If you know anyone who may be interested in the book, please make sure to send them the web link about the book ( http://www.toinquire.com/findingourfire.htm or this blog http://toinquire.blogspot.com/ ) and send us an email requesting notification when the book is available so they will be the ones that secure the first printing copies. This is done by emailing us at men@toinquire.com , put in the subject line “Please notify me on the availability of the book Finding Our Fire. Contact info is below.” With of course your contact information in the body of the text.

Check back for updates, and thanks for your support! If you have any questions about the book, email us at men@toinquire.com and we will do our best to answer them on the blog. Of course your name will stay anonymous


Thanks,
Martin Brossman

The home page of this (Men's & Women's Inquiry) blog is: http://toinquire.blogspot.com/

We have chosen to have three versions of Finding Our Fire

We have chosen to have three versions of Finding Our Fire

We have decided that since there are so many wonderful contributions that over 100 men have made, there will be three versions of the book. The main one, which will be designed to be ‘accessible’ to the largest audience, by its size, and other factors, will be about a 6" X 9" paperback, approximately 190 pages long. The second will be the core of all contributions, with several interesting add-on’s for those who want a broader perspective. and it will be an 8.5”X 11” paper bound book. This lets us include a greater number of the contributions in print. The third will be an e-book that can be downloaded. Things may change as we get closer to finishing.

Also two more sections were added in the last few months. One on competition and the other on money. We decided this had to be part of this printing.


The home page of this (Men's & Women's Inquiry) blog is: http://toinquire.blogspot.com/

For fun, we have setup a CafePress account for ‘Finding Our Fire’ products.. check it out!

For fun we set up a CafePress account for Finding Our Fire products. Go to this link to see it: http://www.cafepress.com/brossman/1175883
It is one of the many ways we are looking to give value and offset expenses for the volunteer Men’s & Women’s Inquiry. We get about a dollar or two per product and if that exceeds $6.00 per month, we pay for the service and make a dollar as well. So if you see something you like, your purchase will be appreciated. It will keep growing so check back. I designed all the versions of the products and of course the cover with advisement of my beautiful and creative wife Barbara Carr Brossman. She co-leads the women’s inquiry with Amy Sky. Barbara’s website is http://www.naturesface.net/ and Amy’s is http://www.amylsky.com/ Please check them both out as well!

Another way to help us is by buying any books from The Men’s Inquiry website ( http://www.toinquire.com/ ), The Women’s Inquiry website ( http://www.thewomensinquiry.com/ ) & my business website’s book list: ( http://www.coachingsupport.com/ ) we receive a small percentage from Amazon.com .

Currently led by Barbara Carr (http://www.naturesface.net/ ) & Amy Sky ( http://www.amylsky.com/ ) A big thank you to both for their help!

The home page of this (Men's & Women's Inquiry) blog is: http://toinquire.blogspot.com/

About the cover of "Finding Our Fire"

About the cover of "Finding Our Fire": I (Martin Brossman) created it completely at an intuitive level, keeping my ‘right brain’/logical/critical side out of it. It represents passion as well as struggle. I have used a photo of my own hands along with a younger photo of myself making a sword move from Aikido. The fire, the sword, the man, and the hands together are symbols of man's strength and passion, as well as his personal struggles. The cover art is not to be taken literally. It can be seen as evocative symbolism for men's need to express their deepest emotions without resorting to outbursts of anger or violence. Just as the martial artist controls his world of physical strength and emotion simultaneously, the art of a well-lived life requires a man to control his personal "fire" in order to live amicably with others; yet he can not completely douse that fire if he hopes to retain the energy and power he needs to successfully move through his work and personal life with dignity and respect. In the same vein, the title, "Finding Our Fire", is using the word "fire" metaphorically, referring to strength, personal courage and heartfelt emotion. See the cover at http://www.toinquire.com/findingourfire.htm

The home page of this (Men's & Women's Inquiry) blog is: http://toinquire.blogspot.com/

This is about the book "Finding Our Fire - Enhancing men's connection to heart, passion and strength ", its progress & answers to questions

This is an update on the book's progress "Finding Our Fire - Enhancing men's connection to heart, passion and strength ", its progress and answers to questions about it. Two more weeks of collecting contributions from men with the two added sections: ‘competition & money’. We are collecting that now while the other parts of the book are being edited. If you have not seen the main page showing the cover, then go to: http://www.toinquire.com/findingourfire.htm

More than 100 men have made emotionally courageous contributions, addressing compelling questions that are sure to be a springboard for discussion for years to come.

Also please check out the Editor's web site: John Sharpe http://www.cprm.com/ . A big thank you for John Sharpe for his relentless commitment to honor the unique voices of over 100 men in the book. Comments and questions are welcome. men@toinquire.com

Please email us if you would like to be notified of it's availability at: men@toinquire.com

The home page of this (Men's & Women's Inquiry) blog is: http://toinquire.blogspot.com/

The Men’s Inquiry is celebrating over 10 years of service!

The Men’s Inquiry is celebrating over 10 years of service! Join us on the on-line version at http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/TriangleMensInquiryMeeting/ We have been exploring questions about men’s lives for over 10 year’s now and are celebrating this year with the up coming book “Finding Our Fire, Enhancing men's connection to heart, passion and strength”, which is due out this Spring.

"Finding Our Fire" is based on the Men’s Inquiry Group which has been meeting monthly in person and on-line for over 10 years. In the Inquiry meetings, men explore questions about their lives that give new insights and provide the basis for new actions. The meetings have inspired men to enhance their relationships with their families, improve their jobs, and resolve old issues in their lives that previously held them back. Questions explored in the Men’s Inquiry have included: What does it mean to be a man today? How do you discover your purpose in life and live it while providing for your family? What type of son were you to your father? How do you keep love and passion alive in a long-term relationship?

The book is a multi-purpose tool: it can simply enhance the individual reader's life, or it can serve to facilitate the formation of men's groups to support ongoing growth on a broader scale. It also provides a much needed impartial window into the inner world of men that seems to improve women's understanding of men and men's understanding of themselves. The compelling questions have had a powerful impact on the men whose responses are included in the book, and many of those who have seen preview chapters are looking forward to enthusiastically using the questions in their men's workshops and seminars across the country.

"Finding Our Fire" speaks in the authentic voice of men helping men by simply contributing their own life experiences. It is a true showcase of the emotional courage of men--something you do not hear much about in society today! To find out more about the book and the Men’s Inquiry, which is 100% volunteer driven, go to http://www.toinquire.com/ We look forward to hearing from all of you, Martin Brossman – Founder of The Men’s Inquiry © 2006.

The home page of this (Men's & Women's Inquiry) blog is: http://toinquire.blogspot.com/