The "Odyssey" columns that appeared in The Review took the form of a unique long-term interview. They were the brainchild of publisher Barry Johanson, who originated them for his distinguished community newspaper in Plymouth, Wisconsin. His plan was to ferret out details that Belden Paulson, resident of the nearby town of Mitchell, wrote about in his provocative memoir, Odyssey of a Practical Visionary: Eco-communities - Sustainable Futures - Refugee Resettlement - Poverty and Racism - Dysfunctional Schools. Beginning in January 2010, for over a year Barry emailed questions to Bel and his wife, Lisa, based on that book and relating to their lifetime together pursuing out-of-the-box ideas, projects, and wide-ranging adventures. He learned how they met in the slums of Italy helping bombed-out Neapolitans and resettling Eastern European refugees after World War II. How in 1968 Bel was accused of being a CIA spy when he went to research political obstacles to economic development in Northeast Brazil (and where Lisa was zapped by a voodoo evil eye spell). And how Bel was nearly arrested in Tiananmen Square in 1989 on the eve of the Chinese student uprising there. Barry's questions ranged over issues in Bel's book that the nation and the world were currently dealing with, as well as those from earlier eras. He just wanted to explore and print the best-available content. This unusually inquisitive couple was heavily involved with many of the critical challenges. The Paulsons first met Barry in the late 1970s when the couple was starting to implement a dream of creating an ecological school on their farm in the town of Mitchell. A good chunk of the Paulsons' energy over the last 30 years has gone into envisioning and creating equitable, sustainable communities. The Odyssey Trail captures the on-the-ground flavor of these and other initiatives.
About the Author: Belden Paulson is recognized for his contributions in urban education, sustainable living, futures studies, community development, and refugee resettlement. His idealism and risk-taking have enabled him to go where others say "not possible." His combination of being a university political science professor and grassroots community organizer is a prototype for today-defying the odds and redefining insurmountable problems in order to help build a better world. Writer and artist Lisa Paulson has challenged the status quo all her life. She has spent a lifetime chasing and recording offbeat experiences. She has been drawn to cultures at points of upheaval or profound change. A trip to Scotland in 1976 became an "inner" journey that compelled her to create with her husband Bel an experimental rural enclave in eastern Wisconsin that focused on matters of spirit and "walking gently on the earth." Currently, Bel and Lisa divide their time between their eco-neighborhood in the countryside of Wisconsin and a mountain in Vermont. Both of them have been inspired to reflect and write about their family histories, explorations, and ideas. Between them they have produced 12 books.