
Contemplative Voices Award
Honoring Cole Arthur Riley and James Finley
Join us for a special fundraising event to Celebrate Shalem’s 50th Anniversary!
Sunday, November 19, 2023, 3:00-5:00pm ET on Zoom
Register for the Contemplative Voices Award on our “Supporting Shalem” site.
When registering, please select “CVA” as the Designation.
Shalem’s Contemplative Voices Award honors individuals who have made significant contributions to contemplative understanding, living and leadership and whose witness helps others live from the divine wellspring of compassion, strength, and authentic vision.
Shalem is pleased to award our 2023 Contemplative Voices Award to Cole Arthur Riley and James Finley. The two awardees will share stories of their own contemplative journeys.
Cole Arthur Riley
Cole Arthur Riley is a writer and poet. She is the author of the NYT bestseller, This Here Flesh: Spirituality, Liberation, and the Stories that Make Us. Her writing has been featured in The Atlantic, Guernica, and The Washington Post. Cole is also the creator and writer of Black Liturgies, a project that integrates spiritual practice with Black emotion, Black literature, and the Black body.
James Finley
Student of Thomas Merton and clinical psychologist, Dr. James Finley teaches how connecting to our Divine indwelling can transcend fear and shame and awaken to our True Self. A faculty member at the Center for Action and Contemplation, he is the author of Merton’s Palace of Nowhere and The Healing Path, and the host of CAC’s podcast Turning to the Mystics.

Schedule
Sunday, November 19, 2023, 3:00-5:00pm ET
- Opening prayer
- Introductions of awardees
- Awardees speak
- Q&A
- Closing prayer
If you’re unable to attend during this time, you can still register to receive access to a recording of the event for later viewing.
COST & REGISTRATION
Cost: $75 per person suggested donation
If you would like to give a different amount, you may choose a different amount.
Register for the Contemplative Voices Award on our “Supporting Shalem” site. When registering, please select “CVA” as the Designation.
BECOME A SPONSOR OR SUPPORTER
Would you like to become a Supporter or Sponsor of the Contemplative Voices Award Event?
To become a Supporter or Sponsor today, choose one of the options below. Then type in your donation amount and choose “CVA Supporter” or “CVA Sponsor” under “Designation” when you make your gift. If you have questions about becoming a Sponsor or Supporter, contact Charlie Parker at charlie@shalem.org (301-897-7334).
Become a Supporter
With gifts of $500-$999, Supporters will:
- Receive four tickets;
- Be thanked and acknowledged during the event.

THANK YOU TO THE 2022 SPONSORS!
Thank you to our Sponsors for supporting the 2022 Contemplative Voices Award:
- Cece Balboni
- Bob Brown
- Sallie Chatfield
- Tilden Edwards
- Susan Etherton
- Mark Goodwin
- Clair Ullman
- Sara Willie-Lebreton