“How can we face the suffering we all inevitably experience as a resource for spiritual growth?” Tousley asks. “How might our own personal suffering be used as a resource for political and social change?” Tousley will explore these and other questions as he tells and sings the story of his own journey of suffering, from his experience in a home torn apart by religious division, through his work in a locked ward of a state psychiatric hospital and an urban shelter for the homeless, to his own recovery from cancer.

Tousley has traveled widely as a folk singer and storyteller throughout the United States, England and Ireland. He has recorded five albums of original music, including his recent CD, Open the Gates. Assessing his standing as a folk artist, The Boston Globe wrote, “Tousley’s ability to begin his political writing deep within his own experience represents the genre at its best.”

Next in the Spiritual Journeys series are John McClendon III and John McClendon II, who will discuss African American Mysticism: A Father and Son’s Spiritual Journey with Contemporary Mystic Howard Thurman at 4:30 p.m., Monday, Jan. 21, in Skelton Lounge. Call 207-786-8272 for more information.