A deeply heartfelt weave of reflections and poems about what it means to live the creative, expressive life. “I cherish the wisdom and embrace the practices offered in this luminous book.” —Mirabai Starr, author of Caravan of No Despair and Wild Mercy “Meaningful art, enduring art—and the transformative process it awakens—keeps us alive,” writes Mark Nepo. With Drinking from the River of Light, this bestselling poet and philosopher will lead you on a journey to discover just how art and authentic expression can bring our deepest truths to bear in the world. In this collection of interconnected essays and poetry—covering subjects ranging from the importance of staying in conversation with other forms of life to a consideration of how innovators such as Matisse, Rodin, and Beethoven saw the world—Nepo presents a lyrical ode to the creative urge that stirs in each of us. Whether it’s the search for a metaphor to reveal life’s beauty or the brushstroke that will thoroughly capture the moment, Drinking from the River of Light examines what it means to go “. . . beyond the boundaries of art, where the viewer and participant are one.” Here you will discover: The importance of openly embracing the full scope of your emotionsThe need for raw honesty and self-exploration in educationWhy a new perspective always waits only a “quarter turn” awayThe importance of staying in constant conversation with other creative voicesThe crucial difference between giving and getting attentionConcrete guidelines for respectful peer reviewWhat it means to channel the sound of your innermost being—and the universe In Nepo’s words, “This book is meant to be experienced and journeyed with.” Including dozens of journaling prompts and personal exercises meant to enliven the reader’s creative instincts, Drinking from the River of Light traces the search for our most essential selves and the importance of the life of expression to bear witness to the sorrow, depth, and joy of life.

"Despite the obvious contradictions, complexity, and apparent randomness that assault any human being day after day, everything is somehow nevertheless connected, orchestrated. The universe is filled with meaning.... In Jewish mysticism, the river is a metaphor for the Holy Oneness that unifies all creation. Just imagine it: a sacred stream, luminous and ubiquitous, a river of light." --from the Preface to the Anniversary Edition This is an invitation to wade into a deeper spiritual consciousness. Taking us step-by-step, Kushner helps us to allow "the river of light"--the deepest currents of consciousness--to rise to the surface and animate our lives.

Beautiful and original, this book brings together all Monet's paintings of his beloved river Seine and sets them in biographical context using a wealth of photographs. 50 black-and-white and 50 color photographs.

“Despite the obvious contradictions, complexity, and apparent randomness that assault any human being day after day, everything is somehow nevertheless connected, orchestrated. The universe is filled with meaning.... In Jewish mysticism, the river is a metaphor for the Holy Oneness that unifies all creation. Just imagine it: a sacred stream, luminous and ubiquitous, a river of light.” —from the Preface to the Anniversary Edition This is an invitation to wade into a deeper spiritual consciousness. Taking us step-by-step, Kushner helps us to allow “the river of light”—the deepest currents of consciousness—to rise to the surface and animate our lives.

“River of Stars is a major accomplishment, the work of a master novelist in full command of his subject.”—Michael Dirda, in The Washington Post “Game of Thrones in China.”—Salon.com Ren Daiyan was still just a boy when he took the lives of seven men while guarding an imperial magistrate. That moment on a lonely road changed his life in entirely unexpected ways, sending him into the forests of Kitai among the outlaws. From there he emerges years later—and his life changes again, dramatically, as he circles toward the court and emperor, while war approaches Kitai from the north. Lin Shan is the daughter of a scholar, his beloved only child. Educated by him in ways young women never are, gifted as a songwriter and calligrapher, she finds herself living a life suspended between two worlds. Her intelligence captivates an emperor—and alienates women at the court. But when her father’s life is endangered by the savage politics of the day, Shan must act in ways no woman ever has. In an empire divided by bitter factions circling an exquisitely cultured emperor who loves his gardens and his art far more than the burdens of governing, dramatic events on the northern steppe alter the balance of power in the world, leading to events no one could have foretold, under the river of stars.

The environment may surround us, but when that environment is a natural wonder like Yosemite National Park, it also reaches what’s inside us. For Mark Liebenow, Yosemite did just that, and did so when he needed it most. In Mountains of Light, winner of the River Teeth Literary Nonfiction Prize, Liebenow takes us deep into the heart of this wilderness, introducing us to its grand and subtle marvels—and to the observations, reflections, and insights its scenery evokes. Acting as our guide, Liebenow calls on the spirit and legacy of naturalist John Muir to rediscover nature and recover his own exuberance for life. Whether celebrating the giant sequoias, massive granite mountains, and wild, untamed rivers, or losing himself on an unmarked trail, Liebenow is always accompanied by thoughts of his wife of eighteen years, whose recent and sudden death tempers and informs his journey. Interwoven with his experiences are the stories of the Native Americans who lived in the valley for thousands of years and of the early settlers who followed. Melding documentary with introspection, environmental reportage with a search for meaning, Liebenow’s work draws on the lore of geology, botany, biology, and history to show how each aspect of the environment is connected to the rest. Watch the Mountains of Light book trailer on YouTube.

Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico is one of the most popular apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the whole world. Only a few people know that the Virgin Mary appeared to a Spanish shepherd called Gil Cordero several hundred years before appearing to St. Juan Diego on Tepeyac Hill. The story of the image that Gil Cordero found buried in Extremadura, Spain harks back to the first century. According to well-attested traditions, the first miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe was carved by St. Luke, the author of the Gospel According to St. Luke, and the Acts of the Apostles. Famous men, like Christopher Columbus, Hernan Cortez, Pedro de Alvarado, Alfonso XI of Spain, King Ferdinand, and Queen Isabella had a strong devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe. When the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Juan Diego in 1531, the name "Our Lady of Guadalupe" already had a long record of miraculous events. This book traces the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe to the days of St. Luke, then to the apparition of Our Lady on Tepeyac Hill, the entrance in history of the miraculous tilma of St. Juan Diego, and the extraordinary scientific investigations that have left so many scientists baffled, and caused the conversion of one Nobel Prize scientist to Catholicism. Our Lady of Guadalupe has a message for all of us in this generation. Millions have found Christ through her advocation. Hers is perhaps the most astonishing story of our age.