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Join Mark on a River Cruise in Belgium Only 18 spaces available For details and to register, please visit Global Journeys
2025-2026 YEARLONG JOURNEYS The 2025-2026 courses are now full. If you are interested in attending future courses, please add your name to the waiting list by emailing Brooke Warner @ brooke@threeintentions.com Descriptions, Dates, and Registration will open We will contact people on the waiting list before going public.
MARK'S BOOK THE HALF-LIFE OF ANGELS
Welcome! I hope this finds you safe and well during these trying times.
Times like these heighten our care for one another and affirm how much we are, at heart, the same. As we move closer to some form of normalcy, we are being called, as well, to remake our sense of humanity, to be fierce and tender in our call to love. As we enter this work together, I wish you and yours a quiet a passage full of truth, kindness, and ease. And I greatly look forward to seeing you, virtually and, at long last, in person again. I hope we can journey together somewhere along the way. In the meantime, many blessings to you in facing what's before you and to more deeply discovering what you are being called to.
MARK'S NEW BOOK
Full of heartrending stories, timeless wisdom, and hard-won insights from the author himself, You Don't Have to Do It Alone reminds us that friendship is a noble endeavor.
About his new book, Mark Nepo says, "After a lifetime of trying to be a good friend, I wrote this book to affirm the spirit of friendship, to praise what it takes to love another well, and to show that - despite what we've been taught - you don't have to do it alone. It was Ralph Waldo Emerson who said, 'A friend may be reckoned the masterpiece of nature.' This book explores why and how this is true." Friendship is indispensable. In truth, we may discover our dearest friends in a moment of feeling vulnerable, or when feeling safe in the care of some trusted other, or in the dark labyrinth of seeking truth together. We often come upon enduring friends when taking the long way home, when humbled to put down our differences and forced to admit that we haven't a clue where we're going or how to get there. In the raw and tender space of such honesty, the power of friendship is revealed. In his latest book, Mark looks closely at the discovery of our kinship, the nature of friendship, the inevitable trials by which our bond is strengthened or broken, the acceptance of our humanness, and the conduit that lasting friendship becomes to the larger forces of life. Journey here and learn how the power of friendship can enrich your life.
Join Mark's Next 3-Session Webinar Register now for the January, 2025 Webinar
NOW OPEN FOR REGISTRATION: A 3-SESSION WEBINAR GUIDED BY MARK NEPO REGISTRATION NOW OPEN at live.marknepo.com
MARK'S BOOK
Amid this luminous new collection of wisdom, Mark Nepo offers one of the most robust and tender teachings on grief I have come across. In Mark's hands, pain becomes poetry, and enlarges our hearts enough to carry what we may have thought we couldn't.
Drawn from Mark's many years of teaching, this book explores the perennial practices and choice-points we all face such as surviving and thriving, managing risk and enhancing risk, opening and closing, giving and receiving, living a balance between solitude and community, enlarging our sense of things when pain and fear make us small, and the never-ending practice of course-correcting and tuning as we go. Falling Down and Getting Up explores the archetypal rhythm that is inherent to every life in every stage of its growth. While no one likes to fall down, no one is exempt from this part of the human journey. From a longer and deeper perspective, falling down and getting up is the inevitable rhythm of transformation. In fact, each step we take forms a dance of falling down and getting up. This book focuses on the individual's transformative journey with all its ups and downs and twists and turns. In essence, how do we learn the dance of falling down and getting up? Mark's teaching is committed to introducing his students and readers to their own gifts and wisdom. If you haven't had the chance to sit in one his magical circles, this book is the next best thing. "The Hindu Upanishads offer the image of how a caterpillar bunches up before moving forward as a symbol of this kind of growth. Similarly, a nurse, who prompted me to get up and walk immediately after surgery, announced, "Two steps forward, one step back!" This is the rhythm of life we are asked to accept in order to live. Falling Down and Getting Up explores these timeless rhythms and the essential skills needed to fully live our lives."
MARK'S BOOK
What a beautiful journey this book is. I was moved in some places beyond what I can adequately convey. Mark's capacity to speak such universal truths through poetry is stunning. He is a master.
In Mark new collection of poetry, The Half-Life of Angels, you have three books of poems gathered in one volume. All the poems in this volume explore and praise the spark of becoming that is the synapse between living things. This spark of becoming is the half-life of angels that arcs between the deer's nose and the thawed stream, between Sappho's heart and the poems she uttered, between God's finger and Adam's hand, and between the Ocean of Source and the lips of every soul. In time, the soul's journey in the world strips away all that is extraneous—the way a meteor is stripped to its essence of light as it catapults toward Earth. It can take a lifetime to burn off what doesn't matter until we face each other—spark to spark. The three books of poems in this collection explore and praise this life-giving spark. "Now in my seventies, I am committed to putting my life's journey with poetry in order. The result will be the publication of several volumes of poetry. The Half-Life of Angels is the first of these volumes. I confess that reading through fifty years of poems has been like stepping through holy sites and ruins in order to map the learnings of all my former selves. As any poet, I gather these poems as a way to retrieve a deeper, more ancient knowledge that transcends any one self. And yet, such knowledge can only surface through an authentic self. All these expressions have shaped who I am."
MARK'S UPCOMING EVENTS 2024
2025
for more events, see the Speaking-Teaching Schedule page
MARK'S BOOK
This book is an enduring resource for our times. Journey here and discover your own strength.
We live in a turbulent time. Storms are everywhere, of every size and shape. And like every generation before us, like every soul's journey on Earth, we must learn the art of surviving storms, so we can help each other endure. In his new book, spiritual teacher and poet, Mark Nepo, explores the art and practice of finding the strength to meet adversity by using the timeless teachings of the heart. The reason heartwork is so important is that, as a tree needs to deepen its roots and widen its trunk to endure the force of unexpected storms, we need to know our true self so we can deepen our roots and solidify our connection to all Spirit and all life. Then, we, too, can endure the force of unexpected storms. This is especially relevant now. As a timely resource, this book carefully describes the heart's process of renewal and connection in as much detail as possible. This spiritually practical book points to an inner exploration we each must map for ourselves, though there are common passages along the way. Once the rubble clears, we, like those before us, are inevitably called to build the world one more time, admitting that we need each other.
Very few modern writers impress me as much as Mark Nepo with his insight, inspiration, and turn of phrase. Mark Nepo is an exceptional writer and an amazing teacher and spiritual guide. Lyrical, insightful, and wise, Surviving Storms is the guide to resilience that we find ourselves so desperately needing, both for individuals and communities. Mark Nepo's words are a potent antidote to discouragement and a heartfelt call to perseverance. Surviving Storms by Mark Nepo is brilliant. In Nepo's unique and powerful hands, the times we are living, with all the tumult and strife, are put into perspective. His clear, lucid view of individuals as well as our larger community is compassionate, smart, and ultimately practical. I was so entranced with this book I didn't want to stop reading. What is particularly wonderful is that while this is a book I will return to time and again for my own joy and deep consideration, it is also one that helped me listen and participate with enthusiasm for our differences and what brings us together. Mark Nepo is a tremendous storyteller, and every story in his new book, Surviving Storms, is resonant, like a chord in music, letting you drop into a moment of truth and deeper knowing that we are more together than alone. This book supports us to be with our suffering without breaking, and to draw comfort and support from those who've come before us. Surviving Storms is thought provoking, riveting, courageous, honest, and true. The light of something timeless and true moves through Mark Nepo's heart and fills his voice as he pours hope into both our collective and individual wounds.
A NEW VIDEO BOOK I'm very excited to share a new creative project I’ve been working on with LIT Videobooks in which we created a 51" video version of The Book of Awakening. These innovative filmmakers have helped bring many of the central lessons and stories to life in a powerful way using animation. The #BookofAwakening is available NOW in videobook format! Check it out at litvideobooks.com/awakening
In the coming months, I will be teaching and speaking both in-person and online. I believe it's important to stay connected and to keep growing in whatever way we can. I remain committed to our journey together and hope to see you somewhere along the way, both in person and online. Stay safe and be well. Many blessings.
A NAUTILUS BOOK AWARD WINNER MARK'S NEW BOOK Order from an online bookseller:
Amazon
Mark Nepo has long been one of my favorite spiritual writers, and The Book of Soul is further proof why. It's filled with breathtaking lines you'll want to linger over, commit to memory, and carry with you.
It's easy in these times to allow ourselves to slip into resignation, isolation, or despair. The The Book of Soul is an antidote, a path that leads us back to our own wisdom and intuition and to the authentic truth of our souls. Mark Nepo's The Book of Soul is like finding manna in the desert. I began reading it and instantly got chills. And a profound sense of relief. Read this book and be refreshed. I love all Mark's books because of his deep insights and his amazing way with words, but there's something truly special about this one. It feels like a compilation of the best and most profound ideas from his work. I want to savor each and every chapter. There is much to explore and savor in this [new] book [by] this incredibly talented writer, storyteller, poet, and teacher. The spiritual practitioner will rejoice in Nepo's uncanny ability to consistently stretch our minds and souls with fresh musings. The Book of Soul is a piercing guide, replete with beautiful truths and startling insight, that leads us deeply into the process of transformation.
THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION OF SELECTED AS ONE OF OPRAH'S ULTIMATE FAVORITE THINGS Order from an online bookseller:
Amazon
There was one book that transformed my life and that book is The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo. The river of life is wide and the journey we make together is made so much more beautiful, important, and moving when our lives are linked by this book. Mark Nepo has written a beautiful book about life, informed by the shadows of death. I've been blessed and humbled by reading his words. Mark Nepo is a true poetic empath, taking us on a 365 day-by-day journey. And no matter what day, or whatever you're going through—like magic—you will find his words will speak to your exact situation, which at that moment instills in the reader an instant feeling of lightness, solace, warmth, and understanding. Pick this book up, again and again and again, and it will do the same for you. Mark Nepo's writing creates echoes in our hearts of what is true and of what we most cherish. Keep The Book of Awakening close by, and dip in whenever you want to nourish yur spirit.
It's hard to believe it's been twenty years since this was first published. In all that time, I have been humbled by the many ways this book has been embraced. More importantly, the vastness it points to remains an irrepressible resource, available to everyone. I began writing the first entries for the book in 1997. Early on, an old friend asked if I could share them through email. That slowly led to a weekly sharing that went quietly for years all over the world, from London to India to South Africa. In 2000, the book began its journey in print. And in 2010, the book was kindly given to Oprah Winfrey as a birthday present, and her deep connection and kind support propelled the book to become a #1 New York Times bestseller. It has since been translated into more than twenty languages and is now in its fifty-sixth printing, having reached more than a million readers. I'm often asked what I've learned myself from The Book of Awakening. It is this: that when wholehearted and true, we are a sturdy conduit for love and care to keep the world going. If I had to guess, I think this book has touched so many because it is a drink of water from the ocean of love and care. I am ever grateful to have come upon it and to have been transformed for retrieving it.
MARK'S BOOK DRINKING FROM THE RIVER OF LIGHT
A passionate testament to the spirituality of expression. I cherish the wisdom and embrace the practices offered in this luminous book.
In his 21st book, Mark Nepo, the acclaimed poet-teacher, and NY Times #1 best-selling author of The Book of Awakening, presents the art and practice of expression as a means to unfold our spiritual growth. Whether we consider ourselves artists or not, he explores how the deeper we go into the creative process, the more attuned we become, and the more we join with everything around us. Whether your writing is published or not, whether your music is recorded or not, whether your art is in a gallery or not, your garden is given a prize or not, or your cooking is or isn't featured in the local paper—inhabiting a personal life of expression is its own reward, by which we strengthen our connections and find our way. Filled with stories and exercises intended to introduce readers to the skills of vision, perception, feeling, and articulation, Drinking from the River of Light is a culmination of all Nepo's years of writing and teaching regarding the deeper creative process.
This beautiful book is a gift on the journey of awakening. I love all of Mark Nepo's books, but this one is especially beautiful, luminous, wise, and helpful—a river of light for the thirsty traveler. This new offering by a spiritual virtuoso of our era will help you find the way. This wonderful book is a deep dive into the universal art of self-expression, exploring how to give voice to our deepest, most original self. Candid, rich, and consistently profound. I loved it. This is a book of refined wisdom, insight, and great reminding. Crack the spine of this gem, drink fully from the River of Light, and as Whitman advised, go forth to "Sing the body electric!" In Drinking from the River of Light, Mark Nepo's words land like dew on a thirsty leaf. I couldn't put it down and drank every word in it. Mark Nepo commands language with a fierce truth that is difficult, if not impossible, to turn away from.
CITED BY SPIRITUALITY & PRACTICE MAGAZINE AS ONE OF THE BEST SPIRITUAL BOOKS OF 2018 MARK'S COMPELLING AND TIMELY EXPLORATION OF COMMUNITY, MORE TOGETHER THAN ALONE, IS NOW AVAILABLE FROM ATRIA AND IN THE UK FROM RIDER BOOKS Every word in this book has been tested in the fire and can be trusted. A masterwork on community animated by visionary vigor, philosophical rigor, a cross-cultural purview, and a poetic sensibility. I see Mark Nepo's book on the vital importance of harmonious community, More Together than Alone, as the pinnacle of his publishing life; one can only wonder what more is to come. I've been reading and re-reading More Together Than Alone which is so profoundly relevant in these times. With the wisdom and honesty that lies in each page, it's been a tremendous source of peace and understanding for me as I navigate what is now before us. Mark's prose is so insightful and from the heart. Each story reminds us so much of who we are as human beings and the choice to recognize how we are all one at heart. It gives me hope that we will all pull together in the days ahead with compassion and unity by lifting each other up. DISCOVERING THE POWER AND SPIRIT OF COMMUNITY IN OUR LIVES AND IN THE WORLD After twelve years of research, New York Times bestselling author Mark Nepo has gathered stories and lessons of community from across cultures and history, with the aim of affirming that, despite the hardships always present, we are more together than alone. With the heart of a poet and the eye of a philosopher, Nepo leads the reader through a spirited mapping of case studies centered on how human beings find each other and work together. The result is a profile of social experiments that inquire into the dynamics of relationship and community that arise out of how we're inspired and forced to care for each other. While some moments of community were long-standing and multi-generational, others may have lasted a week or an hour. The focus of this book is to uncover the pathways that bring us together. Of the book, Nepo says, "Why tend to all this? Because somewhere another child is being born who will ask us things we don't yet know, and we must have some sense of how to account for our time on Earth. Ours is a complicated era and so we need every resource and example of heart and resilience we can find. It is both comforting and challenging to realize that no one person can wrestle from the Earth the song of how we can survive together and no one voice can sing that chorus. The stories of community in this book help us accept and inhabit the spiritual fact that we need each other more than ever." More Together Than Alone also offers an online community guide that includes: guidelines for gathering in small groups, a page on Facebook where you can share and pass on your own stories of community, questions to live with, a suggested reading and film list, and the endnotes that support the research that went into creating the book.
A compelling testament to the power of community to help us lead happier, healthier, and more fulfilling lives. A beautifully crafted message from the heart, a powerful cry that we are one, interconnected living community, stretching through time and space. In this dazzling series of meditations, Mark Nepo returns us to an enduring truth: We must love one another—or perish. More Together Than Alone is required reading. In an age of racial divisions, school shootings, and international conflict, this book's message about the necessity of coming together is timely, and its examples of human compassion and unity often comforting.
THINGS THAT JOIN THE SEA AND THE SKY IS A NAUTILUS BOOK AWARD WINNER FOR 2017
MARK'S INTIMATE THEMATIC READER, THINGS THAT JOIN THE SEA AND THE SKY, IS NOW AVAILABLE FROM SOUNDS TRUE CITED BY SPIRITUALITY & PRACTICE AS ONE OF THE BEST SPIRITUAL BOOKS OF 2017 As with the Tao Te Ching, one can randomly open any page in Things That Join the Sea and the Sky and there find a reward for living. In Things That Join the Sea and the Sky, Mark shares bare and honest reflections drawn from over fifty years of journals. This thematic non-fiction reader is comprised of 145 entries gathered and shaped over the last fifteen years. The book takes the reader through seventeen sections organized around archetypal thresholds we all face, including "Stopping the Noise," "Unraveling Our Fear," "The Gift of Deepening," The Practice of Relationship, The Reach of Kindness, and "The Radiance in All Things." Of the book, Mark says, "These pages are field notes on living, a travelogue of my conversation with the Universe, a mix of inner reflections, questions, and stories that have come to teach me how to be here. They contain raw moments of sinking and being lifted, intimate accounts of being thrust into feeling and depth, my stretching and wondering about my life and the lives of others in this ongoing push and pull with a Universe that holds us, then tosses us about, only to hold us again. Under every piece, I hope you feel the common song we're born to sing in our unique and very human way." At the end of the book, Mark shares an essay about the nature and gift of journaling, followed by journaling guidelines, and 100 journal questions to work with. All to encourage the reader to engage in their own conversation with the Universe through the art of journaling. REVIEWS Open this book. Read the table of contents. And let the magic and promise of this offering invite you into the depths of your own humanity. Allow the poetic soul of Mark Nepo to guide you. And then keep this guide on your nightstand as an oracle and a roadmap for living well. This book is pure gold. This book offers itself to you like an intimate conversation with a dear friend. Enjoy the beauty and the deep dives into life's varied meanings and mysteries. Mark Nepo's vulnerable and generous-hearted sharing from the depths of his inner explorations is irresistibly readable, reminding us of the importance of staying with ourselves unconditionally, trusting the moment-by-moment experiences that lead us to our awakening. A rich source of comfort and courage for anyone who opens it. Written with the simplicity of a Koan, Nepo's short writings say everything there is to say about recording the hidden wonders of the world around us.
NOW AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO BOX SET FROM SOUNDS TRUE
FLAMES THAT LIGHT THE HEART: A NEW VIDEO COURSE BY MARK IS NOW AVAILABLE Over the last year, I've been working with Sounds True to create a video course called Flames That Light the Heart: Ten Lessons on Living with Meaning, Truth, and Kindness. I'm excited to have gathered many stories, metaphors, and paradoxes from my years of teaching into this in-depth exploration of the life of transformation and the heartwork that is required to be a spirit in the world. My intention, here, is to help you live with meaning, truth, and kindness in your own personal way. The course is now offered through Udemy, the online learning center. You can preview the introduction to the course here, as well as the first session. The sessions offer a long and intimate conversation on the growing pains of transformation and the art of living as an awakened part in an awakened whole. I hope you'll take a look. THE WAY UNDER THE WAY IS A NAUTILUS BOOK AWARD WINNER FOR 2016
THE ONE LIFE WE'RE GIVEN WAS A FINALIST FOR 2017 BOOKS FOR A BETTER LIFE AWARD I'm humbled and excited that The One Life We're Given was a finalist for the 2017 Books for a Better Life Award. This is the fourth time I've been blessed to be a finalist: with The Book of Awakening in 2001, Inside the Miracle in 2016, and winning with Seven Thousand Ways to Listen in 2013. BBLA is such a fine group of giving people that this means all the more. Also, my good friend Elizabeth Lesser won with her moving memoir, Marrow. (web link)
THE ONE LIFE WE'RE GIVEN AND THE WAY UNDER THE WAY ARE CITED BY SPIRITUALITY & PRACTICE AS TWO OF THE BEST SPIRITUAL BOOKS OF 2016 "The wisdom presented on the shining pages of this holy book (The One Life We're Given) is another luminous gift from a gallant, grateful and imaginative spiritual master."
"A spiritual teacher's conversation with the Universe through tough and tender poems, The Way Under The Way is the first large collection of Mark Nepo's poetry. It is a robust and spiritually revelatory volume of 217 poems. What touches us most about these poems is the way they testify simply and humbly to Nepo's experience of the Divine."
THE ONE LIFE WE'RE GIVEN: FINDING THE WISDOM THAT WAITS IN YOUR HEART (ATRIA, JULY 19, 2016) The wisdom presented on the shining pages of this holy book is another luminous gift from a gallant, grateful and imaginative spiritual master. This new book affirms how precious this one life is and opens the chance we have to be fully alive and to be of use to each other and the world. Through personal stories of joy and grief, friendships and challenges, I try to illuminate how the life of the soul is shaped and crafted every day. I offer reflective questions and meditations to help make sense of our own experience and appreciate each moment. In truth, we learn to shape our perspective as a woodworker might carefully shave a piece of wood to reveal its inner grain. And throwing ourselves wholeheartedly into what we're given brings us alive—whether we must deal with suffering, pain, fear, and loss, or surprise, beauty, love, and wonder. Each becomes an opportunity to listen more deeply to our feelings, to deepen our connection with others, and to sense the sacred nature of ordinary things. As we discover for ourselves the lessons of our journey, we are led to the wisdom that waits in our heart, the inner knowing of what truly sustains us—feeling, loving, and connecting—which allows us to fully live the one life we're given. I confess that working with you as readers and students is a path I am devoted to. This path is a continuous inquiry into what it means to be human, to be here, and to care for each other. My hope is that you will deepen your conversation with life. That through your own path of obstacle and surprise, you will be opened to your gifts and become somewhat freed of all you carry. My hope is that this book will support you in becoming skilled at living with both effort and grace.
Mark Nepo is someone who walks through this confusing and sometimes dark world holding up a lantern and lighting the way. I can say with all certainty that I would follow this man anywhere his words want to take us. Mark Nepo is one of our national treasures. This book is a powerful guide to being in the world. Please check out this short video in which I describe the book
A MAJOR COLLECTION OF MARK'S POETRY, THE WAY UNDER THE WAY: THE PLACE OF TRUE MEETING, IS NOW AVAILABLE FROM SOUNDS TRUE This collection contains three separate books of poetry, gathering 217 poems retrieved and shaped over the past twenty years. The first two books in this collection, Suite for the Living and Inhabiting Wonder, bear witness to the messy and magnificent journey of being human. First published in 2004, they were wonderfully received and sold out of their first editions. Evolving these books further, Nepo has integrated fifty-eight new poems. The third book in this collection, The Way Under the Way, gathers eighty-three of his most recent poems. It centers on the place of true meeting that is always near, where we chance to discover our shared humanity and common thread of Spirit. About poetry, Mark says, "The poems are the teachers. They arrive with their wisdom and become my guides. What they surface becomes my inner curriculum and by staying in conversation with them, I grow. We're all drawn to what we need to learn, which if engaged with honesty reveals insights common to us all." Of the books, he says, "My hope is that the arc of these poems will be aids in living, listening, and beholding each other. I offer them as small wonders found and cared for through the years." Mark Nepo's poems are like rare wine that directly nourish the soul. These are stories of the heart, of brokenness that heals, of grief that awakens us to joy. en I read Mark Nepo's luminous, meditative poems, one word stands tall in the mind and silence that follows—BEFRIEND. He does not avert his eyes from the difficult moment or the lost hour. He stays steady to feel the magnificence again. In this magical book, Mark Nepo ushers us to the depth of who we are and where we truly live. His words, like pearls for the Human soul, awaken us and transform the ordinary into the mystery of our being.
SUPER SOUL SUNDAY INTERVIEWS Watch Mark on Super Soul Sunday In November 2013, Mark's Two-Part Interview with Oprah appeared on Super Soul Sunday on OWNTV. In these interviews with Oprah, Mark discussed the lifelong lessons from his cancer journey twenty-six years ago, and why he believes listening with a full heart is the key to living a vibrant and meaningful life. Mark explains how modern-day distractions can keep us from establishing deep connections with one another; he offers practical insights on how to cultivate our listening skills, deepening relationships with ourselves and others. Watch these clips and more at Super Soul TV
First Look: Mark Nepo and Oprah Continue Their Conversation Oprah's conversation with New York Times best-selling author Mark Nepo continues at her home in Hawaii. Mark discusses his book Seven Thousand Ways to Listen and shares why he believes listening with an open heart is the key to living a vibrant and meaningful life.
First Look: Why Poet Mark Nepo Says There Are 7,000 Ways to Listen Poet and best-selling author Mark Nepo's latest book is called Seven Thousand Ways to Listen. Watch as Mark reveals the inspiration for the title.
Mark Nepo: "Everyone Is a Poet" Poet and best-selling author Mark Nepo says poetry is the "unexpected utterance of the soul." Find out why he says a poem is more than just words on a page. Plus, hear why he thinks we all have a poet inside of us. Mark's most moving quotes from his two-part interview with Oprah In a two-part interview with Oprah on Super Soul Sunday, Mark Nepo shares his thoughts on embracing the moment, the power of listening and more. Read 9 of his most moving quotes. Oprah Reads Mark's Poem in This Beautiful Video On my way to Maui to meet Oprah, I wrote this poem about our meeting on an island with such an ancient and beautiful bamboo forest. Oprah and the Super Soul Sunday crew created this amazing video of the bamboo forest with Oprah reading the poem. This formed the close of part 2 of my interview with Oprah on Super Soul Sunday. Oprah reads Mark's poem in this beautiful video Read Mark's poem The Bigger Picture—Super Soul Sunday (web link) In May 2013, Mark was also featured on Super Soul Sunday alongside Reverend Ed Bacon and Elizabeth Lesser, with Oprah moderating. The show explored contemporary issues from a spiritual perspective. Also read Mark's blog post, "The Life of Obstacles," on Oprah.com.
Praise for Mark's Book of Poems, Reduced to Joy CITED BY SPIRITUALITY & PRACTICE AS ONE OF THE BEST SPIRITUAL BOOKS OF 2013 In 2013, Viva Editions published Mark's seventh book of poems, Reduced to Joy, a book of seventy-three poems, retrieved and shaped over the last thirteen years, about the nature of working with what we're given till it wears us through to joy. "Reduced to Joy has many different kinds of poems, all of them clear, wise, beautifully put, spare. Mark Nepo has a great heart. His poems are good company." "Mark Nepo's poems in his new book, Reduced to Joy, reduce me first to grateful silence, and then to tears, and then to laughter, and then to praise. He joins a long tradition of truth-seeking, wild-hearted poets—Rumi, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Mary Oliver—and deserves a place in the center of the circle with them."
Praise for Seven Thousand Ways to Listen WINNER OF THE 2012 BOOKS FOR A BETTER LIFE AWARD, FOR SPIRITUALITY
A consummate master of telling stories and parables about people's hopes, dreams, yearnings,
fears, sorrows and triumphs… Nepo has written a masterwork on the spiritual practice of
listening which plays such a predominant role in our private and public lives. This masterpiece on listening comes at a vital time when divisions in American run rampant around politics, race, and religion.
Mark discusses his book, Seven Thousand Ways to Listen
Mark Nepo’s The Book of Awakening is one of
Oprah was given The Book of Awakening as a birthday gift and says she does one lesson from the book every morning. “If we all do it together, we can begin to open our hearts, change the world and begin to have the life you want by being present to the life you have now,” Oprah says.
Listen to Mark Nepo in conversation with Oprah on her Soul Series radio program.
As a cancer survivor, I have found myself like Lazarus, awake again, in the same earthly place but different. Everything has changed and nothing has changed. This wakefulness has led me to be a student of that vibrant edge where our inner life meets the world. Being a poet and philosopher, I find myself there with a particular set of tools to search with. But we all live on this shore between the depths of being and the dangers of experience. My work has become a journal of the challenges and gifts of being a spirit in the world. And now, after dying and coming back, it's really not about my books, but about the voice beneath my name keeping the song going. These books and the voices that inhabit them remain teachers and intimates. They've helped to uncover sketchy maps into the quandaries of being alive. When struggling through my illness, I was bereft at how many of the books I owned were useless. Ever since, I have been committed to finding and creating books that can help us live. It is my devout hope that the work you find here can be of use, can help. |
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NOV 1-3: Harmony Hill Retreat Center, Federal Way, WA, Weekend Retreat, You Don't Have to Do It Alone: The Net of Friendship, (
