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The Enlightened Heart: An Anthology of Sacred Poetry
amazon.com This book is sacred in an unusual way––rather than collecting only religious poetry as the title may suggest, editor Stephen Mitchell has instead curated what he calls “poems of...
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The Collected Poems of Theodore Roethke
We first discovered this lovely book decades ago (we were very young) and it has become a dog-eared favorite. We love the simple wisdom it lends about complex subjects. A perfect morning read.
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The Art of Eating
amazon.com Without exageration, this remains one of the greatest book of food writing the world has ever known, and profoundly influenced my writing, cooking, living, and understand of the...
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Selected Poems of Su Tung-P’o
amazon.com We first became interested in Su Tung-P’o when we were thinking about what it means to be broke. Being broke is, in fact, an age-old dilemma which forces one to be creative to survive. The...
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Pablo Neruda: All the Odes
amazon.com We’re entranced by Pablo Neruda’s life and have written about his homes, his personal life, and his poetry. His odes are tiny little dedications to the world and objects around him,...
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Mary Oliver’s New and Selected Poems: Volume One
amazon.com We originally fell in love with Oliver’s poem First Snow, which we found anthemic for our early winters, perfectly framing the re-imagining and refreshing of our lives we engage in when...
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Magnetic Poetry Word Magnets
amazon.com Ever since we saw artist Rotten Apple’s place Magnetic Poetry around urban landscapes — including the subway for people to make poetry while they wait —we’ve seen Magnetic Poetry Kits as...
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Just Kids
amazon.com We love this meeting of two legendary minds, rock-and-roller Patti Smith and friend/photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, and the journey we follow as Smith discovers her artistic voice. We...
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Henry Miller on Writing
amazon.com In the early thirties, as he was writing Tropic of Cancer, his first published novel that was to become a classic of twentieth century fiction, Henry Miller wrote himself this list of 11...
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Esquire’s The Meaning of Life: Wisdom, Humor, and Damn Good Advice from 64...
When we read Esquire, we turn right to the “What I’ve Learned” column: to-the-point, full-of-insight interviews with notable artists, writers, actors, athletes, celebrities, entrepreneurs, musicians,...
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Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
This is one of our favorite all-time books about the creative process. It is NOT just about writing. In fact, you could probably cross out the words ‘write’, ‘writer’ and ‘writing’ and substitute any...
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Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom
Amazon.com After we quoted John O’Donahue’s Anam Cara in a post, we got a number of Comments from readers telling us how much the book means to them. From Cara de Silva: “I love John O’Donohue and...
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A Year from Monday: New Lectures and Writings by John Cage
This book is part of our Essential Bathroom Library; you can open the book anywhere and find a short concentrated bit to shake your head up. As one reviewer wrote: “Cage’s writing does not tell us...
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A Field Guide to Getting Lost
amazon.com A sort of anecdotal historian who is simultaneously enamored of the aesthetic experiences of walking, photographing, and living, Rebecca Solnit has written a book that is part memoir, part...
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A Natural History of the Senses
Diane Ackerman’s poetic/scientific exploration of the human condition through the portals through which we experience is a captivating adventure. Grazing on kissing, tattooing, sniffing, and music,...
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The Paper Garden: An Artist Begins Her Life’s Work at 72
Molly Peacock’s The Paper Garden is a wonderful delving into the life of an unusual 18th century artist, Mary Delany. She made over 1000 beautiful botanical collages which use nothing but paper and a...
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The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation
amazon.com Not being the best of meditators, we rely on Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh to gently guide us in mindfulness practice, which, he points out, you can do anywhere, anytime: washing the dishes,...
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The Sun My Heart
amazon.com Thich Nhat Hanh’s entreaty for us to examine and acknowledge the tiny miracles around us keeps us going every day. Whether or not we notice them, Hanh explains, these miracles exist, all...
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Zen Art of Meditation
This slim, unassuming volume is a beloved part of our “morning library”, providing a haiku and image to shift our view. We are constantly surprised by it. From Amazon.com: This book is about emptiness...
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The Enlightened Heart: An Anthology of Sacred Poetry
amazon.com This book is sacred in an unusual way––rather than collecting only religious poetry as the title may suggest, editor Stephen Mitchell has instead curated what he calls “poems of...
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