Parker J. Palmer

A wise, heartfelt, and compelling guide to our quest for wholeness in a broken world A Hidden Wholeness—now in its 20th Anniversary Edition, with a new Introduction by bestselling author Parker J. Palmer—has helped people in every walk of life rise to the challenge of living “divided no more.” What leads us to live divided lives that defy our own sense of identity and integrity? When we do, what price do we and the world pay? How can we recover the wholeness that is our birthright gift? Palmer examines the forces that deflect us from the soul's true north and gives us the tools we need to regain our bearings. Mapping an inner journey to be taken in solitude and community, Palmer explores perspectives and practices that can help us embody integrity in a world where it often feels risky to be who we are. As we learn how to be present to others in spaces where it's safe for the soul to speak (aka “circles of trust”), we find ways to rejoin soul and role in our personal, vocational, and public lives. Inspired by A Hidden Wholeness—and by the work of the Center for Courage & Renewal, a nonprofit Palmer founded in the late 1990s—tens of thousands of people have participated in circles of trust to deepen their sense of “true self” and contribute to the common good in the places where they live and work. To support readers in developing these practices, the book comes with an online “Study Guide for Readers and Group Leaders,” including author videos, available free at the Center's website. In the midst of our broken world, the principles and practices in this book can ground us in the “hidden wholeness,” giving us a place to stand as we seek to live with deeper integrity at every level of our lives.

The 25th Anniversary Edition of a modern classic, with a new Introduction by its celebrated author “Is the life I am living the same as the life that wants to live in me?” With this searching question, bestselling author Parker J. Palmer begins his insightful and moving meditation on finding our way toward meaning and purpose. As readers of many ages, backgrounds and walks of life will attest, Let Your Life Speak is an elegant and openhearted gift to all who seek to live authentically. We find a path that's right for us by embracing what gives us life and rejecting what diminishes us, listening more closely to the voice of “true self” than to what others expect or demand of us. As we live more deeply into our own identity and integrity, we find both personal fulfillment and our place in the community to which we belong. As always, Palmer writes honestly and vulnerably about his own life, including the fumbles and failures that have marked his unconventional vocational journey. He chronicles his deep dives into depression, and his quest for “an undivided life” that would allow him to offer his best gifts to the world. The details of his story are unique, but the insights he draws from it are universal. Let Your Life Speak offers no simplistic formulas for finding a meaningful path through life's complexities. Instead, it offers real-life experience, thoughtfully mined for insight and wisdom: Learn how to listen to your inner teacher and follow its guidance toward a sense of meaning and purposeReframe your life as a series of “experiments with truth,” learning from those that fail as well as those that workUnderstand that the doors that close behind you can offer as much guidance as those that open upGain inspiration and resolve from the lives of seekers who have walked this path before you Enjoy the wisdom, compassion, gentle humor and companionship of a master teacher in a beloved book that has helped hundreds of thousands of people find their way toward meaning and purpose.

How “We the People” can reclaim our democracy—updated with a discussion guide, author videos, and a new chapter-length Introduction In this updated edition of his prophetic book, renowned author and activist Parker J. Palmer celebrates the power of “We the People” to resist the politics of divide and conquer. With the U. S. now on a global list of “backsliding democracies,” Palmer writes about what we can do to restore civil discourse, reach for understanding across lines of difference, focus on our shared values, and hold elected officials accountable. He explores ways we can reweave the communal fabric on which democracy depends in everyday settings such as families, neighborhoods, classrooms, congregations, workplaces, and various public spaces—including five “habits of the heart” we can cultivate as we work to fulfill America's promise of human equality. In the same honest, vulnerable, compelling and inspiring prose that has won Palmer millions of readers, Healing the Heart of Democracy awakens our instinct to seek the common good and gives us the tools to pursue it. With a text enhanced by a Discussion Guide and forty online author videos on key issues, you'll be able to… Reflect on the personal implications of the claim that “the human heart is the first home of democracy”Consider everyday actions you can take to restore the infrastructure that supports our democracyTranscend the “us vs. them” mentality and find ways to expand and enrich your life by appreciating the value of “otherness”Reignite your sense of personal voice and agency to resist authoritarian appeals and restore a politics of freedom and responsibility Healing the Heart of Democracy is for anyone who values the gift of citizenship and wants to make a difference for themselves, their families and communities, and our collective wellbeing. As the late Congressman John Lewis said, “We have been trying to bridge the great divides in this great country for a long time. In this book, Parker J. Palmer urges us to ‘keep on walking, keep on talking’—just as we did in the civil rights movement—until we cross those bridges together.”

In this visual interpretation of a classic work, Sherrill Knezel brings Parker J. Palmer's bestselling book Let Your Life Speak to life. With more than seventy heartfelt images to go along with excerpts from Palmer, Heart Speak pairs these images with brief personal reflections. Readers are invited to explore and embrace both their own limits and potential, as they listen to their inner voice, and courageously following its lead. "I'm very excited about the way Sherrill has used her gifts of art and insight to interpret and express some of the key ideas in Let Your Life Speak," Palmer writes in the preface. "Clearly, images speak to a wider range of people than words alone, and are helpful even to 'word people' like me. Think of traffic signs that feature an upturned palm that clearly says 'Stop!,' or a snake-like line that says, 'Caution, sharp turns ahead!' Images incarnate words, making them not only more accessible but more actionable as well. Images instantly deliver a message: 'Here's something you need to know to negotiate the road you're on.'" Whether the words of Let Your Life Speak are familiar signposts on the roads you have traveled or they are new to you, you will enjoy this opportunity for reflection and discernment in regard to your life, community, and calling.

Drawing on eight decades of life - and his career as a writer, teacher, and activist - Palmer explores the questions age raises and the promises it holds. ''''Old, '''' he writes, ''''is just another word for nothing left to lose, a time to dive deep into life, not withdraw to the shallows.'''' But this book is not for elders only. It was written to encourage adults of all ages to explore the way their lives are unfolding. It's not a how-to-do-it book on aging, but a set of meditations in prose and poetry that turn the prism on the meaning(s) of one's life, refracting new light at every turn. From beginning to end, the book is laced with humor as well as gravitas - beautifully enhanced by three free downloadable songs from the gifted singer-songwriter Carrie Newcomer, written in response to themes in the book.

From beloved and bestselling author Parker J. Palmer (Let Your Life Speak, The Courage to Teach, Healing the Heart of Democracy), comes a beautiful book of reflections on what we can learn as we move closer to "the brink of everything." Drawing on eight decades of life -- and his career as a writer, teacher, and activist -- Palmer explores the questions age raises and the promises it holds. "Old," he writes, "is just another word for nothing left to lose, a time to dive deep into life, not withdraw to the shallows." But this book is not for elders only. It was written to encourage adults of all ages to explore the way their lives are unfolding. It's not a how-to-do-it book on aging, but a set of meditations in prose and poetry that turn the prism on the meaning(s) of one's life, refracting new light at every turn. From beginning to end, the book is laced with humor as well as gravitas -- beautifully enhanced by three free downloadable songs from the gifted singer-songwriter Carrie Newcomer, written in response to themes in the book.

Wisdom that's been inspiring, motivating, and guiding teachers for two decades The Courage to Teach speaks to the joys and pains that teachers of every sort know well. Over the last 20 years, the book has helped countless educators reignite their passion, redirect their practice, and deal with the many pressures that accompany their vital work. Enriched by a new Foreword from Diana Chapman Walsh, the book builds on a simple premise: good teaching can never be reduced to technique. Good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher, that core of self where intellect, emotion, and spirit converge—enabling 'live encounters' between teachers, students, and subjects that are the key to deep and lasting learning. Good teachers love learners, learning, and the teaching life in a way that builds trust with students and colleagues, animates their daily practice, and keeps them coming back tomorrow. Reclaim your own vision and purpose against the threat of burn-outUnderstand why good teaching cannot be reduced to technique aloneExplore and practice the relational traits that good teachers have in commonLearn how to forge learning connections with your students and "teach across the gap" Whether used for personal study, book club exploration, or professional development, The Courage to Teach is rich with time-honored wisdom, and contemporary clarity about the ancient arts of teaching and learning.

20th ANNIVERSARY EDITION The Courage to Teach Guide for Reflection & Renewal is a helpful companion to Parker J. Palmer's classic work on restoring identity and integrity to professional life. A superb resource for those who wish to extend their exploration of the ideas in The Courage to Teach, as individuals or part of a study group, the Guide provides practical ways to create "safe space" for honest reflection and probing conversations and offers chapter-by-chapter questions and exercises to further explore the many insights in The Courage to Teach. The bonus online content includes a 70-minute interview with Parker Palmer, in which Palmer reflects on a wide range of subjects including the heart of the teacher, the crisis in education, diverse ways of knowing, relationships in teaching and learning, approaches to institutional transformation, and teachers as "culture heroes." Discussion questions related to the topics explored in the interview have been integrated into the Guide, giving individuals and study groups a chance to have "a conversation with the author" as well as an engagement with the text.

A call to advance integrative teaching and learning in higher education. From Parker Palmer, best-selling author of The Courage to Teach, and Arthur Zajonc, professor of physics at Amherst College and director of the academic program of the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society, comes this call to revisit the roots and reclaim the vision of higher education. The Heart of Higher Education proposes an approach to teaching and learning that honors the whole human being—mind, heart, and spirit—an essential integration if we hope to address the complex issues of our time. The book offers a rich interplay of analysis, theory, and proposals for action from two educators and writers who have contributed to developing the field of integrative education over the past few decades. Presents Parker Palmer’s powerful response to critics of holistic learning and Arthur Zajonc’s elucidation of the relationship between science, the humanities, and the contemplative traditions Explores ways to take steps toward making colleges and universities places that awaken the deepest potential in students, faculty, and staff Offers a practical approach to fostering renewal in higher education through collegiality and conversation The Heart of Higher Education is for all who are new to the field of holistic education, all who want to deepen their understanding of its challenges, and all who want to practice and promote this vital approach to teaching and learning on their campuses.

In this honest and compelling meditation, Parker Palmer reflects upon vocation, spirit, and the life journey with a depth of insight that will touch anyone who yearns for an authentic way of standing and serving in the world. Finding one's calling is not just about finding something we can do--it is about finding what we can't not do. "Let your life speak" is a time-honored Quaker admonition to live one's life as witness to the deepest truths one knows. But as Palmer explains, those words can also mean "listen to your life, and let it tell you what your truth is." Vocation, he writes, comes not from external demands but from listening to the "true self," a listening that will always call us into some form of service to others. As Palmer's many readers know, his writing has always been grounded in his own life experience; here he speaks even more vulnerably of his own times of being lost in the dark--as well as moments of stumbling into the light--in his own quest for vocation. Though the details of his journey are singular, he draws from it that which is universal. The result is a moving and illuminating book for anyone who seeks not just a job but a calling and companionship along the way.

WISE STORIES TO HONOR AND ENCOURAGE THE HEARTS OF TEACHERS "A heartwarming collection of essays about the doubts, passions, insecurities, and life-changing moments of teachers." -American School Board Journal "Our history books are filled with examples of the efforts of committed education employees who helped to make this country what it is today. Stories of the Courage to Teach challenges today's teachers to see themselves not only as school employees, dedicated to serving children, but as leaders in their schools and communities." -Bob Chase, president, National Education Association "It's the worst-kept secret in education: the passionate and talented teacher makes more of a difference than any school policy. Yet for all the ink spilled over school reform, little gets written about what makes a great teacher tick. Stories of the Courage to Teach . . . [by Sam Intrator] bucks this trend by looking into the hearts of twenty-five effective teachers, knitting together their first-person narratives with his own ideas about great teaching." -New York Times "The teachers featured in this anthology have all, at various junctures, been on the verge of exhaustion, and the book is, in many ways, a sustained meditation on how they've sought to regain their emotional and spiritual strength." -Teacher Magazine "Stories of the Courage to Teach . . . honors teachers who struggle to rekindle their passion for teaching." -Christian Science Monitor

This primer on authentic education explores how mind and heart can work together in the learning process. Moving beyond the bankruptcy of our current model of education, Parker Palmer finds the soul of education through a lifelong cultivation of the wisdom each of us possesses and can share to benefit others.

Addresses Christians who wish to renew and live their faith within the context of public life yet without imposing moralistic views on others through the use of organized political power