Teachers » Mark Nepo
Mark Nepo’s body of work explores leaning into life and holding nothing back. Mark is a poet and philosopher who has taught in the fields of poetry and spirituality for over thirty years, and taught at the State University of New York at Albany for eighteen years. Mark is currently available for speaking engagements (including giving readings, keynotes, lectures, workshops, and retreats).
In 1987, Mark was diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma. The heart of that journey and its aftermath has greatly informed his work. Of his journey since then, he says, “What I have had to face are the great ordinary things that all of us have to face: the prospect of dying without having truly lived, and the prospect of living without having truly loved. And the joy of discovering this with others.” As a result, Mark is committed to the usefulness of daily inner life. Through writing and teaching, he remains devoted to the life of inner transformation and relationship.
Mark’s work is deep yet accessible because his wisdom is that of one whose close brush with death has enabled a rich understanding of the power of the human Soul. He does not discount our flaws, our failings, our human weaknesses. On the contrary, his great tenderness for our imperfections is precisely what makes his readers feel so held—both in our human capacity and in our interconnectedness with one another.
In 2010, Mark’s The Book of Awakening was chosen by Oprah for her Ultimate Favorite Things show. “Mark Nepo is a poet,” Oprah said. “He’s an author and a philosopher and has been through two different cancers. So when he writes, he writes purely from the heart.”
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.
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NEW FROM MARK NEPO
As Far As the Heart Can See: Stories to Illuminate the Soul
HCI Books
ISBN: 9780757315718
Pub Date: 09/01/2011
264 pages
$15.95 US
Order from an online bookseller:
Amazon
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Stories carry the seeds of our humanness. They help us, teach us, heal us, and connect us to what matters. As Far As the Heart Can See is an invitation to be in relationship with deep and life-giving material. Many spiritual gurus present dense metaphysical theses with an intellectual approach for “working” a spiritual path; poet and philosopher Mark Nepo reaches people through their hearts, bringing something fresh and new to the field by stimulating change through reflection of thoughts and feelings. The stories he shares in As Far As the Heart Can See come from many places-from Nepo’s personal history to dreams to the myths of our ancestors. Each one is an invitation to awaken an aspect of living in relationship with the sacred.
Advance praise for As Far as the Heart Can See
“Mark Nepo appeared on a different list recently-the bestsellers list-thanks to, who else, Oprah Winfrey, who liked an earlier book (The Book of Awakening) by the poet-philosopher. As Far as the Heart Can See: Stories to Illuminate the Soul is Nepo’s newest, and the author, a cancer survivor who has been teaching and writing for decades, has always had fans.”
—Publishers Weekly
“This book is like a door that opens only one way. When you open it, you become more than you were, and there is no going back. These stories will free you to move closer to your own dream of yourself and live more authentically, more joyfully, and more passionately than before. More than just a book, As Far As the Heart Can See is an exquisitely written invitation to live your real life.”
–Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D., author of Kitchen Table Wisdom and My Grandfather’s Blessings
“As Far as the Heart Can See is a tonic for the spirit, a series of revelations by way of a series of far-ranging stories as told by Mark Nepo, as only he can tell them: heartfully, honestly, and humbly. Read this book and see how much farther you can see.”
—Phil Cousineau, author of The Art of Pilgrimage and The Oldest Story in the World
“What happens when a poet writes a book of stories about how to live, how to love, how to heal and grow and find our distinct purpose? Here’s what happened for me when I read Mark Nepo’s As Far As the Heart Can See: Each word became a stepping stone on a path through the woods. And not only that: a host of helpers, teachers, cheerleaders, and friends popped off the pages of this charming and wise book to lead me out of the stuck places and into freedom.”
—Elizabeth Lesser, cofounder of Omega Institute and author of Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow
“As Far As the Heart Can See is filled with stories and guided reflections that not only make us think about life but feel more connected to it. This book can help you access your inner wisdom and caring heart.”
—James Baraz, coauthor of Awakening Joy: 10 Steps That Will Put You on the Road to Real Happiness and cofounder of Spirit Rock Meditation Center.
“Part poetry, part spiritual narrative, As Far as the Heart Can See offers us a grounded experience of life seen through a spiritual lens. Mark Nepo invites us into a sheesh mahal—a palace of mirrors—where the soul sits on its immortal throne, sparkling like the Kohinoor diamond. Each narrative touches a unique facet of life and draws the reader into reflection—oh soul, look into the mirror of your heart and see with love. See the whole being, the visible and the invisible; the image and the reality; the shadow and the light. This precious book places truth in the core of the heart and shows how pure feelings set it free.”
—Gayatri Naraine, author of Something Beyond Greatness
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Listen to Mark Nepo in conversation with Oprah on her Soul Series radio program.
WATCH MARK TALK ABOUT THE BOOK OF AWAKENING
Mark talks about The Book of Awakening from Brooke Warner on Vimeo.
WATCH MARK ON GOOD MORNING AMERICA (January 13, 2011)
LISTEN TO MARK IN CONVERSATION WITH BROOKE IN APRIL 2010
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MARK’S BOOKS INCLUDE
The Book of Awakening
This book was a finalist for the 2000 Books for a Better Life Award and was cited by Spirituality & Health Magazine as one of the Best Spiritual Books of 2000. The Book of Awakening hit #1 on The New York Times bestseller list in January 2011.
Facing the Lion, Being the Lion: Finding Inner Courage Where It Lives
The Exquisite Risk
This book was cited as one of the Best Spiritual Books of 2005 by Spirituality & Health Magazine, which called it “one of the best books we’ve ever read on what it takes to live an authentic life.”
Deepening the American Dream: Reflections on the Inner Life and Spirit of Democracy
Acre of Light (now out of print) is available as an audiotape from Parabola under the title “Inside the Miracle”)
God, the Maker of the Bed, and the Painter
Mark’s work has been translated into French, Portuguese, Japanese, and Danish.
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