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.
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.
Mark has written several books:
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.”
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.
Deepening the American Dream: Reflections on the Inner Life and Spirit of Democracy
Acre of Light (also 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.
Mark taught at the State University of New York at Albany for eighteen years. In addition to his extensive engagements (including giving readings, lectures, and retreats), Mark serves as a Program Officer for the Fetzer Institute in Kalamazoo, Michigan, a nonprofit foundation devoted to fostering awareness of the power of love and forgiveness in the emerging global community.
Listen to Mark in conversation with Brooke in April 2010: