Contributors: July/August

Kelly Boys has the kind of presence that keeps her calm, comfortable, and safe while teaching meditation and emotional intelligence to murderers in San Quentin. She also teaches tech workers, humanitarian workers, and psychotherapists. She directed facilitator training for the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute, based on Google’s emotional intelligence and mindfulness program, and launched a Peace on Purpose program for the United Nations Foundation. Her new book is The Blind Spot Effect. Learn how to stop missing what’s right in front of you. kellyboys.org

Sandra Dieckmann is our featured artist (and author) whose work is “deeply inspired by all that's weird and wonderful in nature, drifting thoughts and dreams.” Born in the north of Germany and living in East London, Sandra is best known for her colorful and patterned, often intricate renderings. She works in a multitude of media, from pencil and paint to digital and clay. Her new picture book, The Dog That Ate the World, is being published this summer by Flying Eye Books. sandradieckmann.com

Stephanie Ludwig PhD is an avid trail runner who wrote her doctoral dissertation working with other women for whom trail running becomes a spiritual practice. She serves as the Director of Spiritual Wellness for Canyon Ranch Wellness Resort in Tucson and has over 20 years of professional experience as a spiritual guide and retreat leader, educational program director, college instructor, and crisis counselor. Stephanie founded Girls on the Run to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy, and confident. Read her story of “Running into Faith.”

Jan Phillips is a writer, photographer, and activist who connects the dots between creativity, spiritual intelligence, and social action. She is the author of 10 books, including Finding the On-Ramp to Your Spiritual Path, which won an S&H Best Spiritual Books of 2015 Award. Jan also facilitates workshops on evolutionary spirituality throughout the U.S. and Canada. Read about a miraculous workshop that became a “vacation from God.” janphillips.com

Parker J. Palmer PhD is a beloved writer, speaker, and activist who focuses on issues in education, community, leadership, spirituality, and social change. He has inspired millions worldwide through his ten books, including Let Your Life Speak, The Courage to Teach, A Hidden Wholeness, and Healing the Heart of Democracy. The founder and senior partner emeritus of the Center for Courage & Renewal, he has just written On the Brink of Everything. Learn about the surprising path to happiness.

Kazuaki Tanahashi is an artist, Buddhist scholar, and peace worker—the founding director of A World Without Armies as well as a Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science. Born in Japan in 1933, he moved to the U.S. in 1977 to be a scholar in residence at the San Francisco Zen Center. While translating Zen master Dogen’s writings, he developed the genre of one-stroke painting. A dream “and a once-in-a-lifetime joke” was to create an entire exhibition in a single stroke. brushmind.net