Two weeks ago, NWL Senior Graphic Designer Tracy Cunningham and I attended a talk with Joanna Macy, renowned environmental activist, Buddhist, and future New World Library author.

Tracy and I had both read Joanna’s memoir, Widening Circles, and after listening to a recording of her speaking with Bill Plotkin, we knew she was an incredibly moving and inspiring speaker. As the event’s organizer and co-speaker, Jonathan Gustin, remarked, some people can transmit their life’s purpose simply through their presence; Joanna Macy is definitely one of those people. She has a powerful aura of joy, deep caring, and immense love for the world.

I vividly remember the late sixties and early seventies. We knew we were changing the world; it was obvious to nearly everyone, except for the completely oblivious. A vision of new ways of relating to each other was emerging on a global scale, and the world would never be the same.

The women of New World Library got together and held a clothing swap this week. Everyone took advice from our book Clutter Busting by Brooks Palmer and let go of clothes, shoes, and accessories we no longer wanted — the lightly-worn too-big, too-small, unflattering, no-longer-appealing stuff, and even a few brand-new items we either received as gifts or bought on a whim and later realized just didn’t work. According to Palmer, “Clothing represents different emotional periods of your life. If you keep a lot of things you don’t wear, your clothes closet has become a photo from your past.” So we took those words to heart and did some clutter busting of our own.

I love a good road trip — especially when it affords me a chance to spend a weekend connecting with book lovers (and spending time with my family after the show). My recent trip to staff the New World Library booth at the LA Times Festival of Books was, in a word, fabulous! What’s not to love about a beautiful weekend on the UCLA campus connecting directly with our readers?