Drinking from the river of light: the life of expression

2 september 2019

From #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of The Book of Awakening

Written by Mark Nepo

drinking from the river of light
the life of expression
by Mark Nepo
on sale September 3, 2019 / Sounds True paperback original

For more information, or to purchase the book, click the cover!

“Mark Nepo will guide you to the very source of your own creative spirit and inspire you to inhabit, trust, and express its radiance. This beautiful book is a gift on the journey of awakening.”
—Tara Brach, author of Radical Acceptance and True Refuge

“Meaningful art, enduring art—and the transformative process it awakens—keeps us alive,” writes Mark Nepo. With DRINKING FROM THE RIVER OF LIGHT: The Light of Expression (on sale 9/3/19), this bestselling poet and philosopher leads audiences on a journey to discover just how art and creative expression can bring our deepest truths to bear in the world.

In his 21st book, Drinking from the River of Light, Mark Nepo, the acclaimed poet-teacher, and New York Times #1 bestselling author of The Book of Awakening, presents the art and practice of our creativity as a means to unfold our spiritual growth. In this collection of interconnected essays and poetry—covering subjects ranging from the importance of staying in conversation with other forms of life to a consideration of how innovators such as Matisse, Rodin, and Beethoven saw the world—Nepo presents a lyrical ode to the artistic urge that stirs in each of us. Including dozens of journaling prompts and personal exercises meant to enliven the reader’s creative instincts, Drinking from the River of Light traces the search for our most essential selves and the importance of art in bearing witness to the sorrow, depth, and joy of life.

Whether we consider ourselves artists or not, Nepo explores how the deeper we go into the creative process, the more attuned we become, and the more we join with everything around us. Whether your writing is published or not, your music is recorded or not, your art is in a gallery or not, or your garden is given a prize or not—inhabiting a personal life of expression is its own reward, by which we strengthen our connections and find our way. Filled with stories and exercises intended to introduce readers to the skills of vision, perception, feeling, and articulation, Drinking from the River of Light is a culmination of all Nepo’s years of writing and teaching regarding the deeper creative process.

What Others are Saying about “Drinking from the river of light”

“I love all of Mark Nepo’s books, but this one is especially beautiful, luminous, wise, and helpful—a river of light for the thirsty traveler. We need beacons of light to guide us through these times. Mark offers a river.”
—Elizabeth Lesser, cofounder of the Omega Institute and author of The Seeker’s Guide, Broken Open, and Marrow

“In Drinking from the River of Light, Mark Nepo’s words land like dew on a thirsty leaf. I couldn’t put it down and drank in every word of it.”
—Zainab Salbi, author of Freedom Is an Inside Job

“Hundreds of thousands of readers, including me, have found new life in Mark Nepo’s writing. We know that a great ‘river of light’ flows through this good man and out into artistic expression. In this heartfelt and beautiful book, Mark aims to help his readers find the river of light within themselves and learn how it wants to express itself.’ This new offering by a spiritual virtuoso of our era will help you find the way.”
—Parker J. Palmer, author of On the Brink of Everything, Healing the Heart of Democracy, and Let Your Life Speak

“Sacred seeing is an art, and creative expression is a sacrament. In Drinking from the River of Light, Mark Nepo invites us into a living encounter with the Holy, as the birthright of all humans in relationship with the wild beauty of creation. I cherish the wisdom and embrace the practices offered in this luminous book.”
—Mirabai Starr, author of Caravan of No Despair and Wild Mercy

“Mark Nepo is that rarest of literary birds: a Renaissance-style writer who dares to bring his whole hybrid self to the page—literary poet, unabashed mystic, homespun philosopher, cancer survivor, and impassioned seeker singing the glories of the world. This wonderful book is a deep dive into the universal art of self- expression, exploring how to give voice to our deepest, most original self in a world where we often feel unheard, and how to hear the voice of God in our own when we listen closely to what is inside us. Candid, rich, and consistently profound. I loved it.”
—Mark Matousek, author of Sex Death Enlightenment and When You’re Falling, Dive

About Mark Nepo

Mark Nepo is a poet and philosopher who has taught in the fields of poetry and spirituality for over 40 years. A #1 New York Times bestselling author, he has published 21 books and recorded 14 audio projects His work has been translated into 20 languages. Mark has been interviewed several times by Oprah Winfrey on her Super Soul Sunday TV program, and was interviewed by Robin Roberts for Good Morning America. Recent work includes More Together Than Alone (Atria, 2018) cited by Spirituality & Practice as one of the Best Spiritual Books of 2018; Things That Join the Sea and the Sky (Sounds True, 2017), a Nautilus Book Award Winner; and The Way Under the Way: The Place of True Meeting (Sounds True, 2016), also a Nautilus Book Award Winner.