On one hand, as fast as time seems to be moving these days, it’s hard to believe that the New World Now podcast recently celebrated its first anniversary. On the other hand, when I think about the political mayhem, the tragic natural disasters, and the senseless acts of terrorism that have occurred in the same time period, the past year feels like it has lasted a lifetime. 

The first episode of New World Now aired one month and one day before the presidential election. Little did I realize the extent to which our cultural stakes were about to change, and just how imperative my intention for the podcast — to bring forward practical tools we can all use to be more mindful and present in our daily lives — was about to become. 

Author Kidada Jones is teaching young girls how to discover their authentic power with her new book, School of Awake: A Girl’s Guide to the Universe. With original, full-color art, it’s chock-full of easy-to-make recipes, arts and crafts projects, and affirmations — it’s an interactive curriculum for girls to find more self-confidence, mindfulness, and healthy emotional expression. In Kidada’s words, “It’s the book I have wanted to write since I was 9 years old and the one I wish I had had as a tween. It’s the school girls need!”

School of Awake was recently featured on Super Soul Sunday on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) in a “Super Soul Original Short” immediately following an in-depth interview with another New World Library author, Eckhart Tolle, author of the groundbreaking book The Power of Now. You can watch Oprah’s interview with Eckhart, followed by the School of Awake film, here. Just log in with your preferred TV provider. 

Drawing on her wide experience studying spiritual teachings from around the world, Opening to Meditation author Diana Lang teaches a gentle, guided approach to meditation that is very easy to implement. In this inspiring interview with host Kim Corbin, Diana reminds us that meditating is as simple as breathing, and she explains how it can reconnect us with our foundational essence of soul and self, where peace and centeredness are always available.

Every November, thousands of writers participate in National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, during which they aim to complete a 50,000-word first draft of a novel in 30 days. With this year’s NaNoWriMo quickly approaching, we wanted to share an excerpt from Story Sparks: Finding Your Best Story Ideas and Turning Them into Compelling Fiction by author Denise Jaden as inspiration for those who are participating. Practical and inspiring, Jaden’s approach celebrates the imaginative sparks that make innovations of all kinds possible while pinpointing the precise tools writers need to fan their unique creative flames.

Writing teacher and author of The Story You Need to Tell: Writing to Heal from Trauma, Illness, or Loss Sandra Marinella, MA, MEd, has presented hundreds of workshops to veterans, educators, and cancer patients. In this inspiring conversation about the transformational power of expressive writing, Sandra offers dynamic methods we can use to understand, tell, and edit our personal stories in ways that foster resilience and renewal. She also shares her own experience of using journaling and expressive writing to navigate the dark nights of her soul, including breast cancer, postpartum depression, and more.

I first heard of Dogen when I was 19 or 20 years old. I am 53 now. So I’ve been acquainted with Dogen for most of my life. Dogen was a Japanese Buddhist monk and writer who lived around 800 years ago, from the year 1200 to 1254. He was barely older than I am now when he died. 

When I first heard of Dogen, I assumed I was a latecomer. I figured that the people of Japan had read and studied Dogen’s philosophy for the past 800 years. I assumed that Dogen’s ideas were part of Japan’s national philosophical identity.