Banyen Books ~ Branches of Wisdom

Bob McDonald, Canadian icon and host of CBC Radio’s Quirks and Quarks, discusses his book, Just Say Yes: A Memoir. Bob McDonald has been the host of CBC Radio’s Quirks and Quarks since 1992. He is a regular science commentator on CBC News Network and science correspondent for CBC TV’s The National. He has been honoured with the 2001 Michael Smith Award for science promotion from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, as well as the 2002 Sandford Fleming Medal from the Royal Canadian Institute for Science, and the 2005 McNeil Medal for the public awareness of science from the Royal Society of Canada. In November 2011, McDonald was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. He is the recipient of thirteen honorary doctorates . In 2014, asteroid 332324 was officially named bobmcdonald.

Paulina Stevens & Jezmina Von Thiele, cohosts of the Romanistan podcast, join Banyen for a discussion of their book, Secrets of Romani Fortune-Telling: Divining with Tarot, Palmistry, Tea Leaves, and More. Jezmina Von Thiele (they/she) is a writer, educator, performer, and fortune-teller in their mixed Sinti Romani tradition. Their work has been published in Prairie Schooner, The Kenyon Review Online, and Narrative Magazine under the name Jessica Reidy. Jezmina reads tarot, palms, and tea leaves online and at Deadwicks Ethereal Emporium in Portsmouth, NH. They also teach classes on divination, spiritual wellness, and the creative arts, and perform poetry with The Poetry Brothel in Boston. Jezmina cohosts Romanistan, a podcast celebrating Romani culture, and runs the Etsy shop Evil Eye Edit. They are based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Paulina Stevens grew up in an insular Romani-American family, destined to leave school, marry young, and become a fortune-teller. By age seventeen, her fate was sealed—until she decided to leave it all behind. Paulina is the subject of the podcast Foretold. Hosted by Los Angeles Times reporter Faith Pinho, the podcast follows Paulina as she navigates the consequences of her decision to leave her community and redefine her identity. The cohost of Romanistan, a podcast celebrating Romani culture, Paulina is based in Los Angeles.

Martín Prechtel joins Banyen Books for a rare audio interview (part 4 of 4) on his book, The Canyon Wren. Martín Prechtel is widely recognized as a profound and beloved teacher for our times. Raised in the Tzutujil Maya shamanic tradition, he has dedicated his life to the preservation and promulgation of indigenous spirituality. Sharing his deep shamanic wisdom within a grand overview of human history, Prechtel shows us how we can reconnect with the unique and unsuspected manifestations of our own sacred selves. He is the author of several contemporary classics, including The Smell of Rain on Dust and Secrets of the Talking Jaguar. His work has been highly praised by the likes of Clarissa Pinkola Éstes, Coleman Barks, and Mary Oliver.

Banyen Books speaks with Red Hawk on his new collection of poetry, Book of Lamentations. Red Hawk shares profound insights into his spiritual journey, the role of poetry as a vehicle for expression, and reflections on authentic spiritual leadership. He delves into the impact of technology on human connection and discusses the importance of nature and humility.

Nedra Glover Tawwab, New York Times bestselling author of Set Boundaries, Find Peace and Drama Free: A Guide to Managing Unhealthy Family Relationships, joins Banyen Books for an engaging discussion on her book, Consider This: Reflections for Finding Peace. Nedra Glover Tawwab, MSW, LCSW, is the author of New York Times bestsellers Drama Free and Set Boundaries, Find Peace. A licensed therapist and sought-after relationship expert, Nedra has appeared on Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, The Breakfast Club, and many other media outlets, and her work has been highlighted in The New York Times, The Guardian, and Vice. She hosts the podcast You Need to Hear This, and shares practices and reflections for mental health on her popular Instagram account. Nedra currently resides in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her family.

Gary Gach and Ari Honarvar, authors of Hafiz's Little Book of Life and A Girl Called Rumi, share the wisdom and poetry of Rumi and Hafiz. Gary Gach is an author, translator, editor, and Zen teacher. His work has appeared in such publications as The Atlantic, The New Yorker and Yoga Journal, and has been translated into many languages. Lay ordained in the lineage of Thich Nhat Hanh, he teaches Zen Buddhism at the University of San Francisco and hosts the Zen Mindfulness Fellowship. Gach is the author of acclaimed titles such as The Complete Idiot's Guide to Buddhism (Nautilus Award) and editor of What Book!? Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop (American Book Award). Ari Honarvar is the founder of Rumi with a View, dedicated to building music and poetry bridges across war-torn borders. As a Musical Ambassador of Peace, she hosts weekly dance sessions with refugees and asylum seekers on both sides of the US-Mexico border. Her words have appeared in The Guardian, Teen Vogue, Vice, Washington Post, Newsweek, and elsewhere. She is the author of Rumi's Gift and A Girl Called Rumi.

Christopher Germer, PhD, and Kristin Neff, PhD, join Banyen in conversation about their powerful book, Mindful Self-Compassion for Burnout: Tools to Help You Heal and Recharge When You're Wrung Out by Stress. Kristin Neff, PhD, is Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin and a pioneer in the field of self-compassion research. She has been recognized as one of the most influential researchers in psychology worldwide. Her books with Christopher Germer include The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook, Mindful Self-Compassion for Burnout and Teaching the Mindful Self-Compassion Program. Dr. Neff is also the author of Self-Compassion and Fierce Self-Compassion. Along with Christopher Germer, Dr. Neff developed the empirically supported Mindful Self-Compassion program and founded the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion. Christopher Germer, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and Lecturer on Psychiatry (part-time) at Harvard Medical School. His books with Kristin Neff include The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook and Mindful Self-Compassion for Burnout (for the general public) and Teaching the Mindful Self-Compassion Program (for professionals). Dr. Germer is also author of The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion and coeditor of Mindfulness and Psychotherapy and Wisdom and Compassion in Psychotherapy. He lectures and leads workshops internationally, and has a small psychotherapy practice in Massachusetts.

Anne Michaels, bestselling award-winning author of Fugitive Pieces and The Winter Vault, speaks on her mysterious and breathtaking new novel, Held. Anne Michaels is a world-renowned novelist and poet. Her books are translated into more than fifty languages and have won dozens of international awards, including the Orange Prize, the Guardian Fiction Prize, and the Lannan Award for Fiction. Among many other honours she is a Guggenheim Fellow, has received honorary degrees, and has served as Toronto’s Poet Laureate. Her novel Fugitive Pieces was adapted as a feature film. Her most recent books include All We Saw, Infinite Gradation, and Railtracks (co-written with John Berger). In 2020, her novel Fugitive Pieces was chosen as one of the BBC’s 100 Novels that Shaped the World.

Sophie Grégoire Trudeau joins Banyen Books for an discussion on her book, Closer Together: Knowing Ourselves, Loving Each Other. Sophie Grégoire Trudeau is a mental health advocate, public speaker, and mentor. Over the past twenty years, she has been an ambassador and champion for youth self-esteem, gender equality, emotional literacy, and physical activity. Sophie has received UN recognition awards for her humanitarian work and was named the first National Volunteer for the Canadian Mental Health Association in 2022. She also serves as Youth Leadership Global Ambassador for Plan International Canada. A mother of three, Sophie is a certified yoga instructor and an adventurous outdoor sportswoman.

Donna Eden and David Feinstein, PhD, co-authors of the New York Times bestseller Energy Medicine, join Banyen Books for a discussion on Tapping: Self-Healing with the Transformative Power of Energy Psychology. Donna Eden is the author of Energy Medicine. One of the world's most sought after experts on Energy Medicine, she has treated over 10,000 individual clients and has taught hundreds of classes to standing-room-only audiences worldwide. Able from childhood to perceive the body's subtle energies, she works with those energies to heal others and to teach others how to work with them. David Feinstein, PhD, a clinical psychologist, has served on the faculty of The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and has received nine national awards for his books on consciousness and healing.