Joanna Macy

Eco-philosopher Joanna Macy, Ph.D., is a scholar of Buddhism, general systems theory, and deep ecology. A respected voice in movements for peace, justice, and ecology, she interweaves her scholarship with four decades of activism. She has created a ground-breaking theoretical framework for personal and social change, as well as a powerful workshop methodology for its application.

Her wide-ranging work addresses psychological and spiritual issues of the nuclear age, the cultivation of ecological awareness, and the fruitful resonance between Buddhist thought and contemporary science. The many dimensions of this work are explored in her books Despair and Personal Power in the Nuclear Age (New Society Publishers, 1983); Dharma and Development (Kumarian Press, 1985); Thinking Like a Mountain (with John Seed, Pat Fleming, and Arne Naess; New Society Publishers, 1988; New Society/ New Catalyst, 2007); Mutual Causality in Buddhism and General Systems Theory (SUNY Press, 1991); Rilke's Book of Hours (1996, 2005) and In Praise of Mortality (2004) (with Anita Barrows, Riverhead); Coming Back to Life: Practices to Reconnect Our Lives, Our World (with Molly Young Brown, New Society Publishers, 1998); Joanna's memoir entitled Widening Circles (New Society, 2000); and World as Lover, World as Self (Parallax Press, 2007), A Year With Rilke, Harper One.

Many thousands of people around the world have participated in Joanna's workshops and trainings. Her group methods, known as the Work That Reconnects, have been adopted and adapted yet more widely in classrooms, churches, and grassroots organizing. Her work helps people transform despair and apathy, in the face of overwhelming social and ecological crises, into constructive, collaborative action. It brings a new way of seeing the world, as our larger living body, freeing us from the assumptions and attitudes that now threaten the continuity of life on Earth.

Joanna travels widely giving lectures, workshops, and trainings in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australia. She lives in Berkeley, California, near her children and grandchildren.

VIDEO UNAVAILABLE AT THIS TIME. COMING BACK SOON! [Joanna on video for the Pachamama Alliance. Interviewed by Lynne Twist, Northcutt Productions]

Guidelines for Submissions

For fairness and ease, we have set the following requirements for submission. It is possible for you to submit more than one style of entry.

Your submission should include:

1. A brief biography, including your experience of TWTR and related group facilitation. (maximum 50 words)
2. A brief description of the origins and uses of the piece, naming any sources, publishers, etc. (maximum 100 words)
3. Each person may submit up to 10 pages, at a total of 300 words per page for stories and writings, and 36 lines per page for poems or songs. Essays or a thesis are not invited, so please keep the writing succinct. We also welcome photos and illustrations. To keeps costs reasonable, we will not be printing in full colour.

Format

There are two ways to submit your work. You may fill out the submissions form online. You may also send documents to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . If you choose to send via email, please send as an attachment in an .RTF or .DOC file.

All photos and illustrations must be high resolution and saved in a .JPEG or .TIFF format.

If it is necessary to send your submission through the post, please mail to:

In US:
Emily Ryan, 1123 A 65 Street, Oakland, CA 94608

In UK:
Pat Fleming, Oak Cottage, Poundsgate, Newton Abbot TQ13 7NU