In this episode Carrie and Parker continue their conversation about creativity and the undivided life, writing from the "margins", following a call to and beyond the growing edge, and the red threads that run through Parker's work over the past 50 years. This podcast also features one of Parker's poems, "The Poem I Would Have Writ."

Join the host in a deep conversation with Parker J. Palmer about vocational clarity, self-discovery, and the value of community. Explore the importance of solitude, reflection, and embracing the wild spark within us. Gain insights on aligning with life's rhythm and daily discernment for personal growth.

Writer, speaker, and activist Parker J. Palmer discusses his journey of listening to life, prioritizing authenticity over nobility, and finding clarity through silence. He shares experiences of depression, embracing limitations, and the transformative power of solitude. The episode delves into themes of vocation, self-discovery, and living a good life through gratitude and generosity.

We’re increasingly attentive to the many faces of depression and anxiety, and we’re fluent in the languages of psychology and medication. But depression is profound spiritual territory; and that is much harder to speak about. This is an On Being classic. Krista opens up about her own experience of depression and talks with Parker Palmer, Anita Barrows, and Andrew Solomon. We are putting this out on the air again because people tell us it has saved lives, and so many of us are struggling in whole new ways right now.Andrew Solomon is a journalist and writer of epic books, including the Pulitzer Prize finalist  The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression, and Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity.Anita Barrows is a psychologist, poet and translator. Her most recent poetry collection is We are the Hunger. She has translated several volumes of the writings of Rainer Maria Rilke together with  Joanna Macy, including Rilke's Book of Hours: Love Poems to God.Parker J. Palmer is a teacher, author, and founder and senior partner emeritus of the Center for Courage & Renewal. His many books include Healing the Heart of Democracy, Let Your Life Speak, and On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity, and Getting Old. Find the transcript for this show at onbeing.orgThis show originally aired January 17, 2003

A companion conversation to Parker Palmer’s reflections in this week’s On Being, about the soul in depression. Krista catches up with her friend and teacher in 2021. Plus, Parker learns to use QuickTime.Parker J. Palmer is a teacher, author, and founder and senior partner emeritus of the Center for Courage & Renewal. His many books include Healing the Heart of Democracy, Let Your Life Speak, and On the Brink of Everything. He’s also a contributor to the book, Anchored in the Current: Discovering Howard Thurman as Educator, Activist, Guide, and Prophet.