Banyen Books ~ Branches of Wisdom

Renowned Jungian analyst James Hollis, PhD, joins Banyen for a deep conversation on the qualities that bring meaning to our human journey, and his new book A Life of Meaning. James Hollis, PhD, is a Zurich-trained Jungian Analyst practicing in Washington, D.C., and the bestselling author of 20 books including Living an Examined Life: Wisdom for the Second Half of the Journey, Hauntings: Dispelling the Ghosts Who Run Our Lives, What Matters Most: Living a More Considered Life, and Why Good People Do Bad Things: Understanding Our Darker Selves. He has served as Executive Director of the Jung Educational Center in Houston, Executive Director of the Jung Society of Washington, Senior Training Analyst for the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts, Director of Training of the Philadelphia Jung Institute, Vice-President of the Philemon Foundation, and Professor of Jungian Studies for Saybrook University of San Francisco/Houston.

Internationally renowned singer/songwriter Tara MacLean joins Banyen for a discussion on her powerful memoir Song of the Sparrow. Tara MacLean, Canadian singer/songwriter, has been an internationally renowned and award-winning recording and touring artist for over 25 years. She released her first album with the Nettwerk Music Group and Sony Music Publishing Canada in 1996. Since then, she has been signed with Capitol Records and EMI Canada with her JUNO-nominated band Shaye. She has written and recorded six solo albums and two with the band. Her first book, Song of the Sparrow, hit the Best Seller list the week it was released, and Tara quickly followed it up with “Sparrow” - the soundtrack for the book.

Bill Arnott discusses 'Gone Viking' and 'Gone Viking II', guiding us on an epic literary odyssey following history’s most feared and misunderstood voyageurs: the Vikings. Prepare yourself for an armchair adventure like no other! Bill Arnott is a songwriter, poet, and author of the bestselling travelogue 'Gone Viking: A Travel Saga' (Whistler Independent Book Awards Finalist and American Book Fest International Book Awards Finalist),' Gone Viking II: Beyond Boundaries', 'Dromomania', and 'Wonderful Magical Words'. His work has been published in literary journals in Canada, the US and UK, Europe, Asia, and Australia, and his column “Bill Arnott’s Beat” is a feature in several magazines. Bill has received awards for prose, poetry, and songwriting and is the creator of “Bill’s Artist Showcase.” For his eight-year Gone Viking expedition he was awarded a fellowship in London’s Royal Geographical Society. When not trekking the globe with a small pack and his journal, or showing off cooking skills as a culinary-school dropout, Bill can be found on Canada’s west coast, making friends and misbehaving.

Richard Rosen, renowned yoga teacher and author, discusses Yoga by the Numbers: The Sacred and Symbolic in Yoga Philosophy and Practice. Richard Rosen, one of America's most influential authors on yoga practice and philosohy, began his training in yoga in 1980 and graduated from the B.K.S Iyengar Institute in 1983. In 1987, together with Rodney Yee, he opened the Piedmont Yoga Studio in Oakland, CA, which operated until 2012. Richard is a contributing editor at Yoga Journal magazine, to which he has contributed countless articles and columns over the pst quarter century. He serves as the President of the board of directors fo the Yoga Dana Foundation. He is the author of five influential books, four of them published by Shambhala: The Yoga of Breath, Pranayama: Beyond the Fundamentals, Original Yoga, Yoga FAQ, and Yoga by the Numbers

Neale Donald Walsch, bestselling author of the Conversations with God series, discusses his book The God Solution: The Power of Pure Love. Neale Donald Walsch has written 39 books on contemporary spirituality and its practical application in everyday life. Seven of the nine books in his Conversations with God series have made the New York Times Bestseller list, with Book One remaining on that list for 134 weeks. His titles have been translated into 37 languages. He is the creator of CWG Connect, a global online platform connecting people who wish to more deeply explore the messages in the CWG body of work. His latest book is The God Solution.

Dr. Deborah MacNamara discusses her new book, Nourished, which shines a light on the relationship between food and developmental attachment. Dr. MacNamara is joined in conversation with Maria LeRose. Dr. Deborah MacNamara is a clinical counsellor and educator with more than 25 years experience. She is on faculty at the Neufeld Institute, operates a counselling practice, and speaks regularly about child and adolescent development to parents, childcare providers, educators, and mental health professionals. She is the author of the bestselling book, Rest, Play, Grow, the children’s picture book The Sorry Plane, and the forthcoming book, Nourished. Maria LeRose is an award-winning television producer and interviewer, and an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at UBC. She received her Masters of Education from UBC in the Department of Education and Counseling Psychology - with an emphasis on social and emotional development. Before embarking on a career in Journalism, Maria coordinated the first Child Abuse Prevention Program in BC. She is a long-time advisor to the Dalai Lama Center and Moderator of the DLC’s Heart-Mind Conferences. She has moderated events featuring Gordon Neufeld, the Dalai Lama, Mikhail Gorbachev, Gabor Maté, Sir Ken Robinson, and other luminaries.

David Hinton, one of the world's foremost translators of ancient Chinese poetry and philosophy, presents The Way of Ch'an: Essential Texts of the Original Tradition. David is in conversation with renowned Zen teacher/author/poet, Zoketsu Norman Fischer. David Hinton has published numerous books of poetry and essays, and many translations of ancient Chinese poetry and philosophy—all informed by an abiding interest in deep ecological thinking. This widely-acclaimed work has earned Hinton a Guggenheim Fellowship, numerous fellowships from NEA and NEH, and both of the major awards given for poetry translation in the United States: the Landon Translation Award (Academy of American Poets) and the PEN American Translation Award. Most recently, Hinton received a lifetime achievement award by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Norman Fischer is a Zen teacher, poet, translator, and director of the Everyday Zen Foundation. A beloved figure in the Buddhist world, he is also well-known for his efforts at interreligious dialogue. His numerous books include The World Could Be Otherwise: Imagination and the Bodhisattva Path, What Is Zen?: Plain Talk for a Beginner’s Mind, and Training in Compassion: Zen Teachings on the Practice of Lojong.

Satish Kumar discusses his new book, Radical Love: From Separation to Connection with the Earth, Each Other, and Ourselves. Satish Kumar, peace-pilgrim, life-long activist, and former monk, has been inspiring global change for over 50 years. Aged 9, Satish renounced the world and became a wandering Jain monk. Then in his 20s, he undertook a pilgrimage for peace, walking for two years without money from India to America for the cause of nuclear disarmament. Now in his 80s, Satish has devoted his life to campaigning for ecological regeneration, social justice, and spiritual fulfillment. In 2022 he received the Goi Peace Award.

Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, one of the foremost living Buddhist nuns known for having lived twelve years in a remote Himalayan cave, discusses Reflections on a Mountain Lake: Teachings on Practical Buddhism. Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo is a bhikṣuṇī in the Drukpa Lineage of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. At the age of twenty she traveled to India, becoming one of the first Westerners to be ordained as a Buddhist nun. The international bestseller Cave in the Snow chronicles her twelve years of seclusion in a remote cave. Deeply concerned with the plight of Buddhist nuns, she established Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery in India. In 2008 His Holiness the Twelfth Gyalwang Drukpa, head of the Drukpa Kagyu lineage, gave her the rare title of Jetsunma (Venerable Master).

Angela Sterritt discusses her book, Unbroken: My Fight for Survival, Hope, and Justice for Indigenous Women and Girls. Angela Sterritt is an award-winning journalist, writer, and artist. Sterritt has worked as a journalist for close to twenty years and has been with the CBC since 2003 as a host and television, radio, and digital reporter. She is a proud member of the Gitxsan Nation and lives on Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh territories, Vancouver, Canada.