Dear Festival Friends,

Two of our great loves are books and Santa Fe, so we strive to make the Festival an event that honors both. In addition to highlighting local authors in our lineup each year, we offer activities aimed at capturing the unique esprit of our hometown. Our Walk & Talk tours of the downtown area are perennial favorites, as are our excursions to local restaurants and shops. And because this is Santa Fe, Land of Enchantment and enlightenment, we begin each day of the Festival with Morning Meditations led by spiritual teachers who can calm even the most stressed-out and high-strung among us.

This year, we’re honored to welcome back Henry Shukman, a New Mexico treasure and one of the best people we know to kick off a day of literary goodwill and mind expansion. The son of professors at the University of Oxford, Shukman took a decidedly different path. His early love of poetry led to an interest in the work of Chinese Zen poets and, ultimately, to Buddhism. A longtime Zen teacher, he is spiritual director emeritus of Mountain Cloud Zen Center, here in Santa Fe. Though he came to Buddhism young, it happened with the typical angst of a teenager. His charming and wry memoir One Blade of Grass tells the story of how meditation helped him come to terms with depression and anxiety made worse by debilitating eczema. Kirkus Reviews praised the book as “graceful, insightful, and disarmingly candid,” and it’s an eloquent reminder that even Zen masters have demons to battle.

Both on the page and in person, Shukman demystifies Zen and shows how it can work in our everyday lives. It’s the ultimate democratic practice, requiring no special skills, and, as he writes, “happens to be, more or less, as free as the air we breathe.” Shukman also tells us that, surprisingly, meditation can be a communal activity. “We are not and cannot be alone,” he says, “no matter how lonely we may sometimes feel.” There’s profound comfort in sitting in silence with others, as you’ll discover if you join us for Shukman’s Morning Meditation on Sunday, May 18.

Until then, you can self-soothe with Shukman’s writing. His latest book, Original Love, is a spiritual manual of sorts for navigating life in the twenty-first century. On his website, you can find some of his poetry, which has been published in The New Yorker, The Guardian, and the London Review of Books, and collected in two volumes. For a full immersion, watch some of the videos on his site or download his app, The Way, which helps users get started with meditation. At the very least, you’ll be blissfully lulled by Shukman’s gentle voice and sonorous English accent.

Get your tickets now to see Shukman and other transformative authors, including Cristina Rivera Garza, Colum McCann, Marie Arana, Deborah Jackson Taffa, Gabrielle Zevin, Jonathan Eig, and Chris Rainier. Peace out, everyone!

IN OTHER NEWS

In partnership with Sky Railway, we invite you to join us for “Writing on the Rails” on the evening of Thursday, May 15, 7:10–9:40 p.m., for a mini writing retreat led by Albuquerque’s inaugural poet laureate, Hakim Bellamy.

Riders will experience the gift of dedicated time and space to write prose and poetry, led by Bellamy’s writing prompts and inspired by breathtaking scenery as the train travels through a high-desert sunset. This is your chance to meet fellow writers and contribute your own creative voice to the conversations happening throughout the Literary Festival community.

The train departs and returns to the Santa Fe Depot. Each ticket includes a seat in an enclosed train car and a complimentary champagne welcome as the literary adventure begins. Additional snacks and drinks can be purchased here.

Board of Directors
Edward Gale, Chair

Janet Bailey | Mark Bryant | Clare Hertel

Jenny Kimball | James McGrath Morris

Carmella Padilla | Jenna Scanlan

Mary Sloane | Maria Gale, Ex Officio

Founders
Clare Hertel | Carmella Padilla | Mark Bryant