David Odorisio, an Ojai resident and Pacifica Graduate Institute professor, recently compiled a collection of essays from Thomas Merton, the mystic, monk, philosopher and author, titled, "Merton in California: The Redwood Conferences & Letters." He was featured by Kit Stolz in the Summer issue of Ojai Quarterly.

Odorisio talked about his lifelong fascination with Merton, the Trappist monk who burst into fame with his book, "The Seven Storey Mountain," written while he was a monk at Gethsemani Monastery near Bardstown, Kentucky. Odorisio has had quite a journey himself, from growing up in Philadelphia, to seminary school to teaching at Pacifica, a leading center for the the study of depth psychology and mythology.

We talked about why Merton has remained so relevant to the modern age, his struggles with this faith, his untimely death not longer after his California sojourn, and his political activism.

We did not talk about Netflix quarterly earnings, the Great Fire of London in 1666 or wild mushroom foraging in Ojai.

You can check out Odorisio's work and other titles at https://www.ahomeforsoul.com/