In conversation with poet Parker Palmer, we trace the quiet art of listening for one’s true vocation, the solace of circles where no one is fixed or saved, and the long, harrowed path toward a wholeness that does not deny its own fractures.

Parker J. Palmer is a writer, speaker and activist who focuses on issues in education, community, leadership, spirituality and social change. He is founder and Senior Partner Emeritus of the Center for Courage & Renewal, which supports people in every walk of life in nurturing deep integrity and relational trust for the sake of personal and social transformation.

Palmer holds a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of California at Berkeley, fourteen honorary doctorates, and two Distinguished Achievement Awards from the National Educational Press Association. Among his honors, he is a recipient of the William Rainey Harper Award, previously given to Margaret Mead, Elie Wiesel, and Paolo Freire. In 2021, the Freedom of Spirit Fund, a UK-based foundation, gave him their Lifetime Achievement Award in honor of work that promotes and protects spiritual freedom.

Palmer is the author of ten books—including several award-winning titles—that have sold over two and a half million copies and been translated into twenty languages. Anniversary editions of three of his books were issued in 2024: Healing the Heart of Democracy, A Hidden Wholeness, and Let Your Life Speak. An updated edition of On the Brink of Everything and a 30th anniversary edition of The Courage to Teach are due in late 2026.

Resource Links:

Learn more about Parker and his work:

Website: Center for Courage & Renewal

Substack: Living the Questions with Parker J. Palmer

Substack Author Page: https://substack.com/@parkerjpalmer861952

Facebook: Facebook Author Page

More from David - book releases, workshops, mindfulness talks, upcoming events, and more:

Website: Davidkeplingerpoetry.com

Instagram: @DavidKeplingerPoetry

Substack: Another Shore with David Keplinger

Substack Author Page: https://substack.com/@davidkeplinger

More from Shawn - free audio meditations, upcoming events, retreats, monthly essays, yoga classes, and music alchemy:

Website: Shawnparell.com

Instagram: @ShawnParell

Substack: The Guest House

Substack Author Page: https://substack.com/@shawnparell

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