ABOUT THE EDITOR

John Gattuso is the editor of Stone Creek Publications, a publisher and packager of illustrated books and creative nonfiction. His most recent books include the award-winning
Shadow Boxers: Sweat, Sacrifice & the Will to Survive in American Boxing Gyms and numerous illustrated guides for bird watchers, hikers, kayakers, astronomers, scuba divers, and other travelers with special interests.

 

ABOUT THE WRITERS

Karen Armstrong is the author of several best-selling books, including The Battle for
God, The History of God, and Through the Narrow Gate, a memoir of her seven years as
a Catholic nun.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists and Tibet’s political leader-in-exile. His many books include An Open Heart, The Art of Happiness, and
Freedom in Exile. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, His Holiness is recognized as
one of the world’s preeminent spiritual leaders.

Mohandas K. Gandhi led India’s movement for independence from Great Britain. His
practice of nonviolent protest has influenced struggles for civil rights and independence
worldwide.

Zen master and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh was nominated for the Nobel Prize
by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1967. His books include Peace Is Every Step, Living
Buddha, Living Christ, The Miracle of Mindfulness, and The Energy of Prayer.

Jack Kornfield was trained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, Burma, and India and is a cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society and Spirit Rock Center. His books include A Path
with Heart, Seeking the Heart of Wisdom, and After the Ecstasy, the Laundry.

Rabbi Harold Kushner is the best-selling author of When Bad Things Happen to Good
People and Living a Life That Matters.

Regarded as one of the most influential Christian thinkers of the 20th century, C. S. Lewis
was the author of a wide range of books, including the beloved children’s series The
Chronicles of Narnia and such religion titles as Mere Christianity, Christian Reflections,
and The Screwtape Letters.

Thomas Merton, who became a Trappist monk in the Cistercian Abbey of Gethsemani in
Kentucky, was the author of more than 40 books, including New Seeds of Contemplation,
No Man Is an Island, and The Seven Storey Mountain. He is acknowledged as one of the
foremost spiritual thinkers of the 20th century.

Thomas Moore is a former Catholic monk and author of the best-selling Care of the Soul
and The Soul’s Religion.

Seyyed Hossein Nasr, an expert on Islamic science and spirituality, is University Professor
of Islamic Studies at George Washington University. Professor Nasr is the author of numerous books, including Man and Nature: The Spiritual Crisis in Modern Man, Religion and the Order of Nature, and Knowledge and the Sacred.

Kathleen Norris is the author of Dakota: A Spiritual Geography, The Cloister Walk, and
Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith.

John Paul II, born Karol Józef Wojtyla, was elected Pope in 1978. His pontificate lasted
nearly 27 years, one of the longest and most influential in the history of the Church.

Huston Smith is Professor of Religion and Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Philosophy,
Emeritus, at Syracuse University. Holder of twelve honorary degrees, his many books
include The World’s Religions, which has sold more than 2.5 million copies, and Why
Religion Matters, which won the 2002 Wilbur Award for the best book on religion. In 1996 Bill Moyers devoted a PBS special, “The Wisdom of Faith with Huston Smith,” to his life and work.

David Steindl-Rast is a Benedictine monk and advocate of contemplative prayer. He is the
author of numerous books, including A Listening Heart, Gratefulness: The Heart of Prayer, and Music of Silence. Brother David serves a worldwide Network for Grateful Living through www. gratefulness.org.

Phyllis Tickle is the former Contributing Editor in Religion to Publishers Weekly and
author of some two dozen books, including God-Talk in America, Prayer Is a Place:
America’s Spiritual Landscape Observed, and The Divine Hours trilogy.

Desmond Tutu is the former Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa, and recipient of the
1984 Nobel Peace Prize. Collections of his speeches, sermons, and other writings include
Crying in the Wilderness, The Rainbow People of God, and God Has a Dream.

Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986, Elie Wiesel is the author of more than forty
books, including Against Silence, Souls on Fire, and the Holocaust memoir Night. He is
the founder, with his wife Marion, of The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity.

Michael Wolfe is an author and film producer. His books include The Hadj , One Thousand
Roads to Mecca, and Taking Back Islam. His film Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet was
broadcast on PBS in 2002. He is a columnist for Beliefnet.com.

Carol Zaleski is Professor of Religion at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts,
and co-author of Prayer: A History.