The Green Man’s forest is full of spirits. From the loftiest cedar to the lowliest centipede, all life falls under the dominion and protection of He Who Is Verdant. Circumspect eyes track defiant interlopers while decaying tree stumps nurse saplings with maternal tenderness. Tree branches entwine sensuously, and leaves rustle like the intimate whispers of lovers. A bird in the stillness waits, talons sharp, preparing to make his kill. Joe Rosenblatt’s latest collection of poems, The Bird in the Stillness, presents a forest in chiaroscuro—a delicate ecosystem held in tenuous balance by cycles of life and death, light and darkness, companionship and solitude. It provides a rich buffet of physical, spiritual and artistic nourishment for any pilgrim who cares to walk the woodland path ... and acknowledge that his warranty on breathing might be nearing its expiry.

Discusses the endangerment of the rare red-cockaded woodpecker and its habitat.

The author describes the time he lived deliberately alone as a caretaker of a ranch and the effect of this solitude has had on his life, arguing that spending time alone reduces stress and leads to a simpler existence.

The New York Times–bestselling author of H is for Hawk explores the human relationship to the natural world in this “dazzling” essay collection (Wall Street Journal). In Vesper Flights, Helen Macdonald brings together a collection of her best loved essays, along with new pieces on topics ranging from nostalgia for a vanishing countryside to the tribulations of farming ostriches to her own private vespers while trying to fall asleep. Meditating on notions of captivity and freedom, immigration and flight, Helen invites us into her most intimate experiences: observing the massive migration of songbirds from the top of the Empire State Building, watching tens of thousands of cranes in Hungary, seeking the last golden orioles in Suffolk’s poplar forests. She writes with heart-tugging clarity about wild boar, swifts, mushroom hunting, migraines, the strangeness of birds’ nests, and the unexpected guidance and comfort we find when watching wildlife.

It started with a personal commitment to sit an hour each week for a full year in the same spot in the woods. John Harvey's intention was to reconnect with nature and observe the flow of natural life through the four seasons. As Harvey settled into his weekly routine of visiting his "sit spot" and fully engaging his senses, rich and illuminating experiences began to unfold. His encounters with nature included seeing and listening to a plethora of birds, from tiny wrens to large hawks, from sweet-singing warblers to rattling woodpeckers; enjoying the sight of seasonal plants such as wild violets, trout lily, and skunk cabbage; sitting out in the open during weather events that ranged from glorious warm summer sunshine to an Alberta clipper in the winter; and spotting the occasional deer and even a black bear. In all cases, Harvey sought to observe, listen, appreciate, and learn. Learn he did—about the birds, animals, plants, and trees that surrounded and intrigued him. But his remarkable encounters with nature also facilitated self-discovery, fostered insight, and nurtured empathy and intuition.

Bob Roth is one of the world's most sought-after teachers of Transcendental Meditation – a highly effective form of meditation that goes beyond mindfulness to produce a deeper and long-lasting sense of peace. Praise for Bob Roth and Strength in Stillness: 'A masterclass. I love meditation, and I love this book.' ARIANNA HUFFINGTON 'Bob Roth taught me to meditate. This book will guide you to peace.' RUSSELL BRAND 'Bob Roth's Strength in Stillness is so needed right now. It will enhance our lives.' STELLA MCCARTNEY 'I am one-thousand per cent better when I do it. Meditation Bob: He's got it!' OPRAH WINFREY 'The most engaging guide to a technique I have come to rely on.' GWYNETH PALTROW 'It is the only time I have that stillness. I just love it so much.' ELLEN DEGENERES Every day we face a growing epidemic of stress. People of every race, age and income all make the same confession: 'I am so stressed'. There is a simple practice that dramatically changes how we respond to life's stresses: the Transcendental Meditation technique. With scientifically proven benefits, improved focus, sleep, resilience, creativity and memory, this method has a direct impact. For nearly five decades, Bob Roth has helped bring Transcendental Meditation to millions of people around the world – in 35 countries across Europe, North and South America, Asia and Africa. Once a sceptic, he learned the art from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the foremost scientist of consciousness and meditation. As Co-Founder and Executive Director of the David Lynch Foundation, Bob teaches frequently at inner-city schools, veterans' hospitals, battered women's shelters, homeless shelters and prisons. Bob is also the go-to meditation teacher for leading figures in the worlds of media and business. Beautifully presented, Strength in Stillness is a simple, classic guide to calming your mind and body. Further praise for Strength in Stillness: 'Bob's really helped us and our son, who was a stressed, anxious kid' HUGH JACKMAN 'I can't say enough about Bob Roth and TM. Stillness, true stillness, of both mind and body, is a gift.' MICHAEL J. FOX 'Transcendental Meditation is the single most important reason for any success I have had in my life. Strength in Stillness masterfully distills the essence of this technique.' RAY DALIO

WHERE STILLNESS SPEAKS, Inspired by original Shaker journals By Margaret C. Price Experiencing a mystical flight through time to a Shaker utopia (Civil War, 1863), an investigative journalist discovers a secret that frees her from demons of her past, empowering her to speak her truth in WHERE STILLNESS SPEAKS, historical fiction. The novel unfolds a woman’s transformational healing journey in two different time periods. Present day at the authentically restored Shaker village of Pleasant Hill, and the Past, a short time after the horrific battle of Perryville. WHERE STILLNESS SPEAKS is a love story played out against the backdrop of a Shaker utopia. It is a utopia of time-travel, of places where the skin between the worlds is thin, a place apart from modern day chaos and violence. The core values of the Shaker utopia (respect for the earth, pacifism, racial and sexual equality, belief in a spirit world) resonate still today. The novel invites the reader to Pleasant Hill where Trappist monk Thomas Merton wandered among the abandoned buildings and “listened to the Silence” while sitting on a chair made by someone “perfectly capable of believing an Angel could come and sit down on it.”

This fruitful pairing of literary and biographical interpretation follows Wallace Stevens’s poetry through the lens of its dominant metaphor—the seasons of nature—and illuminates the poet’s personal life experiences reflected there. From Stevens’s first collection, Harmonium (1923), to his last poems written shortly before his death in 1955, George S. Lensing offers clear and detailed examination of Stevens’s seasonal poetry, including extensive discussions of “Autumn Refrain,” “The Snow Man,” “The World as Meditation,” and “Credences of Summer.” Drawing upon a vast knowledge of the poet, Lensing argues that Stevens’s pastoral poetry of the seasons assuaged a profound and persistent personal loneliness. An important scholarly assessment of a major twentieth-century modernist, Wallace Stevens and the Seasons also serves as an appealing introduction to Stevens.