Drinking from the River of Light: The Life of Expression

A deeply heartfelt exploration of what it means to live the creative, expressive life.

Meaningful art, enduring art - and the transformative process it awakens - keeps us alive, writes Mark Nepo. With Drinking from the River of Light, this bestselling poet and philosopher leads audiences on a journey to discover just how art and creative expression can bring our deepest truths to bear in the world.

In this collection of interconnected essays and poetry - covering subjects ranging from the importance of staying in conversation with other forms of life to a consideration of how innovators such as Matisse, Rodin, and Beethoven saw the world - Nepo presents a lyrical ode to the artistic urge that stirs in each of us. Including dozens of journaling prompts and personal exercises meant to enliven the reader’s creative instincts, Drinking from the River of Light traces the search for our most essential selves and the importance of art to bear witness to the sorrow, depth, and joy of life.

‘Mark Nepo will guide you to the very source of your own creative spirit and inspire you to inhabit, trust, and express its radiance. This beautiful book is a gift on the journey of awakening’. -Tara Brach, author of Radical Acceptance and True Refuge