Kirjahaku

Beamish Boy (I am not my story): A Memoir of Recovery & Awakening by Albert Flynn DeSilver". . .A beautifully written memoir. . .poignant and inspirational, comical and terrifying "-Kirkus"I was raised in a clock tower with bats in the belfry." So begins, Beamish Boy, the harrowing account of Albert Flynn DeSilver's inspirational journey from suicidal alcoholic to Poet Laureate and beyond. Though growing up in material privilege in suburban Connecticut in the 1970's and 80's, Albert finds himself whirling through an emotional wasteland void of love, complicated by his mostly absent alcoholic mother, and raising by a violent Swiss-German governess. A dramatic downgrade in lifestyle right around adolescence further inspires a great attraction for alcohol, drugs, and a series of increasingly shocking adventures. Filled with a luminous cast of characters, and told with searing honesty and ironic wit, Beamish Boy is a redemptive story of survival and letting go, as we eagerly follow Albert from one zany adventure and near-death experience to the next. He is run over by his best friend after blacking out in a driveway, contracts malaria in east Africa, and joins a psychedelic "therapy" cult, until he miraculously "finds" himself, through photography, poetry, and a hilarious "awakening" at a meditation retreat center, realizing finally, what it means to be fully alive, to truly love.Beamish Boy charts a compelling spiritual journey, from violence and self-annihilation to creativity and self-realization. Not your typical addiction memoir, Beamish Boy reads more like a witty and poetic novel, offering a profound window into the human condition, complete with its tragedies and ecstasies-illuminating one man's quest for an abiding perspective and lasting wisdom.

"Singletrack Mind: Finding Wisdom & the Poetry of Life on Two Wheels" is about the spirit of mountain biking and a deep connection to nature. This is a mountain biking adventure travel book that leans into earth wisdom, spirituality, with a sprinkling of poetry. "Singletrack Mind" is a soulful travelogue that you can pop in your bike pack and take along on the trail. The book includes an intro and five poetic travel essays with a cover and four stunning photographs by world-renowned adventure photographer Mattias Fredriksson. We take you on a poetic and visually stunning journey from California to Croatia and beyond. The book was inspired by a piece I wrote for Adventure Journal magazine back in 2021. My goal is for this book to be an inspiration for thousands of people to not only get stoked on riding-getting out in nature and moving your body-but to be inspired to think more deeply about our relationships to place, our impact on the earth, and ultimately be moved to act in service of preserving the wild places of this glorious planet "This book takes you on some beautiful journeys reminding us of the essence of adventuring on two wheels. It's all about being in the moment. Switch on your senses and take it all in. It's a wonderful read- his words will inspire your next adventure." -Hans "No Way" Rey, "the Wayne Gretzky of Mountain Biking" is a multiple Trials World Champion, and Extreme Mountain Biking pioneer.

Albert Flynn DeSilver is a poet and prose writer, speaker, and workshop leader. He received a BFA from the University of Colorado and an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. Albert served as Marin County California's very first Poet Laureate from 2008-2010. He is the author of several books of poems including Letters to Early Street, and his work has appeared in more than 100 literary journals worldwide. Albert is also the author of the memoir Beamish Boy, which was named a "Best Book of 2012" by Kirkus Reviews. His latest nonfiction book, Writing as a Path to Awakening: A Year to Becoming an Excellent Writer and Living an Awakened Life-based on his popular writing workshops by the same name-was published by Sounds True in 2017. Albert is also a teacher and speaker having presented with U.S poet laureate Kay Ryan, bestselling authors Cheryl Strayed, Elizabeth Gilbert, Maxine Hong Kingston and many others. He teaches writing at literary conferences nationally. More information about his work can be found at www.albertflynndesilver.com.

The best writers say their work seems to come from a source beyond the thinking mind. But how do we access that source? "We must first look inside ourselves and be willing to touch that raw emotional core at the heart of a deeper creativity," writes Albert Flynn DeSilver. In Writing as a Path to Awakening, this renowned poet, writer, and teacher shows you how to use meditation to cultivate true depth in your own writing—so your words reveal layers of profound insight that inspire and move your readers. Constructed as a year-long exploration with a new focus for each month and season, Writing as a Path to Awakening includes: • How to approach writing and reading with a greater level of presence and immersion • Engaging curiosity, playfulness, and spontaneity to keep your regular practice fresh • Meditating with poetry to deeply embody the power of language • How you can spark your imagination by connecting to the groundless source of creation • The meditative approach to storytelling—how not being trapped in your story liberates your capacity to create • Editing, rewriting, and the path of spiritual transformation "Writing and meditation practice are a powerful pair, a dynamic duo," Albert Flynn DeSilver teaches. "Together they nourish and push, trigger and define, inform and inspire, enable, and energize. To engage in both practices fully is to activate a more complete, creative, and spiritual self." With a mixture of engaging storytelling and practical exercises, Writing as a Path to Awakening invites you on a yearlong journey of growth and discovery—to enhance your writing through the practice of meditation while using the creative process to accelerate your spiritual evolution.