It's been my good fortune to have more than my share of remarkable friends, and several of them appear in this issue of the newsletter. One of the joys of having a venue like this newsletter (and also the print magazine works & conversations) is that both are spaces for offering nutritious material for psyche and soul. And beyond that, they both are vehicles for expanding my own circle of friends and acquaintances. One can't help but want to share such abundance with others. 
For over thirty years, the voice of Jacob Needleman has been prominent in discussions of the spiritual revolution that gripped the west in the 1960s. He's the author of several volumes that speak to the deep questions we all face. Among them are, A Sense of the Cosmos, The Heart of Philosophy, Money and the Meaning of Life and What is God?
 
As founder of CharityFocus.org Nipun Mehta belongs to a younger generation among which many are sincerely searching for a path of authentic service in the midst of life. I thought these two exemplary figures ought to meet each other and, as expected, the two hit it off immediately. The conversation featured here is part of an extended dialog that has begun between Mehta and Needleman. This one took place Feb. 2nd on Jacob Needleman's radio program Point Reyes Dialogues on KWMR 90.5fm. The two explore some of the mysterious depths that come into play through acts of selfless giving.
 
I spoke with Peter Selz at his home in Berkeley where he reflects upon his long and influential life in the arts and shares some stories not to be missed. Locally, this is timely as he is being feted at the Berkeley Art Center on June 25th for all his many contributions, which include founding the Berkeley Art Museum. 
 
Photographer and medical doctor Elaine Ling talks about her love of seeking out remote wonders around the world and photographing them with her old-fashioned 4x5 camera, which she carts around via jeep, mule and on foot to places like the Gobi, Atacama, Namib and Wadi Rum deserts. I found her a cheerful and irrepressible spirit.
 
Former chief editor of the Christian Science Monitor, Paul Van Slambrouck, currently teaching at Principia College, shares a moment of epiphany that came as he stood on a bluff above the Mississippi River between classes. And Mary Stein has contributed a quietly profound story The Way North, that reminded me somehow of Wendell Berry as I read it. Welcome to issue #20.