Staff Pages

Joann Calabrese, BMR Office Support


The Blind Press
PO Box 18219
Denver, CO 80218-0219

editor@bmrpoetry.com

Joann has been with The Blind Man's Rainbow since the beginning, assisting with everything from typing and stapling to ideas for layout and future projects. She considers herself a torch-bearer in the Mines of Morea (her current job) and is also a teacher of the Dances of Universal Peace.

Joann's Book Recommendations:

Cosmic Trigger I: The Final Secret of the Illuminati by Robert Anton Wilson
Break out of the dominant paradigm, banish dogma, and get off the wheel of karma. Funny too! A must read.

Holographic Universe by Michael Talbot
Provides the science for all the weird stuff Wilson talks about in Cosmic Trigger. Another book for breaking out of your dominant paradigm

A Reason for Hope by Jane Goodall
If Jane Goodall, who works on the "front lines", can find a reason for hope, then the rest of us should just muster it up. All of her books are wonderful; this most recent one reviews her philosophy and her life's work ( I don't have to tell you it's with the chimps, do I?)

Gaviotas, A Village to Change the World
Speaking of hope. These people are DOING it....building a sustainable community in the middle of the Columbian desert surrounded by drug lords and the paramilitary...an amazing story! They are on the cutting edge! We all need to follow!

Spiral Dance by Starhawk
A classic on earth based spirituality, the cycles of the year, working with healing energy, and how to transform the planet.

The Lord of the Rings by J.R. Tolkien
..... the movie was great, but it is still not the book. The movie misses a lot of the developing friendships and fun in the story. Read the book!

Women's Diaries of the Westward Journey by Lillian Schlissel
A must read, especially if you think your life is difficult! I don't know where these women got their courage, resilience, and strength.

Be Here Now by Baba Ram Dass
His own amazing story of personal transformation from Harvard professor to religious teacher, and a "cookbook" of spiritual practices (from the Hindu tradition, but applicable to all).

Wherever You Go There You Are by Jonathan Kabat Zinn.
If you only read one book on meditation and living mindfully, this should be the book.

When the Drummers were Women by Layne Redmond,
Women's history and spirituality with a focus on drumming. Wonderful!

Drumming at the Edge of Magic by Mickey Hart
The cross-cultural roots of drumming, by Grateful Dead drummer, Mickey Hart, woven together with his personal drumming quest.

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
A love story amidst the French Revolution. Is Sydney Carton codependent or heroic? Read it and see what you think.

The Organic Gardener by Catherine Osgood Foster
One of the first books I ever read on organic gardening and continues to be a great resource. If you are not a gardener, she'll make you want to be one.

The Secret Life of Plants by Tompkins and Bird
another classic. If you haven't read it, you should!

Prometheus Rising by Robert Anton Wilson
A " how to" manual on expanding your consciousness.

Chalice and the Blade by Riane Eisler
Affirms the possibility of a world built on collaboration, non-violence, and connectedness to nature. (Another paradigm shifting book.)

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Seven books in this collection, about four children who fall into another reality system called Narnia. In one of the books, Aslan, the Lion God, sings the world into creation. Beautiful!

The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood
Three women try to make sense of a diabolical "friend" who has shaped all of their lives, and also learn about themselves and the world on the way.

Small Pig by Arnold Lobel
A children's story about a pig who runs away from the farm only to get stuck in cement in the big city. (Some sort of message here for adults too!) The illustrations are wonderful. I love this book.

Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel
The essence of friendship in a children's book. I especially like when Frog helps Toad find a lost button even though Toad is being a real jerk. Who hasn't tolerated their friend's bad moods?

Other Staff Pages: Melody Sherosky, Nate Condron, Mark Gardner, Ben Dewey.