Books & Music

Parker J. Palmer’s Books on Amazon & IndieBound

All 10 of Parker’s  books are online 24/7 at Amazon and IndieBound. Might one of them make a good gift for someone you know? The six pictured here are:

• LET YOUR LIFE SPEAK: Listening for the Voice of Vocation
• ON THE BRINK OF EVERYTHING: Grace, Gravity, and Getting Old
• THE COURAGE TO TEACH: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher’s Life
• A HIDDEN WHOLENESS: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life
• HEALING THE HEART OF DEMOCRACY: The Courage to Create a Politics Worthy of the Human Spirit
• TO KNOW AS WE ARE KNOWN: Education as a Spiritual Journey

ON THE BRINK OF EVERYTHING: GRACE, GRAVITY & GETTING OLD

By Parker J. Palmer

From beloved and bestselling author Parker J. Palmer (Let Your Life Speak, The Courage to Teach, Healing the Heart of Democracy), comes a beautiful book of reflections on what we can learn as we move closer to "the brink of everything."

Drawing on eight decades of life -- and his career as a writer, teacher, and activist -- Palmer explores the questions age raises and the promises it holds. "Old," he writes, "is just another word for nothing left to lose, a time to dive deep into life, not withdraw to the shallows."

But this book is not for elders only. It was written to encourage adults of all ages to explore the way their lives are unfolding. It's not a how-to-do-it book on aging, but a set of meditations in prose and poetry that turn the prism on the meaning(s) of one's life, refracting new light at every turn.

From beginning to end, the book is laced with humor as well as gravitas -- beautifully enhanced by three free downloadable songs from the gifted singer-songwriter Carrie Newcomer, written in response to themes in the book.

ON THE BRINK OF EVERYTHING COMPANION SONGS

By Carrie Newcomer

These songs emerged from Carrie & Parker’s friendship, creative collaboration, and conversations about their own growing edges. They are available here as free download mp3s. Our longtime friend and colleague, pianist Gary Walters, joins Carrie on these recordings.

Carrie Newcomer’s Online Outlets

You can get Carrie’s books and music on her online Store

You can also get her full catalogue of books and music on Amazon books and music!

“The Music Will Play On”

Song Premiere & Free MP3 Download Below

Words & Music by Parker J. Palmer, Music by Carrie Newcomer

"The Music Will Play On”—A Debut

Fifteen years ago, when I began working with Carrie, I asked for her help in realizing a long-time dream: to get myself inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Frankly, that project has not been going very well, so I recently asked her to help me with something that felt a little more feasible!

I told her that I wanted to learn how to write a song, as part of my staying on my own “growing edge" in old age. I have the deepest respect for Carrie's gifts as a singer-songwriter, so even that ask was a bit of a stretch for me. People who are masters of a craft inspire us, but it’s easy to feel intimated by them: “No, I don’t think I’ll tell Van Gogh that I want to take up painting.” But Carrie is as gifted at mentoring as she is at her art. She encouraged me and offered her help if and when I needed it.

At 81, I knew what I wanted to write about: aging and mortality. I mean, beginners should pick an easy topic, right?! I messed with metaphors, and began thinking about living and dying as part of what Thomas Merton called “the general dance.” I’ve always loved dancing, so the metaphor felt just right. One morning I woke up with a line running through my mind—“If I could, I’d dance this way forever”—and I knew I had the start of a song.

After months of working with the lyrics, off and on, I sent them to Carrie. She suggested a few key word changes, and then (as is her gift) she began “hearing” the music, asking at every step whether what she was hearing sounded right to me. She needed only two takes to get the feel I wanted—an uplifting song about the fact that the music to which we “dance” through life will play on, no matter what. Then she gathered some of her gifted and generous musician friends, recorded the song in a professional studio, and created a music video, taking my modest first try beyond anything I had imagined.

With deep gratitude to the Muse, to Carrie, and the musicians named below, and to 81 years of the gift called life, I'm happy to share “The Music Will Play On,” one more step I’m taking toward being On the Brink of Everything. Oh, I haven’t given up on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I’m sure that I can do this hard thing, with a little help from my friends!  —Parker