“The most radical thing any of us can do at this time is to be
fully present to what is happening in the world.”
– Joanna Macy

 

Joanna Macy, PhD is the beloved root teacher of the Work That Reconnects.

At every workshop she led, before beginning the program, she would circle the room, greeting each participant with a touch of the hand and a kind word. If you’d worked with her before, she would almost certainly remember you. She invited you to be present by being present to you.

Joanna is a scholar of Buddhism, General Systems Theory, and Deep Ecology; and her teaching incorporated all of these varying disciplines. She never taught anything that did not excite or move her. She loved to get everyone up and moving, often beginning each session with the beloved Elm Dance. She would have participants cluster in small groups, in which each participant’s joys, sorrows and ‘aha moments’ added to the buzz in the room.

Many thousands of people around the world have participated in Joanna’s workshops and trainings in the Work That Reconnects, and have been forever changed by this ground-breaking group work. A respected voice in the movements for peace, justice, and ecology, Joanna has devoted her life to five decades of activism.

Her wide-ranging work addresses psychological and spiritual issues of the nuclear age, the cultivation of ecological awareness, and the rich connections between Buddhist thought and contemporary science. She is also a translator of Rainer Maria Rilke, whose poems have long inspired her. The many dimensions of her work are explored in her books. World As Lover, World as Self is a wonderful starting point; it weaves together personal story, philosophical exploration and creative practice.

Joanna Macy is a passionate speaker, teacher and wisdom keeper. You are welcome to experience her eloquence and brilliance for yourself with the help of many videos and recordings of her teachings and workshops.

For many years, Joanna traveled widely giving lectures, workshops, and trainings in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australia. She currently lives in semi-retirement in Berkeley, California, near her children and grandchildren. Learn more about Joanna’s life and work on her website.

In Praise of Joanna

“…Joanna has come to embody a singular clarity of vision about the totality of what it means to be human—at this moment in time. Her wild love for the world is a beacon to us all—and an exuberant invitation—to join our passion to hers, whatever the lives we lead.”

Krista Tippett Host of On Being

“Joanna Macy is one of the planet’s treasures, not least for the remarkable cadre of people who have been inspired by her rooted and unstinting life.”

Bill McKibben Author of Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?

“Where there is bewilderment, Joanna Macy brings wisdom. Where there are division and discord, she speaks for the Other. Where there is despair, she joins hands to dance. Humankind is about to make a Great Turning in one direction or another. If we find a way to turn toward deeper, fuller humanity, one of the reasons will be the fiercely compassionate genius of Joanna Macy.”

Kathleen Dean Moore Author of Wild Comfort
Joanna Macy with Jana Diamond, Jess Serrante, Stephanie Kaza

A Complete List of Books by Joanna Macy

Visit the Books section of our Resource Library for translations of these books and other related books by other authors.

with Chris Johnstone
New World Library (2022)

Foreword by Joan Halifax
Edited by Stephanie Kaza
Parallax Press (2021)

Co-translated & edited with Anita Barrows
Shambhala Publications (2021)

Edited by Stephanie Kaza
Shambhala Publications (2020)

with Molly Young Brown
New Society Publishers (2014)

with Chris Johnstone
New World Library (2011)

with Norbert Gahbler
Parallax Press (2010)

Co-translated & edited with Anita Barrows
Harper Collins and Harper One (2009).

Parallax Press (2007)

Co-translated & edited with Anita Barrows
Echo Point Books & Media (2005, 2016)

New Society Publishers (2000)

co-translated & edited with Anita Barrows
Riverhead (1996, 2005)

SUNY Press (1991)

Parallax Press (1991)

with John Seed, Pat Fleming, and Arne Naess
New Society Publishers (1988)

Kumarian Press (1983, 1985)

New Society Publishers (1983)

Coming Soon!
Videos and Recordings of Joanna Macy