The Goldberg Variations: Essays Inspired by Prompts from Natalie Goldberg

After a year touring bookstores, service clubs, and libraries all over Colorado to promote his book "Cowboys, Yogis, and One-legged Ski Bums," author Don Morreale found himself at an impasse.  He knew he wanted - needed - to continue writing, but was at a loss for something compelling to write about.  Enter Natalie Goldberg, one of America's preeminent writing teachers.  While thumbing through a book of her writing prompts, he made a resolution to pen an essay a day, no matter where he was or what else he was doing.  He took his prompt list with him wherever he went - on cruise ships, on teaching assignments to Nepal and China, at writers' conferences in Latin America - and did his best to crank out an essay a day.  While he may not have kept unfalteringly to that regimen, he did manage to produce well over a hundred essays, most of which are contained in this book.  It was also not his intention to write an autobiography, but somehow, given the nature of the prompts, that is what emerged, random and haphazard though it may be.  Kind of like life itself, if you think about it.

 The son of a New York City fireman, Bill Mahoney grew up on the rough and tumble streets of Brooklyn.  He took his first drink when he was eleven years old, and became a raging alcoholic whose drinking led him from one misadventure to another.  After a stint in Vietnam and graduate school at Cornell, he escaped to the mountains of Colorado where a life-changing moment induced him to seek treatment for his addictions.  Sober at last, his adventures, he discovered, were only just beginning.  He became a successful real estate developer, joined the Baha'i faith and, as a Bahai'i "Travel Teacher," helped bring the religion to the former Soviet Union.  He learned to fly a plane, traveled the world, found the love of his life and, by a quirk of fate, reconnected with his long lost son.  Told with ruthless honesty, Mahoney's story is an inspiring tale of addiction and redemption, of love lost and love found, and of the healing power of faith. 

Not long ago, Don Morreale, a lifelong collector and teller of jokes, decided to see if he could remember every joke (clean or dirty) he ever heard.  As he thought of them, he recorded them into his smart phone and later transcribed them.  As it happened, the number of jokes he remembered far exceeded the 365 that are included in this book.  These are mainly the dirty ones.  They also happen to be the funniest.

Hey, you got a problem with dirty jokes?  Go find another book.  Otherwise, read 'em and pass 'em on.  Your friends will love you for it.  On the other hand, you could tell 'em at work and probably get canned.  Good luck.

Cowboys, Yogis, and One-Legged Ski Bums is a collection of Don Morreale's popular Denver Post/YourHub, and Examiner.com articles about the life and times of contemporary Coloradans.  He writes about artists, athletes, thinkers, helpers, seekers, travelers, and plain folks with unusual personal histories.  These stories reveal a rich cultural tapestry hidden in plain sight at the foot of the majestic Rocky Mountains.  Dr. Tom Noel, history columnist for the Sunday Denver Post, said of this book, "These beautifully drawn portraits will prove an invaluable resource for future historians interested in what the Rocky Mountain West looked like at the beginning of the 21st Century."

(Click below for newspaper articles about this book)

Summit Daily News

Grand Junction Sentinel

Canon City Daily Record

 The first in-depth guide to Buddhism in North America, The Complete Guide to Buddhist America introduces the reader to the many facets of Buddhist practice and belief, highlighting the unique development of Buddhism in the West, and offering detailed listings to over a thousand meditation centers in the USA and Canada. The book is divided into four parts, the first three representing the major Buddhist traditions that have taken root in North America: Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana, and the fourth covering nonsectarian groups.  Each part begins with essays by leading Buddhist teachers, scholars, and long-time students to introduce the philosophy and practices of that particular school.  Then follow listings of the centers and meditation groups identified with that tradition, with brief descriptions of each center's facilities, its schedule of daily practice and special retreats, information about teacher lineages, and full contact information.  The listings are enhanced by over a hundred photographs of the centers and their teachers, as well as by sidebars highlighting unique features, practices, and events. 

 In this first comprehensive directory of over 500 Buddhist centers in the United States and Canada, Don Morreale offers explanations of four branches of Buddhism – Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana, and non-sectarian.  Each section begins with an essay by a master or teacher from that school, followed by first-hand experiences of practitioners, and listings of centers by state.  Each listing has information about the lineage of the teachers, retreats available, and a brief introduction to the philosophy and facilities of the center.  Enhanced by photographs of the centers and teachers, the book provides invaluable information for both the practicing Buddhist and interested seekers alike.   In his review for The New Republic, Townsend Davis called it, "A Sears Catalog to Karma." 

Just before noon on April 25th, 2015, Nepal sustained a 7.6M earthquake that took the lives of nearly 9000 people, and injured another 23,000.  Entire villages were flattened, and close to a half million people were displaced.  Many of the country's World Heritage sites were destroyed, among them important temples and monuments in Kathmandu's Durbar Square, and the city's iconic Darahara Tower.  Five months later, author Don Morreale traveled to  Kathmandu University to serve as writer in residence.  During his stay, he led his students in a project to document people's experiences of the quake.  We Will Rebuild is a compilation of their essays and interviews.  These stories are a testament to the resilience of a people determined to rebuild their lives and their country.

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