Archives: Authors
Arthur Sze
Arthur Sze is the twenty-fifth poet laureate of the United States and the author of numerous books, such as: <i>Into the Hush; The Glass Constellation: New and Collected Poems</i>, which was selected for a National Book Foundation Science + Literature Prize; Sight Lines, winner of the National Book Award; and Pulitzer Prize-finalist Compass Rose. Sze is also a translator and editor. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Kyle Neo
Kyle Neo is a queer, disabled Buddhist writer and founder of Rainbodhi Singapore. Drawing from lived experience and Buddhist practice, he writes about identity, healing, belonging, and what it means to carry the Dharma into the messiness of everyday life. You can read more of Kyle’s reflections at <a href="https://kyleneo.substack.com/"target="_blank">Kyle Neo Kai Fu | Substack</a>.
Jitsujo T. Gauthier
Dharma teacher Jitsujo T. Gauthier is a co-spiritual director and one of the five seat-holders for the Zen Peacemakers Order. She works at the University of the West as an associate professor and chair of Buddhist chaplaincy.
Paula Pietranera
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Paula Pietranera trained in the renzuru origami technique in Japan and now resides at the San Francisco Zen Center. Her work has been exhibited internationally and is held in collections worldwide.
C. J. Bahnsen
C. J. Bahnsen’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian’s Air & Space Magazine, and elsewhere.
Ronny Chieng
Ronny Chieng is an Emmy Award-winning stand-up comedian, actor, and host on "The Daily Show." He starred in "Crazy Rich Asians," Marvel's "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," Disney's "Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.," "M3GAN," Hulu’s "Interior Chinatown," "King of the Hill," "The Fall," and Peacock's "The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins" and "The Miniature Wife." He has three stand-up comedy specials on Netflix, including the recently released "Ronny Chieng: Love to Hate It," which the <em>New York Times</em> named the Comedy Special of the Year in 2024.
Mark Blacknell
Mark Blacknell is a former Teamster, U.S. Marine, and entrusted Zen practitioner who now works in Florida without affiliation. He typically serves people outside usual Buddhist circles — veterans, seniors, death‑row inmates, and at‑risk youth — through StareAtTheWall.org. He’s the author of Just Stare at the Wall! (Living the Universe from Where You Sit), a frequent public speaker, and a guest on the international podcast circuit, offering steady meditation guidance and mental‑health insights shaped by his own battles with PTSD and substance abuse.
Gayathri Narayanan
Gayathri Narayanan is the founder of Myndtree, a contemplative community for meditation and the study of classical wisdom. She received her Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification through the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, studying with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach. Her decades-long practice is rooted in the Advaita Vedanta tradition of Narayana Guru and her Guru, Nitya Chaitanya Yati, and has been deepened through study and practice in Theravada Buddhism with Gil Fronsdal, Zen with Reb Anderson, and Tibetan Buddhism with Anam Thubten. She has led meditation groups, retreats, and contemplative study programs since 2012 and writes at Myndtree.org
Sanjoy Barua Chowdhury
Sanjoy Barua Chowdhury, PhD, is a Buddhist studies scholar and lecturer at the College of Religious Studies, Mahidol University, Thailand. Born and raised in a Buddhist community in Bangladesh, his research and writing focus on lived Buddhism, Buddhist heritage, sacred landscapes, pilgrimage traditions, historical memory, and Theravāda Buddhism in Bangladesh and the wider Bengal region. His scholarly work has appeared in The Oxford Handbook of Lived Buddhism, and he is a regular contributor to Buddhistdoor Global. Through his research and writing, he seeks to bring the lesser-known Buddhist heritage and living traditions of Bangladesh into wider conversations about Buddhism in South and Southeast Asia.
Jhani Randhawa
A copy and story editor at Lion’s Roar, Jhani Randhawa is also an interdisciplinary teaching artist, cultural programming facilitator, and contributing co-editor of the hybrid art-literature project <i>Beautiful Zameen: Jagdeep Raina in the Green Revolution Archive</i>. They are the author of the poetry collection <i>Time Regime</i>, which won the 2023 California Book Award.
Mark Herrick
Mark Nichiryu Herrick is a dharma teacher in the Nichiren tradition and cofounder of Myokan-ji and the Two Buddhas Meditation Community in Oakland, CA. He teaches weekly meditation classes and writes on the intersection of Buddhist philosophy, devotional practice, and lived experience. He is the author of Dharmakaya and God, Parables of the Lotus Sutra, Spring at Minobu, The Living Mandala, The Living Sound, and Daily Meditations of the Nichiren Tradition.
Rima Fujita
Rima Fujita is a visionary artist and author whose luminous paintings draw inspiration from her dreams, meditation, and Buddhism. A graduate of the Parsons School of Design, she has become widely recognized for her signature style, where vivid, ethereal colors emerge from deep black surfaces. As a descendant of the Last Samurai, her dedicated work ethic is strongly influenced by Bushido. Rima’s work has been exhibited internationally and collected worldwide. Her long standing philanthropic efforts have also earned international recognition for her humanitarian heart and her artistic contributions. Her most recent books include <em>The Extraordinary Life of H.H. The Dalai Lama</em>, published by Wisdom Publications.
Michelle Macioce
With twenty-five years of classroom experience, Michelle Macioce is the Managing Director of Middle Way Education and leads its curricular framework development.
Karman Mak
Karman Mak is the director of school operations for the Thich Nhat Hanh School of Interbeing and has more than twenty-five years of experience in teaching, leadership, and professional development.
Rachel Steele
Rachel Steele has worked as a teacher at Alaya Preschool for more than two decades and now serves as director. She’s been involved in family programming in Shambhala since 2002.
Justin Kelley
Justin Kelley is a contemplative educator, scholar-practitioner, and institutional leader. He serves as Co-Executive Director of Tergar Institute and Executive Director of Tergar Schools — Buddhist educational organizations connected to Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. He holds a PhD in Religion from Rice University (2021) and splits his time between southern Vermont and Kathmandu, Nepal.
Clayton Dalton
An emergency physician working in western New Mexico, Clayton Dalton is also a journalist who has written for <em>The New Yorker</em>, <em>The New York Times Magazine</em>, and <em>Harper’s</em>. He recently received novice priest ordination.
Cynthia Kear
Cynthia Kear was priest ordained and transmitted by her teacher, Darlene. She lives and teaches in San Francisco.
Cuong Lu
Cuong Lu is a Buddhist teacher ordained by Thich Nhat Hanh at Plum Village. He dedicated his life to service after witnessing a shooting while fleeing Vietnam in 1975. He served as a monk for sixteen years and now teaches in the Netherlands, where he lives with his wife and three children. A former prison chaplain, he is the author of <i>The Buddha in Jail</i>.
Reji Varghese
Reji Varghese is the President of Forms & Gears, a 54-year-old engineering company in Chennai, India. A dedicated meditation practitioner since 2015, he writes on business, manufacturing, leadership and contemplative practice for a range of Indian newspapers and magazines. His articles are available at https://formsandgears.com/articles-by-reji-varghese/