OPENING THE INVITATION: The Poem That Has Touched Lives Around the World

In 1993, Mountain Dreamer (her shamanic name) was chatting amiably with her friend Catherine when Catherine suddenly had a brain aneurysm. Although Catherine survived, Mountain Dreamer saw the incident as a spiritual wake-up call, and exactly one year after it happened, she sat down to write the prose poem "The Invitation." After sharing it with several hundred writing students, she lost track of it, only to discover years later that the poem had taken on a life of its own on the Internet. In this illustrated gift book, the now-famous poem (which was first published by HSF in book form in 1999 and became a bestseller) is sandwiched between a foreword and afterword in which Mountain Dreamer describes its simple inception and astounding reception. Perhaps most touching is her account of receiving an admiring letter from a high school beau she had not seen in 30 years. They are now married. Fans of The Invitation will welcome this behind-the-scenes glimpse of the poem's creation. (May)