Healing the Heart of Democracy

Parker Palmer, best-selling author, educator, and Center for Courage & Renewal founder and senior partner, will read from his new book, Healing the Heart of Democracy, in an afternoon lecture followed by a book signing.  At 8 PM that same evening, Parker Palmer, Carrie Newcomer, and Gary Walters will offer a concert and spoken word event.

Sponsored by the Danforth Center on Religion & Politics, the Office of Residential Life, the Assembly Series, and The Gephardt Institute for Public Service. Please take a moment to RSVP at the John C. Danforth Center on Religion & Politics website. RSVP’s are not required but will allow the Center to contact you with parking information and pertinent event updates.

Parker J. Palmer is a writer, speaker and activist who focuses on issues in education, community, leadership, spirituality and social change. He is the founder and Senior Partner of the Center for Courage & Renewal, which oversees long-term retreat programs for people in the serving professions, including teachers, administrators, physicians, clergy, non-profit leaders and philanthropists. Palmer holds a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of California at Berkeley, as well as ten honorary doctorates, two Distinguished Achievement Awards from the National Educational Press Association, and an Award of Excellence from the Associated Church Press. He is the author of nine books, including several best-selling and award-winning titles: Healing the Heart of Democracy, The Courage to Teach, A Hidden Wholeness, Let Your Life Speak, The Active Life, To Know As We Are Known, The Company of Strangers, The Promise of Paradox, and The Heart of Higher Education.

In 1998, the Leadership Project, a national survey of 10,000 educators, named Dr. Palmer one of the thirty “most influential senior leaders” in higher education and one of the ten key “agenda-setters” of the past decade. Since 2002, the Accrediting Commission for Graduate Medical Education has given annual Parker J. Palmer “Courage to Teach” and “Courage to Lead” Awards to directors of exemplary medical residency programs. In 2005, Living the Questions: Essays Inspired by the Work and Life of Parker J. Palmer, was published. In 2010, Palmer was given the William Rainey Harper Award whose previous recipients include Margaret Mead, Elie Wiesel, Marshall McLuhan, and Paolo Freire. In 2011, the Utne Reader named him one of 25 Visionaries on its annual list of “People Who are Changing the World.”