The most optimistic man in America:

David Mezzapelle will share inspiring from his new book Contagious Optimism with a broad tour of California.

• 

David Mezzapelle, author of Contagious Optimism

Reading Contagious Optimism will allow you to appreciate and understand the principles that people of all races, religions, and socioeconomic backgrounds live by and have exhibited during their life's adventures.

—Daniel P. Tully

(PRWEB) September 11, 2013

David Mezzapelle will tour the Bay Area and Los Angeles from September 19th to 25th, sharing inspirational stories from his newly-released bookContagious Optimism: Uplifting Stories and Motivational Advice for Positive Forward Thinking, which is newly available on Audible.

Contagious Optimism is a collection of personal success stories and advice that discusses the power of positive thinking. Mezzapelle urges readers to find the silver lining in every cloud despite trials such as personal hardship, economic downturns, and political uncertainties. Developed by the same team that wrote the bestselling Random Acts of Kindness, Contagious Optimism is written to lift hearts, open minds, and create a movement of pass-it-on hope and happiness.

Jupiter Life featured an article on David and Contagious Optimism, exploring the inspiration behind the book and giving tidbits from the inspirational stories of contributors like Mona Tippins.

Join David on his tour at these events in Northern and Southern California:

9/19 7pm, Books Inc., Alameda, CA
9/21 1-3pm, Agape Quiet Mind Bookstore, Culver City, CA
9/25 7am, The Inside Edge, Irvine, CA
9/25 4-5:30pm, Mystic Journey Bookstore, Venice, CA
9/25 7pm, Barnes and Noble 3rd St. Promenade, Santa Monica, CA

What people are saying about Contagious Optimism:

"Contagious Optimism is an inspiring invitation to change your life through a change of perspective. Mezzapelle's collection of stories and various viewpoints spurs our imagination of what's possible to create a happy and successful life. A highly persuasive book I full-heartedly recommend."
—Andrea F. Polard, PsyD

"Learn how you can experience true happiness and fulfillment despite life's greatest challenges as you read the stories of those who have chosen to see that glass half -full."
—Chloe JonPaul, author of This Business of Children

 PDF Print

Creating your path to inner peace:

Maggie Oman Shannon Champions the Importance of Creating  in a Busy and Often Chaotic World:

The author of Crafting Calm and interfaith minister shares her philosophical take on beauty.

• 

Maggie Oman Shannon, author of Crafting Calm

Ultimately, connecting to our creativity can help us connect to our spirituality. In other words, crafting can become a spiritual practice."

— Psych Central

(PRWEB) June 11, 2013

Interfaith minister Maggie Oman Shannon claims that cultivating and noticing beauty is far from frivolous. In her new book Crafting Calm, she relates personal stories and step-by-step how-to's on DIY projects that help people get in touch with their spiritual side. As she explains on Inspire Me Today, "There is always something lovely to be found, always; and the search for it or deliberate creation of it is never frivolous. John Keats was right: Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty." When most of the world is determined to shut down creativity in favor of being "realistic" or practical, Maggie Oman Shannon's is one of the lone voices encouraging people to put busyness on pause and focus on small, simple moments of peace and beauty.

Oman Shannon has also recently appeared on the the popular podcast Tranquility du Jour with Kimberly Wilson. The two experts discuss how to make time for crafting in the midst of a busy schedule, and talk about the importance of finding a few moments for peace. As a mother with a jam-packed schedule herself, Oman Shannon knows from experience how hard scheduling time for calmness can be. But, as she so boldly states, the active and mindful focus on beauty is a "political statement" and a "spiritual practice," and the inner peace it can bring is well worth the effort.

Rev. Maggie Oman Shannon, M.A., is an interfaith minister, spiritual director, workshop and retreat facilitator, and author of five books, including Prayers for Healing and A String and a Prayer: How to Make and Use Prayer Beads. In 2000, Maggie Oman Shannon founded The New Story, a coaching and consulting business focused on helping people create deeper meaning in their lives. Shannon currently has the honor of serving as Spiritual Director of Unity Spiritual Center of San Francisco. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and nine-year-old daughter.

 PDF Print

A proud publishing moment for Viva Editions:

Kaufman Shares his Inspiring Story of Triumph Over Alcoholism and Trauma

Award-winning literary star Alan Kaufman celebrates the release of "Drunken Angel" in paperback with special appearances.

• 

Drunken Angel by Alan Kaufman

"[An] addictive memoir of self-destruction, recuperation and a literary coming-of-age."

—Kirkus Reviews

(PRWEB) April 03, 2013

Son of a French Holocaust survivor, Kaufman drank to fill the huge hole in his heart, wrecking himself and everyone in his path. His memoir Drunken Angel recounts with raw power and naked candor his descent into the hell of alcoholism while struggling to cope with his traumatic past. Alan Kaufman will share his story at the Jewish Community Center in Palo Alto on April 15th (see below for details). For those who cannot attend this special event in person, Kaufman will also be sharing his message on April 6 on KGO AM 810, from 8:05-8:30pm.

Alan Kaufman Bay Area Events:
April 15 7:30pm In Conversation at the Albert L Schultz Jewish Community Center, Palo Alto
April 11 7:30pm Books Inc., Opera Plaza, San Francisco
April 17 5:30-7:30pm "Spring into Recovery" at the Henry Ohlhoff Recovery Center, 201 Mission Street, SF

In his memoir, Drunken Angel, Alan Kaufman recounts his experiences as the son of a French-Jewish Holocaust survivor, probing the consciousness of an addict to expose the true horror of alcoholism. In no other book do addiction, PTSD and The Holocaust cross paths and combine to produce profound new questions, vistas, and insights into the seemingly intractable malaise that haunts contemporary life. This ultimately uplifting narrative of loss, addiction and redemption is one of the first memoirs by a Second Generation Holocaust writer to address how alcoholism, his Jewish lineage and the Holocaust intersect, raising haunting new questions about how deeply both the Holocaust and addiction lie at the very nexus of our contemporary world.

A literary star and award-winning author, Kaufman is the editor of such critically acclaimed books as Jew Boy (now being made into a motion picture), The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry, Matches, The Outlaw Bible of American Literature, publisher of the short-lived but zeitgeist-changing iconoclastic Jewish underground mag Davka: Jewish Cultural Revolution, and founder and acting dean of The Free University of San Francisco. His books and activism have earned the praise of everyone from David Mamet and Dave Eggars to The New York Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, Publisher’s Weekly and The Los Angeles Times. His literary works are considered classics of their kind.

 PDF Print