Writings
“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives,” writes Annie Dillard, in The Writing Life. Spending time reading and then acting on ideas found in meaningful writings builds better communities. Ken’s books help foster this as they show us how to “see the world through the lens of shared humanity” while offering “practical wisdom on how to be a better person.”
“Very few books have stopped me in my tracks, made me put down everything I’m doing, and go hug my kids. Be the Good got me in chapter one.” —John O’Sullivan, best-selling author of Changing the Game and Every Moment Matters.
Ken’s books illuminate our innate connectedness while also unmasking forces working against our greater common good. Along with these revelations, his books provide easy-to-implement and immediately impactful action steps for creating more collaborative and compassionate communities. Simply put, Ken’s books inspire powerful present-moment and lasting change. Also, be sure to check out his articles here.
The Art of the Heal (available in 2026)
Advance praise for this upcoming release:
“The Art of the Heal provides a remedy, an escape route, a pathway towards a more meaningful life. It’s a badass endeavor that springs from Ken’s humanitarian heart. His platform of compassion and compelling, personal prose seek to ‘comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable’ through the liberation of our minds and hearts. The Art of the Heal will point you toward the selflessness that is our original nature.” —Mariah Wilson, editor, writer, and banjo enthusiast
The Art of the Heal puts much-needed hope in your heart and tools to change how we see and treat each other in your hands. It calls on each one of us to revive accountability, respect, and trust to fix what ails us. It is filled with encouraging and sobering stories that convey a very straightforward principle: We have an obligation to the planet and to one another to redirect our trajectory and mend the world around us. Now is the time to act on this opportunity and obligation. Now is the time to heal. This book shows you how.
Many books dwell on big problems, suggesting overwhelming solutions to huge challenges. The Art of the Heal takes a different approach. It explores the conditions that have shaped our communities and country and the constraints we have allowed to be imposed on us. It reveals the positive shifts that have already taken place–many in the face of extreme resistance–that have led to remarkable local and global improvements. It also highlights mercy, moxie, and morals as antidotes to damaging political maelstroms and cultural manipulations.
Most importantly, The Art of the Heal presents simple to implement but radically transformative actions for each of us to incorporate in our daily lives, new behaviors that come from an increased awareness of the indelible connection between the spiritual and the material. It promotes shifting one’s beliefs to inspire personal and societal change.
The Art of the Heal can quickly take you from feeling victimized to feeling empowered, from feelings of anguish to feelings of hope, and from frustrated to flourishing, one step at a time.
The Gift of Courage
Ken’s first book, The Gift of Courage, tells poignant and powerful stories of regular yet extraordinary people who courageously live passionate and compassionate lives. It is “one of the good news stories that resonate within every life…that anyone can take to heart.” (Meryl Streep)
Courage is born of the simple desire to do the right thing. It forms when action is taken, even in the face of challenges and risks. Whether putting your life on the line or stepping outside your comfort zone, risk is relative. Acting on your belief is not–it is required. This is courage. When a person accepts and embraces challenge and then takes action–by spontaneous demand or intentional effort–that individual’s unique greatness is revealed and shared with the world.
Some of the people in this book give of themselves through searing experiences far beyond what most of us will ever endure. Others gather courage through prolonged introspection and then take action. The rest find moxie in a moment of chance. In every case, their actions radiate goodness and lift the universe. This is the gift of courage.
The Gift of Courage “is a reminder that our finest moments are when we take those courageous risks to stand up to bullies or take risks on others’ behalf. In a world where we are often disappointed in the lack of courage in our national and local political leaders, this book is a respite. We see the difference everyday heroes can make in the lives of others.” (Geraldine Laybourne, former president of Nickelodeon and founder of the Oxygen network)
Be the Good
Be the Good is an inspiring book that “had me from the nuclear missile opening to tear-jerker movie close. It offers practical wisdom on how to be a better person—and a happier one. Streater is a skillful navigator of the tricky terrain of good, and his timing is exquisite.” (Jonathan Alter, New York Times best-selling author, senior editor of Newsweek magazine, and Emmy Award-winning journalist)
There is far more good in the world than you and I are led to believe. This uplifting and poignant book tells stories of open hearts and kindness in communities from Alaska to Zimbabwe. Each chapter shares an idea, a simple action step, that you can take in order to make your life and those around you better. These ideas are gleaned from experts and ordinary folk, wise elders and energetic youngsters, from humble people, and heart-driven cultures across the globe. They highlight the immeasurable positive impact that each of us can have on others.
These are divisive times–if we allow them to be. We need not conclude that another’s perspective is a reflection of faulty character or a diabolic soul, when it’s simply a difference in perception. We need not harshly label or yell at each other billions of times a day, behavior that screeches opportunities to see goodness to a halt. When we see and do good things, we are changed–even if only in that moment. Our gentler nature arises. Each of us individually can build more compassionate cultures. And in doing so, we create societies that flourish rather than decay.
As described by Thupten Jinpa, founder of the Compassion Institute, best-selling author, and principal English translator to the Dalai Lama, “Now, more than ever, there is a need for people to connect with their better selves and view others and the world through the lenses of shared humanity. Be the Good helps us do this and act from such awareness with action steps that can easily be put into effect right now.”
In addition to the books above, there are many, many writings that are relevant to today’s discord, our fragile planet, and efforts to cure cultural maladies. Consider: Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plants, by Robin Wall Kimmerer; Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others, by Barbara Brown Taylor; and Possible: How We Survive (and Thrive) in an Age of Conflict, by William Ury.
The three R’s: Reading, relaxing, and regarding ideas that connect us and promote our wellbeing