Tuesday, March 5
Presentation/Q&A — 7:30 p.m., Page Hall, 135 Western Avenue, Downtown Campus

Wednesday, March 6
Craft Talk on Poetry — 4:15 p.m., Multi-Purpose Room, Campus Center West Addition, University at Albany, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12222

Free and open to the public.

Mark Nepo, bestselling author of 20 books, a graduate of the University at Albany, and a frequent guest on Oprah Winfrey's programs, will join the NYS Writers Institute for a pair of events March 5 and 6.

Nepo will give a presentation at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 5, at Page Hall, 135 Western Avenue, on the University at Albany Downtown Campus.

Nepo will remain in Albany to hold a craft talk on poetry and discuss his recent collection, The Way Under the Way: The Place of True Meeting (2016), at 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, March 6, in the Multi-Purpose Room, Campus Center West Addition, University at Albany Uptown Campus, 1400 Washington Avenue in Albany.

Speaking about Nepo's The Book of Awakening, Oprah Winfrey said, "Mark Nepo is a poet. He's an author and a philosopher and has been through two different cancers. So when he writes, he writes purely from the heart."

Winfrey has said she reads a lesson from Nepos's book daily and, "If we all do it together, we can begin to open our hearts, change the world and begin to have the life you want by being present to the life you have now." Nepo was part of Winfrey’s "The Life You Want" tour in 2014 and has appeared several times with Oprah on her "Super Soul Sunday" program on OWN TV.

His newest book is More Together Than Alone: Discovering the Power and Spirit of Community in Our Lives and in the World (2018). Arianna Huffington calls it "a compelling testament to the power of community to help us lead happier, healthier, and more fulfilling lives. Mark Nepo has given us not only a much-needed message of hope and inspiration, but a practical guide on how to build a better tomorrow, together."

The Way Under the Way received the Nautilus Book Award ("Better Books for a Better -- World"), and Spirituality & Practice magazine named it one of the "Best Spirituality Books of 2016." Speaking of his book, Nepo writes, "This is the medicine of poetry: that through raw and honest reflection, we deepen our conversation with life. The purpose of poetry and expression is to make life real, to remove everything that gets in the way, and to help us live."

Nepo graduated from UAlbany with a Doctor of Arts in English in 1980 and taught in the English Department for 18 years. While at UAlbany and still in his 30s, Nepo was diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma that spread to his brain. His struggles with cancer helped him to form a philosophy of experiencing life fully while facing an unknowable future.

In 2010, Winfrey chose Nepo’s book, The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have (2000), as one of her "Ultimate Favorite Things." The book went on to become a #1 New York Times bestseller. Nepo has also made several appearances with Oprah on her self-help talk show, "Super Soul Sunday."

Some of Nepo’s other recent books include the Nautilus Book Award winner Things That Join the Sea and the Sky (2017), The One Life We're Given (2017), and Inside the Miracle (2015), which was selected by Spirituality & Health magazine as one of the top 10 books of the year.

These events, both free and open to the public, are cosponsored by the University at Albany Foundation and Alumni Association and will be free.

For more information, call 518-442-5620.

The Difference Between Acceptance and Surrender | SuperSoul Sunday | Oprah Winfrey Network

The Day That Changed Mark Nepo's Life Forever | SuperSoul Sunday | Oprah Winfrey Network

Oprah Shares from The Book of Awakening | SuperSoul Sunday | Oprah Winfrey Network