Caplan, Mariana 1969-

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CAPLAN, Mariana 1969-

PERSONAL: Born June 18, 1969, in Washington, DC. Education: University of Michigan, B.A. (cultural anthropology), 1991; California Institute of Integral Studies, M.A., 1994; Union Institute and University, Ph.D. (contemporary spirituality), 2002. Religion: Jewish. Hobbies and other interests: Travel.

ADDRESSES: Home—Berkeley, CA. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Hohm Press, P.O. Box 250, Prescott, AZ86302. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Educator, counselor, and freelance writer. Worked as reproductive health counselor in San Mateo, CA, 1991-93; certified massage therapist, Fairfax, CA, 1991-95; and bilingual groups counselor at a battered women's shelter in San Anselmo, CA, 1992-93. Family counselor in private practice; lecturer; California Institute for Integral Studies, professor of transpersonal psychology.

WRITINGS:

When Sons and Daughters Choose Alternative Lifestyles, Hohm Press (Prescott, AZ), 1996.

When Holidays Are Hell …!: A Guide to Surviving Family Gatherings, Hohm Press (Prescott, AZ), 1997.

Halfway up the Mountain: The Error of Premature Claims to Enlightenment, Hohm Press (Prescott, AZ), 1999.

The Way of Failure: Winning through Losing, Hohm Press (Prescott, AZ), 2001.

Untouched: The Need for Genuine Affection in an Impersonal World, Hohm Press (Prescott, AZ), 1998, revised edition published as To Touch Is to Live: The Need for Genuine Affection in an Impersonal World, 2002.

Do You Need a Guru?: Understanding the Student-Teacher Relationship in an Era of Fake Prophets, Thorsons (New York, NY), 2002.

SIDELIGHTS: Mariana Caplan once told CA: "I write because I want to communicate a message and, in many cases, to speak the unspoken. Societal pressure to conform and the demands of the writing market understandably influence many authors to write for the market, to write to sell, and in doing so, much compromise is made.

"I write in the hope that even one or two people will be changed by what they read. I write for the readers who can sit quietly in the privacy of their own inner world and be in relationship with what they read. I write in the attempt to express truth, and in doing so to become more and more of that truth.

"My writing has been largely inspired by the years I spent living in small villages in Third World countries: India, Mexico, Costa Rica. In such circumstances, one finds that there are many, many ways to live, and that there is great value in the consideration of alternative perspectives. The subjects I choose to write about are in response to a need that I perceive.

"My writing process involves a complete immersion in the given subject. I am not interested in dragging out a book for five or six years—there is too much else to move on to! Instead, I begin slowly, and then progressively dive into the material at hand. In the last months of any book, I will spend anywhere from ten to eighteen hours a day, seven days a week, in writing. Much like the process of birth, labor in writing is intense, often excruciating, yet ecstatic and utterly fulfilling upon its completion. I wouldn't want to do anything else, and at the same time would be hesitant to recommend it to anyone with a lazy bone in her body!"