Author Description

Ria was born innately Earth connected, hearing and heeding Her call for healing Her pain, Finally finding her calling midlife, Ria stewards Cascadian forests with full heart, mind and body. But when her brother was murdered she turned to Earth to heal her distress. Now with the murder trial approaching, she's back in the modern world rehashing it all, lost. Her son Bryan, a hippie world backpacker celebrating life with people in nature, finds his mom lost, paralyzed in grief. He whisks her away to Kauai to escape her worries. Wanting to savor it all, Ria logs reflections of their 'paradise' escapades, rediscovering her former dialectical philosophical self. This free form witty critique ensues, not only speaking to the notion of 'paradise' but exploring the complexion of a culture lost, trapped in its own unhelpful ways, probing potentiality of a path forward, or backward. In this Age of Anthropocene Earth just entered these are the banished thoughts and feelings of an increasing number, and perhaps the subconscious thoughts and feelings of the rest. This reflection just might be requisite critical thinking of a renewed humanity rising.With today's real life dystopian rampant gun killings, climate change, etc., this creative collection written in 'paradise' before Ria's brother's murder trial reflects a human culture rising, longing to explore hard topics of personal and world adversities, seeking hope. Seeing and expressing grief and coping with trauma are somehow pulled off with a light enough heart and straightforward enough tone that her words are not only easily digestible but healing.Ria's personal saga plays out in the context of human and Earth's saga. Through her philosophical critiques she identifies a distinctive niche. Within steadily growing vegan, ecofeminist, anarchist and primitivist cultures is a subculture located where the four overlap. While Hippie Paradise appeals to anyone interested in the four groups, it may be most appealing to folks at this