My spring reading list just landed
If you came here hoping for resources to deepen your facilitation skill set, you’re in luck, I’ve got some good ones. And if you landed here looking for fiction recommendations or a podcast exploring the ethics of therapeutic psychedelics, you’re also in the right spot!
As this is the fourth installment of my unofficial book club, I’m guessing by now you’ve realized that I’m a big fan of balancing work and play, professional and personal. These “opposing” dimensions have quite a bit of overlap in the Venn diagram of life. The things we do to become more skilled in our careers usually blend into the ways we navigate life outside of work. And the curiosities, hobbies and leisure activities we explore show up in unexpected ways within our professional interactions.
So, maybe you didn’t come here to learn about psychedelics or even workshop facilitation, but perhaps you’ll be surprised by what you learn if only you give it a try.
1. Holding Change by adrienne maree brown
An excellent read for established facilitators who want to make the workshop experience more inclusive and transformational for their participants. This book is one part manual, one part narrative, and balances specific recommendations for facilitating transformative gatherings with professional and personal stories from brilliant contributors. A concept that really struck me was the idea of holding space for change to happen, similar to how healing is guided (never forced). This book lived up to my expectations in every way, and I appreciated the opportunity to learn from professionals with such rich and inspiring backgrounds. I know I’ll find myself referring back to the content often (my copy has countless dog-eared pages).
2. Facilitating Breakthrough by Adam Kahane
You know you’re into something when you feverishly read, write, notate and hope your flight will last another hour so you can finish the book. This title brought about so many “aha!” moments and put into words many of the subtle ways I work with teams. Kahane shares a perspective that Transformative Facilitation is about removing obstacles to collaboration to create contribution, connection and equity. He also digs into the pros and cons of vertical and horizontal facilitation, and shares his perspective on how Transformative Facilitation brings them together iteratively and intuitively to move teams forward. It’s absolutely worth a read if you’re looking for ways to deepen your facilitation practice.
3. Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
For my fiction fans, I really enjoyed this story of one woman’s examination of suffering, and the struggle to make sense of it. Where do we find answers in the wake of loss and in times of uncertainty? How do we derive meaning from the institutions around us, from science to spirituality? This title felt like a particularly relevant read as our world — and our ability to understand it — becomes increasingly complicated.
4. Cover Story: Power Trip, a podcast from New York Magazine
This investigative podcast examines the emergence of psychedelics for therapeutic use: the good, the bad, and the downright unethical. The big question they seek to answer in this two-part, binge-worthy story is whether psychedelics are helpful or harmful, and what might be required to provide access to these experiences safely. I found it captivating and thought provoking, and think we’ll see the conversation become more prevalent as psychedelics continue to enter the mainstream.