Author of the Month - May May 01 2026

Douglas Gerwin: Library Lady’s Author of the Month                                  

Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher  
—Japanese proverb

This combination —  like a planetary conjunction, say, Jupiter conjunct Venus — of one who identifies themes with clarity, and who amends copy with a keen sense of color and efficiency, for a final force of effectiveness. Without the editing and polishing, these themes might be ordinary and without vibrancy. Instead, the themes are ordered and combined to heighten the “ordinary” to the bright and  “exceptional.” 

Douglas Gerwin has edited two fine tomes — one titled, Trailing Clouds of Glory, published in 2015, and another published this year titled In Light of the Spirit. Both are remarkable books. The first collects and polishes the work of several authors to span a topic as demanding as “the changing of relationships of young human beings as they pass through puberty (and what teachers do to help this journey)”. In the second, more recent book, the work of a single individual, John Gardner, is the theme, with a secondary, significant theme of “visionary ideas for the future.”

The caliber of these two books and the strength of the editing make Douglas Gerwin a fine choice as author of this month of May, month of burgeoning life. Waldorf Publications is proud to be publisher and carrier of these two works. Douglas is also the executive director of the Research Institute for Waldorf Education (RIWE), the home of Waldorf Publications. All at RIWE, Waldorf Publications, and the Online Waldorf Library can testify to the power behind the leadership reflecting the same capacities brought to RIWE that he brings to his books. Asking of us, as the teacher he is, to reach as high as we all can, to the planetary spheres!