David Whyte is an Anglo-Irish poet and philosopher. He has said that all of his poetry and philosophy are based on 'the conversational nature of reality'. Whyte grew up with a strong imaginative influence from his Irish mother, among the hills and valleys of his father's Yorkshire. He now makes his home in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The internationally acclaimed author of twelve books of poetry and four books of prose, David Whyte holds a degree in Marine Zoology and has travelled extensively, including living and working as a naturalist guide in the Galapagos Islands and leading expeditions in the Andes, Amazon and Himalayas. He is a founder of Invitas: The Institute for Conversational Leadership and brings his wealth of experience to his poetry, lectures and workshops, speaking to audiences around the planet. He is the recipient of two honorary degrees.

davidwhyte.com | @davidjwhyte

Maria Popova started Brain Pickings in 2006 as a weekly email that went out to seven friends and which she eventually brought online. The site was added to the Library of Congress permanent web archives in 2012. She has written for the Atlantic, New York Times and Harvard's Nieman Journalism Lab.