The Robe of Love

Book excerpt: “Irresistible. A major force in the renaissance of storytelling in America.” —New York Times “The Robe of Love takes us straight to the heart singing, glorious reminding us in story after story that no matter who we are—unschooled or learned, young or old – we must make the journey, no matter how difficult. And if we do so faithfully, the deepest love of life waits for us with open arms.” —China Galland, author of Longing for Darkness: Tara and the Black Madonna Acclaimed story teller Laura Simms gives us a rich tapestry of tales that unveil the secrets of love in all of its forms. Passionate, riveting, often humorous, these stories of emotional, physical, and spiritual love come from a variety of traditions, including Celtic, Inuit, Persian, Hindu, Jewish, and African. As meaningful today as when they were first told her evocative, retellings of these tales of the mysteries of the heart lead us to many faces and profound requirements of love. “A varied and subtle collection of stories, both wise and intensely engaging, on the profound instructions of love.” —Goia Timpanelli, author of Sometimes the Soul and Tales from the Rood of the World “One can never know what love will look like or what form it will take. Each of these fourteen stories is a passage to love with its own perils and triumphs, disappointments, and miracles. It is in the power of story to remind us what we have forgotten, what we need to remember to restore our hearts.” —Terry Tempest Williams, author of Refuge, Red, and Leap Laura Simms is an internationally renowned storyteller, author, and recording artist whom Maori elders call “as good as our grandparents.” She is the author of the award-winning children’s book, Rotten Teeth (Houghton Mifflin) and the spoken word recording The Gift of Dreams (Sounds True) which Publishers Weekly called “spellbinding,” among other books and recordings. A contributing editor to Parabola magazine, she is co-chairman of the National Healing Story Alliance, and has served as artist-in-residence at New York City’s Lincoln Center for the Arts.