Author · Publisher · Zen Practitioner
Fables, parenting wisdom, and folktales — written where story meets the examined life.
Explore the Books"Even when you can't save your marriage, Paul Mandelstein shows ways you can save your family and your self-esteem." — John Gray, PhD · Author of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus
Books
About Paul
Paul Mandelstein has spent his life at the edge of things — where publishing meets wisdom, where fatherhood meets spiritual practice, where story meets the examined life. He is an author, publisher, teacher, and Zen practitioner who has been asking the deep questions for more than six decades.
As co-founder of The Book Publishing Company, Paul was a pioneering publisher of the natural living movement in the early 1970s — producing some of the first books on vegan cooking, natural home birth, and intentional community living, and originating the For Dummies format with the Big Dummy's Guide to C.B. Radio. As founder of Quantum Publishing, he focused on personal telecommunications technologies until its acquisition by John Wiley & Sons. As founder of the Father Resource Network and author of three books on divorced fatherhood, he has helped families heal. And through Small Wisdoms — a lifetime's distillation into 128 fables — he offers something rarer: a book that reads you back.
Paul is also the creator of a body of new mythology folktales — illustrated stories that reimagine ancient archetypal wisdom experiences for a modern audience, offering sacred narrative outside the boundaries of traditional religion. The Nightingale and the Wind, Queen Emmali and the Enchanted Lute, and Santa's Surprising Adventure are the first works in this ongoing project.
He lives in Bend, Oregon, where he runs Liminal Arts, his independent imprint. He is a devoted father of four, grandfather of four, and a student of life in the fullest sense.
Speaking & Workshops
Paul brings decades of lived wisdom to every room he enters — as a storyteller, a Zen practitioner, and a man who has walked the terrain he teaches. Available for retreats, conferences, and community gatherings.
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Drawing on Small Wisdoms, Paul leads intimate workshops exploring story as a vehicle for self-knowledge — for retreat centers, spiritual communities, and literary gatherings.
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From fatherhood to cooperative co-parenting, Paul speaks to parents navigating family transitions with presence, honesty, and care.
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Grounded in decades of community organizing and contemplative practice, Paul offers workshops on purposeful action and nonviolent social change.
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With a career that helped shape modern popular publishing, Paul speaks to writers and publishers about the evolving bond between authors, ideas, and readers.
Get in Touch
For speaking engagements, workshop bookings, media inquiries, or simply to say hello — Paul reads every message.
[email protected]