from Light on Light magazine publications
an imprint of Sacred Stories Publishing

Light on Light Press is an imprint dedicated to interspirituality–the sacred ground upon which all religious and wisdom traditions intersect and share their deeper unity of experiences. The concept of interspirituality was founded by inter-religious pioneer Wayne Teasdale, beloved today around the world as “Brother Wayne.”
“It acknowledges the integrity, gifts and resources of all traditions, while recognizing their commonalities in ethics, ideals and global purpose,” according to Dr. Kurt Johnson, cofounder of the imprint.
Light on Light Press aims to continue this interfaith dialogue by publishing the contemporary works of both sacred and secular thought leaders whose messages perpetuate an engaged spirituality that fully embodies our beliefs, respects our differences, and inspires us to compassionate action.
The imprint accepts submissions that focus on:
1. Interspirituality and the diverse interfaith landscape.
2. World Wisdom Traditions and works about the world’s faith and wisdom traditions, especially new and important movements and initiatives, that are built on both intellectual integration and direct experience.
3. The Global Paradigm Shift to include writings by sacred and secular thought leaders who have prominence and influence in the current global paradigm landscape, as well as fresh voices that are birthing a more benevolent world and altruistic humanity.
4. Spiritual Practice and Inspired Lifestyle and includes content about awakening, self-help, spiritual practice, lifestyle, memoir, spiritual fiction, wisdom, arts and more that accommodate all human experience, knowledge and capacities.
5. Humanity’s New Story includes works on the living, evolving, guiding narrative illuminating the connectedness of all life, the wholeness of all creation, and the interrelationship of science and spirituality, that is leading us toward a just and peaceful world.



Light on Light Press leadership and associates: left to right: Kurt Johnson PhD, Managing Director; Robert Atkinson PhD, Acquisitions Director; Karuna, for the Light on Light family of magazines



Light on Light Press leadership and associates : left to right: Media Hosting; Nomi Naeem MA, Technical Director; Sandra Simon (Chamatkara), Managing Editor, Dharma and Spiritual Practice; Ariel Patricia, Founder and CEO Sacred Stories Publishing and Media.
Light on Light Press
Vision and Mission
from Br. Wayne Teasdale
In his classic book The Mystic Heart: Discovering a Universal Spirituality in the World’s Religions
“We are at the dawn of a new consciousness, a radically fresh approach to our life as the human family in a fragile world.”
“This journey is what spirituality is really about.” “This revolution will be the task of the Interspiritual Age”….“The necessary shifts in consciousness require a new approach to spirituality that transcends past religious cultures of fragmentation and isolation.”
“We need to understand, to really grasp at an elemental level”…. “that the definitive revolution is the spiritual awakening of humankind”….to “forge a common ground and actual impetus toward realization of this dream of a new civilization based on the heart.”
“This new paradigm must be able to accommodate all human experience, knowledge and capacities” “built both on intellectual integration and direct experience” and “make available to everyone all the forms the spiritual journey assumes.”
“Spirituality, finally, is awareness and sensitivity, and sensitivity is itself awareness-in-action. It is these resources that we desperately need as we build the civilization with a heart, a universal society capable of embracing all that is, putting it to service in the transformation of the world.”
“The Interspiritual Age will require institutions and structures to carry, express, and support it.”
Action Areas
The same Br. Wayne Teasdale who named and defined “Interspirituality” then wrote A Monk in the World proclaiming that the spiritual, ethical and moral life cannot be decoupled from “work for justice, the promotion of peace, creating sacred culture, and teaching environmental responsibility and economic sustainability.”
That awareness is implicit in our vision of Light on Light books. Sacred and secular activists identify numerous action areas, all relevant to spirit in action. Among these are poverty, hunger, health and well being, education, gender equality, water and sanitation, clean energy, workplace safety, equality, sustainability and community, responsible production and consumption, climate, peace, justice, and all the partnerships necessary for these needed goals.
Through agreements at the United Nations, 193 nations have embraced similar categories of needed world change. In the spirit of “work is love made visible” (Kahlil Gibran) embracing and accelerating sacred action areas in another major goal of Light on Light.
Founders’ Backgrounds
Kurt Johnson cofounded The Interspiritual Dialogue with Br. Wayne Teasdale in 2002. Kurt is the co-author of the influential book The Coming Interspiritual Age (Namaste 2013), the multi-award winning book Nabokov’s Blues (McGraw-Hill 2000), and Fine Lines (Yale 2015), which won the 2019 Brian Boyd Prize for scholarly writing. Robert Atkinson is author of the Nautilus Award winning book The Story of our Time (Sacred Stores 2016). Kurt and Bob are two of the three co-editors of the high-ranking 2020 book Our Moment of Choice: Evolutionary Visions and Hope for the Future (Beyond Words/Simon and Schuster). Both are members of The Evolutionary Leaders Circle (www.evolutionaryleaders.net) a global circle of over 200 thought leaders dedicated to the same vision and goals as Light on Light. Nomi Naeem joins us from a career in the New York Public Library system and years of active work in the global integral community. Karuna represents the Media Hosting of the Light on Light family of magazines (as Host Editor of Light on Light Magazine) and the VoiceAmerica radio series “The Convergence.” We will be working closely with the editorial staff of Sacred Stories Publishing. Read more about them at https://sacredstoriespublishing.com/team/.



The Coming Interspiritual Age, Our Moment of Choice, and The Story of Our Time
Managing Editors
The team of Managing Editors includes Drs. Kurt Johnson and Robert Atkinson (both Gold Nautilus Award Winners), Nomi Naeem and Sandra Simon (Chamatkara). Kurt, Bob and Nomi specialize in book development and developmental editing across Light on Light’s emphasized book genres. Sandra is Managing Editor for Dharma and Spiritual Practice books. Sandra (Chamatkara) joins Light on Light as a dharma heir of Swami Shraddrananda (see “Departments/ Light on Light Magazines”) where Chamatkara was (and is) Editor in Chief of its Sacred Feet Press. As a dharma heir and certified yogini in the Sacred Feet lineage– and publisher of their important books Mature Interspirituality, The Guru Sutras, and others— Chamatkara joins Light on Light Press to oversee our publications in the areas of dharma, spiritual practice, personal development and the like. Light on Light is so pleased to continue its pioneer work with another major personsage from Swami Shraddrananda’s legacy (https://jefifoundation.org/).
Media Hosting
We look forward to promoting books from the Light on Light Press and Sacred Stories Publishing on our associated media: the Light on Light family of magazines (www.issuu.com/lightonlight) and The Convergence series on VoiceAmerica (https://www.voiceamerica.com/show/2610/the-convergence).


To Authors
Light on Light was created to accelerate numerous positive shifts emerging across the world, and in the realm of books and media. The world needs written and spoken discourse that can accelerate and propel vital paradigm changes, and create vanguards for synergized thought and action reaching beyond traditional boundaries, categories, islands and silos.
The hallmark of our current age is the integration of internal knowledge and skills—or, spirit—with external knowledge and skills like science and technology. Our mission is to accelerate that integration.
In thinking of Light on Light, we’d like you to ask yourself these questions:
- If I am already a successful author, what is the book I haven’t yet written?
- If I am a new author, what is a needed message that I am uniquely gifted to provide?
- Recognizing that synergy is what it’s all about today, how do I vision a book with other leaders in my expertise, to—together—push a paradigm forward?
- If I am working with an innovative, synergetic community, how do we break the bonds of traditional publishing and do something uniquely together?
- If I am a solo author still intending to write alone, how do I bring in synergy from my peers so, together, we can advance a frontier?
- If I recognize the breadth and importance of something emerging on the global stage, how do I conceptualize a book that will bring that awareness and message to the world?
We think these innovative questions apply across the breadth of all four of our series of particular interests: thought leaders, interspirituality, world religions, and spiritual practice and inspired lifestyle.
To suggest a book contact: Kurt Johnson (kurtjohnsonisd@yahoo.com), Robert Atkinson (bob@robertatkinson.net) or Nomi Naeem (nominaeem1@yahoo.com).
We review manuscripts reflecting the priority genres noted above, and others. Special priorities are voices driving the paradigm boundaries of our time and authors and collectives of authors particularly interested in the creative synergies of author partnership.
Along with our focus on publishing books dedicated to interspirituality and our other core genres, the mission of Light on Light Press is to change the way authors work with publishers and publishers work with authors. This means a more integrated, supportive partnership guides all of our book projects to engage authors, publishers, and readers in a more deeply collaborative experience.
This approach requires a mutual exploratory process discussing numerous elements and options in which we get to know each other, allowing us to determine if we want to work together further. After reviewing a full manuscript and envisioning together how it might be developed and produced, we determine if the manuscript is a candidate for a publishing agreement.
This agreement includes the publisher providing the professional book design, publication and worldwide distribution of the book, a generous royalty rate, and the author providing a modest investment toward the author/publisher partnership in an extensive marketing and publicity package. More details are available to authors with whom we initiate this exploratory process.
Light On Light Press Submission Guidelines
We review manuscripts reflecting the priority genres noted below. Special priorities are voices driving the paradigm boundaries of our time.
- Interspirituality and the diverse interfaith landscape.
- World Wisdom Traditions and works about the world’s faith and wisdom traditions, especially new and important movements and initiatives, that are built on both intellectual integration and direct experience.
- The Global Paradigm Shift to include writings by sacred and secular thought leaders who have prominence and influence in the current global paradigm landscape, as well as fresh voices that are birthing a more benevolent world and altruistic humanity.
- Spiritual Practice and Inspired Lifestyle that includes content about awakening, self-help, spiritual practice, lifestyle, memoir, spiritual fiction, wisdom, arts and more that accommodate all human experience, knowledge and capacities.
- Humanity’s New Story includes works on the living, evolving, guiding narrative illuminating the connectedness of all life, the wholeness of all creation, and the interrelationship of science and spirituality, that is leading us toward a just and peaceful world.
If your great idea fits within our 4 categories of interest, we encourage you to send us your proposal by email, following these guidelines:
1. A cover letter within the email including:
- a brief introduction about the book
- how it fits one or more of our priority genres
- how your experience has led to writing this work
- what you primarily want to communicate to others, and
- why this book will be helpful to others.
2. If submitting non-fiction, a full proposal in a Word doc, including:
- an overview of the book, with the current status of the manuscript
- the table of contents (as exists or projected)
- a short paragraph summarizing each chapter or major part
- a brief market analysis with target audience, similar books, and brief assessment of your network of contacts, constituencies, mailing lists, newsletters, etc., relevant to the potential success of your book
- at least two sample chapters
- author bio or vita, including contact info, other published works, and social media links and activity
If submitting fiction, please submit the above cover letter within the email, plus the full manuscript with bio or vita and social media presence.
Many publishers take a month or two to respond to a query or an initial submission. If you keep it simple and follow our guidelines, and if we like #’s 1 & 2 above, we’ll make our response quick, within a week or so, and ask for your full manuscript, or we’ll let you know politely and gratefully that your proposal doesn’t fit at this time.
Be aware that we have a number of additional procedural elements and options we may want to discuss at an appropriate time. Submit to: Kurt Johnson (kurtjohnsonisd@yahoo.com), Robert Atkinson (bob@robertatkinson.net) or Nomi Naeem (nominaeem1@yahoo.com).
October 2020 Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday October 22, 8:00 a.m. ET
Contact: Kurt Johnson (kurtjohnsonisd@yahoo.com)
LIGHT ON LIGHT PRESS DEBUTS AS IMPRINT OF SACRED STORIES PUBLISHING DEDICATED TO INTERSPIRITUALITY AND TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE
Light on Light family of magazines expands to include book publishing
NEW YORK, NY — Humanity is witnessing the dawn of a new consciousness requiring “a radically fresh approach to . . . life as the human family in a fragile world.” So wrote iconic author and inter-religious pioneer Wayne Teasdale, beloved today around the world as “Brother Wayne.” The lifelong calling of this late Catholic monk, writer, activist, and teacher was to forge mutual understanding among the world’s religions and accentuate spirituality, values and ideals around the world.
Continuing the realization of this interfaith dialogue and deep understanding— which Br. Teasdale termed “interspirituality”— will be the mission of a new book imprint dedicated to publishing the contemporary works of both sacred and secular thought leaders whose messages, as Teasdale wrote, “forge a common ground and actual impetus toward realization of this dream of a new civilization based on the heart.”
“Interspirituality is the sacred ground upon which all religious and wisdom traditions intersect and share their deeper unity of experiences,” notes Dr. Kurt Johnson, cofounder of the book publishing imprint. It has been the goal of countless interfaith and interspiritual visionaries before, and since, the life and times of Br. Wayne and many other pioneers known to millions across all of the world’s spiritual and philosophical traditions. “It acknowledges the integrity, gifts and resources of all traditions, while recognizing their commonalities in ethics, ideals and global purpose. The time has come for an engaged spirituality that fully embodies our beliefs, respects our differences and inspires us to compassionate action.”
Dr. Johnson and like-minded colleagues cofounded the Interspiritual Dialogue network (www.isdna.org; www.lightonlight.us) with Br. Wayne in 2002 and, along with many other activities, created the Light on Light family of magazines in 2016.
Light on Light Press titles will focus on:
- Interspirituality: Books encompassing the diverse interfaith landscape that aim to transcend religious cultures of fragmentation and elucidate the deeper unity of experience that is our shared spiritual heritage.
- World Wisdom Traditions: Works from and about the world’s faith and wisdom traditions, especially new and important movements and initiatives that are built on both intellectual integration and direct experience.
- The Global Paradigm Shift: Writings by sacred and secular thought leaders who have prominence and influence in the current global paradigm landscape, as well as fresh voices that are birthing a more benevolent world and altruistic humanity.
- Spiritual Practice and Inspired Lifestyle: Content about awakening, self-help, spiritual practice, lifestyle, memoir, spiritual fiction, wisdom, arts and other themes that accommodate all human experience, knowledge and capacities.
Light on Light Press, an extension of the Light on Light family of magazines (www.lightonlight.us), is an official imprint of Sacred Stories Publishing, an award-winning and best-selling, full-service book publishing, marketing and media enterprise whose vision is to expand awareness, elevate consciousness and inspire lasting transformation by bringing enlightening messages and divine voices into the world.
“We are thrilled to be co-creating this imprint with Kurt and his Light on Light team,” shares Ariel Patricia, founder and CEO of Sacred Stories Publishing and Sacred Stories Media. “We’re honored to help make available to everyone all the forms that a spiritual journey assumes. The world needs this wisdom now more than ever.”
Sacred Stories Publishing is currently accepting submissions of complete and edited manuscripts that fit the above themes. The company offers publishing and worldwide distribution, as well as marketing and publicity support to its authors.
To learn more, visit: https://sacredstoriespublishing.com/lonl/ and https://sacredstoriespublishing.com/submission-guidelines/