Blue Snake Books
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Berkeley, California BlueSnakeBooks.com
For interviews & background: Linda Holiday
[email protected] (831) 423-8326 voicemail box 3 For publicity info or a review copy: Nick Sanchez,
[email protected] 510.549.4270 ext. 45
NEW BOOK BY LOCAL AUTHOR REVEALS AIKIDO AS A PRACTICE OF PEACE JOURNEY TO THE HEART OF AIKIDO The Teachings of Motomichi Anno Sensei By Linda Holiday “This book is a treasure of wisdom from the heart of a true peacemaker.” —THICH NHAT HANH, Zen master, author of Peace Is Every Step “The teachings of Aikido are truly universal, and thus this book is for everyone. I know it will help guide countless readers on their path to personal and global peace.” —BRANT SECUNDA, shaman and healer in the Huichol tradition SANTA CRUZ, CA. Sept. 2013: NEW BOOK RELEASE! The public is invited to a celebration of the release of the new book Journey to the Heart of Aikido, by local author and internationally known Aikido teacher Linda Holiday, on Saturday, October 5, 6:30-‐9:00 pm, at the First Congregational Church in Santa Cruz. 82-‐year-‐old Aikido master-‐ teacher Motomichi Anno, whose philosophical teachings are featured in Holiday’s book, will travel from Japan to speak at the event. Dr. Richard Strozzi-‐Heckler, John Stevens, Mary Heiny, and other distinguished authors and teachers will give remarks on “The Art of Peace in the 21st Century.” Linda Holiday, chief instructor of Aikido of Santa Cruz for over 30 years, will read from her book, and there will be Aikido demonstrations. Tickets may be purchased online in advance at www.aikidosantacruz.org, www.journeytoaikido.com, or at the door. Admission is $10 (free for children under 12), or $25 for admission plus an autographed book. Copies of Journey to the Heart of Aikido will be available at a discounted price. All proceeds will benefit Aikido of Santa Cruz, a non-‐profit, educational organization. For more book & event info, visit: www.journeytoaikido.com. . Motomichi Anno Sensei is one of the highest-‐level teachers of Aikido in the world today. An 8th degree black belt since 1978, and a direct student of the legendary founder of Aikido, Anno Sensei has inspired thousands of students around the globe with his teachings from the heart. Translated from Japanese and edited by Linda Holiday, Anno Sensei’s teachings on Aikido's essential spirit of love, harmony, gratitude, and purification are conveyed with simple authenticity and eloquence, through discourses on the deep practice of Aikido and candid dialogues with Western students. One of the highlights of the book is the poignant story of Anno Sensei’s life, stretching from his childhood in war-‐torn Japan to his elder years as an international teacher of peace through Aikido. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Author and translator Linda Holiday is one of the world’s highest-‐level female Aikido teachers, with over forty years of experience in the art. A 6th degree black belt, she has taught Aikido professionally since 1976. In 1982 Holiday founded a nonprofit educational organization, Aikido of Santa Cruz, where she continues to teach regularly as chief instructor. She leads seminars in the U.S. and Europe focusing on the heart of Aikido. The book includes a vivid account of Holiday’s adventures in the 1970’s as one of the first Westerners to undergo intensive Aikido training in Shingu, in the remote Kumano region of Japan, leading to the establishment in 1974 of a Sister City relationship between Shingu and Santa Cruz that still thrives today. ABOUT AIKIDO OF SANTA CRUZ: One of the major teaching institutions of Aikido on the west coast of the U.S., Aikido of Santa Cruz is a non-‐profit, educational organization that has served the community of Santa Cruz continuously since 1982. Students ages 6 to over 60 learn the principles of harmony and peace in action. All proceeds of the October 5 book release event will support the educational programs of Aikido of Santa Cruz. Blue Snake Books is distributed worldwide by Random House On sale 09/10/13, ISBN: 9781583946596, $21.95 US, 376 pages, 6x9, Print or ebook