Today I received a link to a recently completed video of a 20 minute interview with me about my time living on hippie communes, conducted by Kip Baldwin of S.O.U.L Documentaries, and recorded at the 50th Anniversary of the Summer of Love Academic Conference in downtown San Francisco in the last week of July, 2017.
Loved this interview, Alicia! You are always so observant and articulate, it’s such a pleasure to hear our experience at Wheeler’s Ranch encapsulated so accurately. It was all about taking the cement out of our lives, with the abrasion of man-made accoutrements removed … no street lights, no sidewalks, no lawns, no rules… and we found a natural order was already in place, buried by Man’s heavy footprint. We could see at night by moonlight, we could sense a gathering, and it grew on its own, which is the way I remember sweat lodges… mostly on full moons… ( Helene dancing) and more… friendships still bonded today… though some important clairvoyants have moved on… would love to see you…
Sally French Fine Artist Kalaheo, Hawaii ___________________________________________________________
I wanted you to know that your S.O.U.L. interview brought tears to my eyes. Tears of joy, not sadness. Incredible that you are still able to tell the story. And the interviewer really didn’t get it, in my opinion! Blew me away that your cousin was married to John Fahey as he has always been one of my favorite guitar players and most people don’t even know about him.
Barbara Light Lacey Singer-songwriter and Author Dallas, Texas
The herb and spice chart from Living on the Earth is available printed on an apron in English or in French.
Top row: “Hippie Hill” post card drawing from 1970, “You are Loved” painting from 2005, “Falling Star” ink and watercolor pencil painting from How to Make Peace, from 2003.
You can browse the entire Indigo With Stars online shop here. There are style and color variants on some of these products, plus some are printed in and shipped from the UK or the EU.
Ramón Sender Barayón and Alicia Bay Laurel play a medley of folk songs as the finale of the movie, “Living on the Earth – The Musical.”
I like having a container for the stories surrounding the movie, “Living on the Earth – The Musical.”
Here is the page where I have posted the professional reviews, the history of the live performance, the story of how the movie came to be made, where my performance costume came from, my other videos on Vimeo, and where to find my and Ramon’s books and music.
Alicia’s poster for her movie, and a photo of Alicia performing the live show upon which the movie is based.
My dear friend, celebrated director/screenwriter SJ Chiro, who, right now, is launching her latest masterpiece, “East of the Mountains,” just took the time to review my first, and most likely, only, movie, “Living on the Earth – The Musical.”
Here is what she wrote:
I watched Alicia Bay Laurel’s one woman show, “Living on Earth – The Musical,” with rapt attention. The 1-hour-47-minute running time flew by.
As a child of her contemporaries, growing up on one of the communes on which Alicia herself lived in her early years, I listened as she unwrapped her history, a history I had never known. Tales of when she was a girl. The experiences which shaped her, including a fraught relationship with her mother.
As children, we only know what we experience of people in the present. I saw adults who had already made the decision to break with their straight, uptight parents and go back to the land, living simply and illegally, eating brown rice and vegetables communally, and walking down long dirt roads with bare feet. This was their present, but how did they get here? And now that they were here, what did living on the land mean to them? What were they eschewing? Why had they created a new paradigm?
Alicia tells the answers to these questions, and more, as she sings and plays her guitar in the style that brought me back to my childhood, her mellow voice, sometimes soothing, sometimes full of energy. I saw a portrait of a strong-willed and clever independent teenager who lit out for San Francisco and eventually made her way North to Sonoma County.
Always energetic and creative, Alicia decided to make a book illustrating Life on the Land. She called it Living on the Earth and it was surprisingly a huge success. As a young woman she was suddenly famous, and had money. A lot more money than most of the people around her. Alicia doesn’t shy away from honestly recounting how this imbalance caused some problems and resentments among her peers, but the show keeps on truckin’.
Soon Alicia is in Hawaii and other locales. The stories keep coming. At one point, she is joined on stage by her great long-time friend and collaborator Ramón Sender Barayón. How beautiful to see two artists who have known each other for so many years, respect each other’s company and make music together.
Some of Alicia’s rawness may shock, some inspire laughter, some elicit “Wow!”s from the audience. That is the glory of the unvarnished truth of a lifetime, and we are so lucky to get to hear all this from the master artist Alicia Bay Laurel.
SJ Chiro Director East of the Mountains Director Lane 1974 lane1974film.com“
East of the Mountains” is available from practically all Video on Demand outlets . It’s poetry in cinema.
The trailer is already available at the same link.
There is a modest paywall of $7.50 US to “rent” the movie for 48 hours.
The movie will remain available on Vimeo for a few years, at least.
The autumn equinox event will include Q&A with Alicia about the movie (so please see the movie first), as well as about the two new editions of her 50-year-old books, Living on the Earth and Being of the Sun. She might tell some stories that aren’t in the movie, too.
Alicia will create and send (via email) free illustrated, personalized book inscriptions (normally $10 each) for either of these books if purchased from the Indigo With Stars online store during the event.
Please send the names to be inscribed, the email address of the recipient of the inscription page, and any special message you’d like included, to Alicia at alicia@aliciabaylaurel.com
Here is a time zone converter to help determine when the event will occur in your time zone:
Monday! Monday! THIS Monday! I am sooooo excited about this!The truly, utterly divine work of my friend and lifetime shero Alicia Bay Laurel is coming to LIFE in a video. A musical, no less! I would not miss this for the world. Join the celebration!
I watched the trailer, and I think your film is going to be incredible. You are such a wonderful storyteller, as I learned the day we spent walking around the arboretum and talking. And you are so funny! I will watch the movie once it comes out. What a wonderful story about how the movie came about with Luis Olano.
Barbara Light Lacey Author, Singer/songwriter Dallas, Texas
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I loved Living on the Earth and have followed Alicia Bay Laurel a bit, but had not heard of this new work. I count myself incredibly lucky to ended up at Star Mountain, and the amazing communities in the area in the very early eighties. My life was forever changed by those times, and I am so grateful. Thanks for the recommendation.
Kelli Kennedy
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Hi Alicia,
Alan and I watched the movie last week. Wow! I love it! I enjoyed hearing your story and songs. It brought up many memories – a lot was familiar to me, but some was not and your story tied it all together. I’m glad I was able to see it – thanks for sending me the link! Your art is continuing to evolve and expand!
Wonderful Art Kunkin, when he founded the Los Angeles Free Press in 1964.
I first met Art at my first Renaissance Pleasure Faire, when it was still a fundraiser for Pacifica Radio’s Los Angeles station, KPFK, which was the soundtrack of my childhood, growing up with leftist parents in Los Angeles.
A couple of years later, he offered me my first real job – doing graphic layout at the Freep in the summer of 1966. There, based on conversations with friends also working there, I plotted my course to the Haight-Ashbury, where my real life began.
A letter I sent to these same friends from Ann Arbor, Michigan, which they placed in Letters to the Editor unbeknownst to me, resulted in a write-up by Joan Didion in the Saturday Evening Post in January 1967, titled “Alicia and the Underground Press.”
The no-computer layout skills I acquired at the Freep served me well in creating the first edition of Living on the Earth in 1970.
Art and I remained in touch over the years, and I saw him again when he was in his 90s in Joshua Tree, California.
Movie poster for Living on the Earth – The Musical
Soon Alicia will be screening her movie, “Living on the Earth – The Musical,” not only from its home page at Vimeo On Demand, but on this very page, as well.
A 5-minute video synopsis of Ramón Sender Barayón’s and Alicia Bay Laurel’s celebration of freedom to choose one’s own spiritual path, with suggestions of practices and projects that have given them joy, including immersion in nature, making music on homemade instruments, and celebrating cycles of light.
Echo Point Books & Media, of Brattleboro, Vermont, expects to release the book in July 2021. Pre-ordering the book is available here.
In 1973, Ramón recorded himself and Alicia performing some of the songs, chants, drone pieces and improvisations in the book. In 2013, Alicia had these archival tapes remastered to create an album, Songs from Being of the Sun.
The original 1973 Harper & Row edition of Being of the Sun is available here.
The Soshisha, Ltd. Japanese language edition is available here.
History and reader comments about Being of the Sun here.
The colors of the cover and interior color illustrations for the 2021 edition are from scans Alicia made in 2019 of the original color artwork she created in 1972, which are more vibrant than the color pallettes used by publishers of other editions.
This video is a sample of the illustrated, handwritten pages of the 50th Anniversary Edition of Living on the Earth, accompanied by my recorded performance of my song “Onward, Onward, Ever Flow,” a song based on a chapter from the Tao Te Ching, which I wrote while living at Wheeler Ranch Commune and writing Living on the Earth, in 1969. I created the video in collaboration with digital designer Karen Tsugawa in November 2020. “Onward, Onward, Ever Flow” is track 12 from my 2015 album More Songs from Living on the Earth.
Buy the 50th Anniversary, 5th English language edition of Living on the Earth here.
After the first four editions of Living on the Earth went out of print, I began selling in my online store the remainders I had previously bought from the publishers. When it became clear that I would run out of books within a year, I began looking for a publisher with whom to collaborate on a new edition, which, coincidently, would be published on the 50th anniversary of the first (Bookworks, 1970) and second (Vintage/Random House 1971) editions.
What I really wanted was a publisher who would allow me to create, for the first time, the digital layouts for the pages and cover, and give me the book designer’s typical control over the ink and page colors, and the paper and cover stock. I was very fortunate to find good collaborators in the friendly people at Echo Point Books & Media in Brattleboro, Vermont. Thank you very much, Marshall Glickman, Fred Lee, Mark Chickering and Anneka Kindler!
My digital graphic skills were limited, but I was coached over Zoom by the excellent digital designer, Karen Tsugawa, who I first met when we both had art in a group exhibition in Osaka, Japan, in 2019. Every new skill I learn from her brings me joy.
People ask me how the 5th edition is different from the first four editions. Here is how:
1. We decided to omit most of the appendices, because the information in them becomes outdated from one edition to the next. Most of the information in the appendices is easy to find on the Internet.
2. I wrote a new preface, explaining how, where and why I began creating this book.
3. Greg Castillo, a professor at the school of architecture at University of California at Berkeley, wrote a new foreword for the book. Greg, one of the curators of the Hippie Modernism exhibition at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) in 2016 and 2017, as part of the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love in San Francisco, included Living on the Earth in the exhibition, and has written academic papers discussing the value and message of this book. I am very grateful for his support of my work, and also very happy to call him a friend.
4. The pages are wonderfully opaque. This really shows my artwork to advantage. Thank you, Fred Lee, the production manager at Echo Point Books & Media, for finding this excellent paper, and even finding one that is sustainably sourced.
5. I went back to the original back cover design, from the first edition, with a list of the subjects covered in the book. This seems more useful to readers than a display of a series of rave reviews on the back cover, as we had on the third and fourth editions. If you are curious about what was written on the back cover of the fourth edition, I have posted it below.
Front cover, Living on the Earth, 50th Anniversary, 5th English language edition, Echo Point Books & Media, 2021Back cover, Living on the Earth, 50th Anniversary, 5th English language edition, Echo Point Books & Media, 2021Back cover of the Gibbs Smith, Publisher 4th edition, from 2003
Reader Responses:
Ray Mungo wrote a love letter to Alicia Bay Laurel when Living on the Earth first came out. The radical simplicity and sophistication of her vision, page after page, enchanted us on Total Loss Farm. Luckily, ABL visited and lived with us for a time in the frozen north, the start of lifelong friendships. The children who used the pages as a coloring book have children of their own. LTE had a huge influence of book publishing. They called the oversized paperback “the Alicia Bay Laurel format.” In this pandemic year of loss and climate catastrophe, Alicia’s lyric vision is a consolation for our “over-civilized,” disconnected nation.
Verandah Porche Poet, teacher, community leader Guilford, Vermont
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As for reviewing your book, I am positively behind that. It truly is one of my favorites.
I am so happy to hear about the new 50th Anniversary publication of Living On The Earth. I love my yellowed, weathered copy of the original, and am thrilled that readers of my novel will have easy access to your vision and sage advice. I hope you enjoy my book.
Greg Castillo Professor at University of California at Berkeley School of Architecture
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The book arrived and it is marvelous! congratulations! And thank you for reissuing this for another generation. It is SUCH a beautiful book. A treasure of beauty and awareness.
Thrilled! Just in time for a New Moon in Pisces seed planting time. It’s as gorgeous as ever!
Jodi Paloni Author Maine Coast Writers Workshops
My favorite page:
Jodi, I was at one of Stephen Gaskin’s Monday Night Class lectures when he said this. ABL
I got your book today.. thank you so much.. it’s like a time portal.. the hippie handbook of my youth.. sure doesn’t seem like 50 years ago.. but then it could be 100 years ago.. surprising how little has changed .. but then everything has changed .. I can see why your sales have been good this year.. something for everyone in there..a great and handy lockdown companion.
Mahalo and take care. Aloha, Diane Burr Chef and Gardener Haiku, Maui
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This book got me though the biggest challenges of my life.
Christopher Carnrick Chef and television personality Naples, Florida
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There is a better way to live on this sweet planet and we can find it as we dance, sing, make candles, plant gardens. Even if you don’t have a garden you can still learn something in this wonderful book. Over the years I’ve owned 3 copies and given it as a gift more than once.
Patricia Harman Best-selling novelist, former commune dweller, and former nurse midwife
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This book was a formative book of my youth, published when I was 9. I am so excited to see it is available again! It was a source of enchantment and homesteading fantasies – not just its content, but for the transporting drawings and hand-written text. It is both magical and practical – it’s instructions for simple and sustainable living relevant still. I credit this book with my ongoing interests in earth friendly architecture, healing arts and community systems, and treasure my stained old copy as other books head off to the library sale. This one is staying forever.
My most favorite book ever. It’s a road map on how to live naturally and be happy.
Vincent Dembinski Ingleside, Illinois
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The video looks great, and captures the feeling of your wonderful book. My sister and I adored the 1st edition of Living on the Earth, and you definitely influenced our views on the right way to live. I can’t believe it is now 50 years later!
I love the fact that I read and enjoyed the first edition of Living on the Earthin 1970. And now I’ve had the chance to meet you 50 years later. A real pleasure and honor.
Mark Chickering | Project Development
ECHO POINT BOOKS & MEDIA, LLC (publisher of the 50th anniverary edition of Living on the Earth)
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Hi Alicia,
I just wanted to say that your book arrived today! I have only read through the first few pages, but already it is reawakening my desire and excitement to pare everything I own down to what can fit in a van and set off to explore the country! The illustrations are so beautiful, as are the words. Thank you for creating such a lovely and useful resource. Everything is blooming here in central Missouri and I can’t wait to use the earth’s many spring offerings to try out the recipes and guides from your book. It could not have arrived at a more perfect time.
Samantha Leal Studied intentional communities at university and planning to visit some! Columbia, Missouri
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Breezily and refreshingly original, educated a generation in the art of living hip, transmitted by a true hippie pioneer who was THERE at the exact right time to experience it all, the dawning of the Age of Aquarius. A must have for any library.
Stephen
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Fun, beautifully illustrated, and full of fascinating and very useful information. An absolute must have in your home library — for generations to come.
MGS
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A lifetime ago, this beautiful book was bought for me to celebrate the freedom of the seventies! May it continue to inspire a new group of young people with its simplistic yet meaningful message. Live and respect our earth!
Susan Wexler Retired School Counselor Worchester, Pennsylvania
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Your book has arrived! It’s simply lovely! I liked the instructions on sauerkraut, as I had been thinking I might try it. Nut milk. I’ll be reading it some more. And I see the new addition to the book! That has information I have been wanting.
Cherryl Chow Author Milpitas, California
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I’m just realizing my need to invest in the future beyond me. So, now my daughter’s little family and I are planning how best to transform the family property into our food source. The first thing that comes to mind is my fairly new copy, (because my old one was 47 years old and quite frankly falling apart), of Living on the Earth. Good place to start.
Elaine Marie Noel Oceanside, California
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I love Alicia Bay Laurel…her book contributed so much to my life when it came out..I still have my 50-year-old copy, which is basically in tatters because it traveled with me everywhere, and also another newer edition from early in the 2000s. Far cry from my urban industrial home girl vibe, but it resonated so deeply….was a guiding force in me moving to Marin too. So cool that she sent you an inscription for your new copy. And awesome that it is still in print…♡♡♡
Lindsay Forbes Ann Arbor, Michigan
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This timeless, classic, magical book was my bible to natural living when I was a teen. I had a copy of the original printing of this book, and the wonderful drawings, the ideas, the simplicity and beauty and love for the Earth that Alicia put into it, is a true gift to the world. It touches the human heart, and harkens us back to a way of life that I feel is so needed in the world today!
I love this book. This timeless handbook continues to inspire. The whimsical line drawings are masterful in their simplicity.
Leslie Arwin Medical Doctor and Horsewoman Ann Arbor, Michigan
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I STILL have my well-used and much-loved copy of Alicia Bay Laurel’s original 1970 edition of LIVING ON THE EARTH on my bookshelf. I finally met Alicia in person in 2000, when she performed for Earth Day in San Diego. She graciously signed my book, which I had been carrying around for thirty years.
Linda Joy Lewis Vegan Chef and Cookbook Author Earth Angel Kitchen Jacksonville, Florida
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What a gorgeous book! Love that it’s getting reprinted. Congrats!
Leigh Birdmoon Medeiros
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Thank you so much for creating such a wonderful work of art. I’d wanted this book for many years and am so happy it is finally part of my library!
Eleanor Whiteley Berlin, Germany
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I bought my first copy of Living On the Earth way back in the early 70s when I was 17 years old. It’s concepts and values influenced me so strongly and shaped my early adult life. My life ended up going in another direction for a time, but 50 years later, I’ve found my way back. The 50th anniversary edition is as relevant today as it was back then. It feels like reuniting with a past lover.
Peter Glatz Bertha Bus Gypsy Wagon Cuisine Eclectic fine dining in a school bus!
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Buy this book.
So happy to know that this amazing book is in print. It’s a family treasure.
Amazon Customer April 7, 2021
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I lent my friend my copy of Living on the Earth a year ago and she decided she couldn’t live without it! She just adores it! Not long after getting her own copy, she actually switched to vegan eating and holistic living!
Alicia Bay Laurel Moore Ashlock Johnstown, Colorado
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I bought a copy of Living on the Earth directly from Alicia’s site after seeing a post you [Beth Owl’s Daughter] made a few years ago about books that you found life-changing. I instantly adored this book! Her drawings are enchanting and the information so important. It was so cool to see it in Melbourne as part of the Revolutions exhibit for being an icon of the back to the earth movement in the ’60s.
Christine Candora-Hickey
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I just wanted to reach out and say that I recently had an amazing thing happen regarding your book Living on the Earth. I found and purchased my first copy almost 20 years ago and quickly fell in love. I would take it with me everytime I would move around, and unfortunately I lost it after a terrible breakup almost 10 years ago, along with most of my possessions. Fast forward to the present, where in conversation someone mentioned how neat it would be to have a handwritten field guide of sorts for simple living/homesteading. I immediately remembered your book, and tried my best to describe it and even googled some of the images to share. 4 days later, a friend that lives almost 2 hours away randomly showed up with a gift. It reminded him of me he said, and then produced a copy of Living on the Earth. I was stunned. He had no way of knowing that I had been discussing this book much less my heartache over losing it. Your guide influenced my life in so many ways as a young adult trying to find my way in a mostly uptight southern Indiana town where I struggled to find a community or peers who shared these interests. Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom and being such an inspiration in my life. I have built a business doing design/sewing from my home and am actively working on my homestead to this day! Shine bright, beautiful, and thank you for taking the time to read.
This book is a major touchstone for me, having poured over it as a wee child endlessly. Thank you, Alicia Bay Laurel, for having the brilliance to create this monumental manual to life! So happy I finally found a copy several years ago…I read it often. Amazing illustrations! Thank you for showing me how to sew and remake clothes from my earliest years, Alicia! You rock!
E Georges Grinnell
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I still have a copy of that book — I cherished it all the way from the ’70s til now. That book reminded the out-of-the-box wild child me that I was not alone, and that loving trees and playing music and dancing in the sunshine and looking up at the blue sky was the worthiest thing I could possibly do with my life…
Part of Laura Clayton Baker’s epic blog post, “In Appreciation of Trees” on her site, “Painting-Box.” Laura is an interior designer in Santa Monica, California, who I met through Verandah Porche.
Thank you, Alicia. I still have my original first edition book, and was overjoyed to send the 50th Anniversary edition to two of my grown granddaughters.
Seasons Greetings (and Happy Anniversary ) and to a Bright and Healthy and Joyous New Year
I think about how you held on all these years to the best of what our generation imagined, not only in your writing, but also through your music and your art (painting and drawing), giving us purity and a return to nature that now is the only option. I find that prophetic.
[When he met you, Kurt] Vonnegut missed a chance to realize a joyful, loving, hope-filled daughter of his own childrens’ generation.
Dale Murphy Teacher and author Sarasota, Florida _____________________________________________________
Alicia Bay Laurel, I just showed your book to my youngest daughter. She’s 14. She loved it. Now she wants to collect books on those topics. She was comparing your handwriting to her own. She’s trying out different ways to make letters to give them more of her own style. She’s one of those kids that nearly didn’t get cursive at school, only printing. There was just no way I was going to let them not learn it. Too much actual first-hand history is in cursive. That’s absurd to allow a generation to come of age and cursive is no more readily understandable than ancient Hieroglyphics.
Anyway, my kids, they don’t have a very high opinion of what they consider “hippies” from what they experienced in Hawai’i. Lot of “crazy,” “drainbow.”
I’ve told them it used to be different, but you know, “yeah, right dad…” lol.
My youngest two really enjoyed the way you made your book & what it covers. They thought it was really cool.
I’m glad.
Michael McNally
Michael, I discovered Living on the Earth at 15 or 16 years old just after Allison’s killing [Allison Krause, one of the four students murdered in the Kent State Massacre]. Alicia’s book saved me and remains a cornerstone of my life view today. Your kids know the real thing when they see, read and explore it!
Laurel Krause Allison Krause’s sister, and founder of the Allison Center for Peace Co-founder and director at the Kent State Truth Tribunal
Laurel Krause, your story is a powerful affirmation of the healing power of that book (although I did not recognize this while I was creating it!) Come to think of it, I DID notice that whenever I focussed on getting the book done, miraculous offers of help would arrive, and whenever I got distracted from working on it, I felt miserable. Living on the Earth has been a force to be reckoned with from the beginning.
Alicia Bay Laurel Author/visual artist/singer-songwriter/storyteller/freelance fairy godmother
Dear Alicia, in the turbulent early 1970’s, your book “Living on the Earth” was my shelter in the storm. A blueprint of a world I longed to be part of. Your words and pictures were my “how to” guide when all was lost. Thank you so much
What a lovely surprise! Basically Books, a treasure trove of a bookstore, serving Hilo, Hawaii, since 1985, is now stocking the newest edition of Living on the Earth!
New copies of the 50th Anniversary edition of Living on the Earthat Basically Books
Growing up, several seminal books helped pave the way to my adult self. One was Alicia Bay Laurel’s “Living on the Earth.” The lifestyle she illustrated was especially enchanting to me, but it was also her simple line drawings that caught and held my attention. I hold her work with Matisse’s or with Jean Cocteau’s for conveying much with only a simple line. Now so many years later, we are Facebook friends, and she is every bit as delightful and wonderful as I imagined she was, all those many years ago.
Terri Van Orman Executive director at Folklore Village Former Executive director at Arkansas Craft School Former Director of Craft Programming at Ozark Folk Center Acolyte in the temple of Beauty _____________________________________________________
We both have Big Anniversary Reissues coming out this year! Congratulations on Living on the Earth’s return. Oh, how I adored this book when it first came out! I was 16…
Alicia Bay Laurel: Congratulations on your anniversary editions as well. Your cookbooks are legendary and award-winning. I love your recipes!
I love your work so much, Alicia Bay Laurel! I am a secondhand bookshop owner and I have a wonderful personal collection of your books. Thank you for all the joy.
Sarah Tooth Owner, Blackwood Books Adelaide, Australia ___________________________________________________
Today Fiona stayed home from school and we read Living on the Earth together!!! A magical moment!
I was wearing your shirt and she was asking me about it so I pulled out the book and she was fascinated, of course!
Gwendolyn Sanford Film and television composer, singer-songwriter Los Angeles, California
Gwendolyn Sanford and her daughter Fiona, September 2022
Dearest Alicia, your book is changing my soul. It actually found me. It’s so mystical and the art is absolutely astonishing. It couldn’t have arrived at a more sacred time. Thank you!
I’m so grateful to have your book. My kids and I just moved to West Virginia and your book found us in a little town called Hinton. We were at a festival. It spoke to me. Your art is much like mine. Thank you so much for sharing your gift.
I haven’t really put this book down since it found me. It definitely speaks to me.
Nicole Vidal Artist _____________________________________________
When I was just a young sprout, your book was so inspirational to me, and it helped me to survive. Thank you.
Simone Pattingale Victoria, British Columbia
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I can’t ever begin to thank you for all the inspiration you have been to so many and especially to myself with your creative mind, incredible insightful observations, and exquisite truly honestly drawings and paintings.
Margo S. Torelli Clemson, South Carolina
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I just replaced “Living On The Earth”, which went missing in my college years koff-koff years ago. For half a second I was disappointed that it wasn’t a vintage, antique copy… now I’m happy to see that it’s an ongoing project.
Ken Miller Intern at Conjectural Technologies Libation Bearer at Tröegs Independent Brewing Poltergeist at Abandoned psychiatric hospital
Centralia, Pennsylvania
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Just wanted to make sure you know I received the books promptly, I appreciate you sending them so fast after your travels. 🙂
Have already sold several more copies & I am just so thrilled to have them in the shop! It brings me, and many others great joy! THANK YOU so much again for everything!! ♥️
Hope you are having a great summer! Sending lots of LOVE!
Wow! What an honor, and how exciting to receive a message from you. I have an original copy of your book that I found at my grandmother’s house (may have been my aunt’s), and I’ve started to gift copies to friends. It felt like a divine gift from God to stumble upon your amazing, one-of-a-kind treasure chest of practical information which doubles as artwork and a conversation piece. Living on the Earth should be a textbook in schools!! I’m looking forward to hanging the posters in my 1853-built home alongside all my antiques and family heirlooms. Nothing store bought/mass made here!!
Chelsea Morrison Holland, Michigan
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Hey Alicia,
I run a small zine called abracadabra! with Maddy Underwood which orbits around notions of magic in its myriad manifestations.
I have long been deeply mystified and inspired by your originality and creativity for years, and wanted to pass along my admiration for your writing and illustration, and let you know what an influence you’ve had on my own personal creativity over the years. It would be such an honor to feature you in an upcoming issue of our little magazine.
May the powers of manifestation be on your side today.
I’m David, a member of The Bookish Wanderers Book Club. Today, Carmen introduced your timeless book, Living on the Earth, to our community, and the way she spoke of it stopped us in our tracks. She told us this isn’t just a manual, it’s a manifesto, a way of life, and an inspiration that has guided generations.
From recipes for lavender soap and huckleberry jam to lessons in woodcarving, natural healing, gardening, and music, Living on the Earth radiates something rare: the power to nurture both body and spirit. It is more than pages filled with cursive script and drawings, it is a work of art that opens doors to freedom, simplicity, and connection with nature. Carmen explained how your book doesn’t impose rigid rules but invites readers into a way of being that is authentic, beautiful, and enduring.
We trust Carmen. She has a history of guiding us to works that don’t just entertain but transform, and because of her discernment, our admin didn’t simply suggest we take her recommendation seriously—he insisted we reach out to you directly.
As is our tradition, when a book with this kind of legacy enters our circle, we seek to hear from its author. Because when you share your story, your vision, and your journey, our discussions become more than reflections—they become connections.
With Living on the Earth, we know there is more at stake than conversation. There is a chance to carry forward the wisdom, warmth, and artistry that have inspired readers for decades. And when The Bookish Wanderers extend an invitation, it is never casual. It is a door opening to something lasting.
With respect and anticipation,
David
The Bookish Wanderers Book Club
Where stories find their people, and readers find their journey.
Sent to Alicia on September 10, 2025 __________________________________________________________
Hi Alicia,
I recently revisited Living on the Earth and it felt like opening a window into both history and harmony. What struck me most is how alive the book still feels, even fifty years later. The hand-drawn illustrations, the handwritten text, and the sense of gentle instruction create an experience that is part guide, part meditation. It is as if every page breathes with the same simple joy and reverence for nature that first inspired it.
Reading it today, I was amazed by how much of what you shared in the early 1970s became the foundation for ideas that now define sustainability and mindful living. It feels less like a manual and more like a conversation across generations, reminding us that creativity, simplicity, and spiritual awareness are all connected.
I am curious what it felt like for you to revisit and publish the 50th anniversary edition. Did it bring back memories of the original creative process, or did it feel more like seeing your younger self speak freshly to a new time?
Thank you for creating a book that continues to radiate authenticity and peace. Living on the Earth is more than a guide to self-sufficiency — it is an invitation to live consciously, lovingly, and free.
Warmly, JUDE JAY Jakarta, Indonesia
Sent to Alicia on October 28th, 2025
Hello Jude Jay,
Thank you so much for your lovely message about Living on the Earth! I’m so glad to hear that you are appreciating it!
When I worked on publishing the 50th anniversary edition, I felt as if I were collaborating with the younger person I was then, and I was mindful not to override her spirit in this work.
Over the last two years, I have been collaborating with her again. In 1974, at age 25, she started writing and illustrating a graphic novella about a utopian world in the 22nd century, inwhich humans live in telepathic rapport and mutual benefit with the plants.
In 2024, at age 75, I began to work on the book again, again being careful to maintain its originator’s free and natural spirit, while adding some of what I have learned in the decades in between. I will be releasing it soon. The publishing company is a multi-media company I founded called Indigo with Stars, Inc.
The title is Eartha & Aetherias: A Fairy Tale from the 22nd Century.
I am attaching an illustration from the book that depicts an ecovillage in Hawaii, 150 years from now.
I’m just finishing up the covers and the details for self-publishing.
All blessings to you, and thank you for writing to me!
) and to a Bright and Healthy and Joyous New Year
Alicia Bay Laurel 
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