Print / eBook Available
Burning Man Co-Founder Will Roger’s second book begins at his home in Gerlach, Nevada as he tells his story and how it shaped his beliefs and practices for living in balance with the Earth and each other. Written to be read in one sitting or as stand-alone essays, Will’s handbook is one-part memoir and one-part how-to guide for cultivating resilience and action through creative and spiritual practices.
Through life stories and examples from works that have inspired his path and daily practices, Will invites readers to cultivate their Art Spirit as a source of knowledge for deepening their connections with others. As we develop who we are instead of who we think we are, our connections to our true selves and other humans both past and present deepens, opening the way toward the paradigm shift we need to make to live harmoniously on this planet Earth, our home.
Contributing art historian, photographer and author, Fred Sigman, writes of the book, “Handbook For A Burning Age is about igniting a fire within us all. Like fire, it is also about illuminating the darkness of a world shaped by a dominant culture that has blinded us to life’s possibilities and even its purpose. Before we can change or reverse our planet’s deteriorating climate, we must first change the climate within our souls.”
The book includes essays by Fred Sigman, a foreword by Chip Conley, and afterword by Rosa JH Berland. Will Roger is also the author of Compass of the Ephemeral: Aerial Photography of Black Rock City through the Lens of Will Roger (Smallworks Press).
Print + eBook Available
Compass of the Ephemeral: Aerial Photography of Black Rock City through the Lens of Will Roger, the first book of aerial and drone photography by cultural co-founder of Burning Man, Will Roger.
Compass of the Ephemeral includes a collection of Will Roger’s photographs chronicling the ever- changing cityscape and transformation of Black Rock City, home to Burning Man and one of the harshest climates in the continental U.S. The book traces the history and transition of Black Rock City from a few thousand people in the late 1990s to the growing metropolis required to support over 70,000 citizens today.
As the first Director of Operations of the Burning Man event, Will Roger worked alongside the other five founding board members and all others involved to ensure that Black Rock City becomes a reality each year and then vanishes without a trace. He was instrumental in creating numerous foundations for the event, including: established the Department of Public Works (DPW), a workforce of volunteers dedicated to building and deconstructing the physical infrastructure of Black Rock City; actualized an FAA approved airport, and conceived traditions such as the Gold Spike Ceremony, a pre-event commemoration for the builders of Black Rock City, as the first stake is placed in the ground to survey and build the future city.
Compass of the Ephemeral also includes interpretive essays by William L. Fox, director of the Nevada Museum of Art’s Center for Art + Environment; Alexei Vranich, American archeologist at the University of California, Berkley;Tony “Coyote” Perez-Banuet, city superintendent of Black Rock City; Crimson Rose, cultural co-founder of Burning Man; and an introduction by Harley K. DuBois, cultural co-founder of Burning Man. Each essay explores the physical, cultural and artistic context and impact of the Burning Man event.
Special Edition: The Ebook includes 2019 aerial photography which is not shown in the hardcover edition.