ROBERT V. TAYLOR will be speaking in Raleigh, NC as part of his book tour for A New Way to be Human: Seven Spiritual Pathways for Becoming Fully Alive (April 2012, New Pages Books). The book has been endorsed by Deepak Chopra, and featured at TRIBECA film festival, at Chicago Pride, on NPR's "Patt Morrison Show," Chicago Public Radio, Instinct Magazine, The Advocate, in Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and many more.

Robert talks about his long friendship with spiritual mentor Desmond Tutu, whom he fought alongside against apartheid in South Africa. Tutu put his young spiritual protege on a plane to the U.S. to spare him imprisonment for his anti-apartheid activity, and there, Robert joined the priesthood. As a young priest, Robert again found himself at the crossroads of history many years later, when he became the first openly gay Episcopal dean in the U.S.

Robert's remarkable life story is underpinned by "seven spiritual principles for becoming fully alive," which have been inspired by the great spiritual leaders he's worked with in his life (including Tutu and the Dalai Lama), as well as the quietly noble individuals that surround us everyday. His message of generosity, authenticity, and outreach to the less fortunate -- whether or not you go to a church -- is inspiring many during these turbulent times, and has supported a 25-city book tour.