Sweet Zen, published by Present Perfect Books of Lake Junaluska, took first place in the spirituality category of ForeWord magazine’s Book of the Year contest for 2000.

Based on talks by American Zen teacher Cheri Huber, Sweet Zen was edited by Sara Jenkins, the publisher of Present Perfect Books.

ForeWord magazine provides news and reviews for independent and university presses and founded the contest in 1998 to recognize excellence in independent publishing. Publishers were invited to submit exceptional titles in more than 30 categories. Award winners were selected from more than 800 books by a team of judges who were booksellers and librarians. The awards will be presented June 2 in Chicago at the Book Expo America, the national booksellers’ annual convention.

Sweet Zen offers an unusual approach to meditation practice by emphasizing simple kindness to oneself as the means of developing compassion for others. The talks, which address ordinary concerns in contemporary life, are short and focused. The meditation practice described is a technique rather than a belief system and can be usefully applied within any religious tradition. The Midwest Book Review calls Sweet Zen “an articulate and inspiring rebuttal to the notion that deprivation is good for the soul ... a truly enlightened and enlightening invitation to participate fully and joyfully in life.”

Present Perfect Books marked its tenth year in business in 2001. With five titles in print, it is expanding to include books on bringing spiritual practice to everyday life. At the Eleventh Hour: Caring for My Dying Mother, by Susan Stone, will be published in August. Stephen and Ondrea Levine, renowned for their work with the dying, call At the Eleventh Hour “a must-read for all who want to support their parents through the dying process.”

“Computers make it possible for me to work with people all over the world while living at Lake Junaluska in a place I’ve loved all my life,” says publisher Sara Jenkins.

The titles for Present Perfect Books are produced and marketed by a geographically diverse team, including a graphic designer in Idaho, Denise Gibson of the Design Den; a Canadian printer, Hignell Book Printing in Winnipeg; and Words Distributing Company in Oakland, Calif. As a free-lance editor, Jenkins works with authors in Europe and Asia as well as on this continent, editing material in medical research, biological sciences, Jungian psychology, and Chinese literature.

A memoir Jenkins has written about meditation practice, This Side of Nirvana, is set largely in Western North Carolina at the Southern Dharma Retreat Center near Hot Springs. Southern Dharma offers silent retreats in a variety of spiritual paths, including Christian and Jewish as well as Eastern traditions. This Side of Nirvana will be published in the fall by Fair Winds Press.

Sweet Zen and other titles from Present Perfect Books are available at Sloan’s Bookshop in Waynesville, City Lights Bookstore in Sylva, and Malaprop’s in Asheville.

 

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