There are moments when a project feels a little more real.
For me, one of those moments came when I walked into Moe's Books in Berkeley and saw a copy of my Dictionary of Feelings and Needs on the shelf.
Moe's has been part of Berkeley's literary landscape for generations. It is the kind of bookstore where ideas live alongside one another, where curiosity is rewarded, and where readers discover books they didn't know they were looking for.
What made this moment especially meaningful was seeing the Dictionary sitting beside Marshall Rosenberg's Nonviolent Communication. Rosenberg's work has profoundly influenced my understanding of empathy, feelings, needs, and human connection. His insights helped inspire both The Empathy Set® and the Dictionary itself.
The photograph captures more than a book on a shelf. It captures a conversation across generations of work devoted to communication, emotional literacy, and understanding.
I'm grateful to Doris and Johnny for carrying the Dictionary at Moe's Books and for supporting local authors and independent publishing.
And I'm grateful to everyone who continues to explore the language of feelings and needs in their own lives, relationships, and communities.
Sometimes a bookshelf tells a story.
