Imagine how writers and artists, whether friends or foes, might come together in cafes or pubs or other public and private haunts to share and perhaps to be raucous in their love of the creative process with all of its pushes and pulls. Palabra: The Book of Living Essays is an extraordinary collection of the thoughts and feelings of a wildly diverse group whose writing seems both within and between, an inward exploration and outward manifestation. The ideas and themes contained herein weave together like aspects of a web, cast wide and now hold a grand diversity; an incredible bounty for the eye, mind, and spirit. A collective of creative spirits living, working, and traveling around the globe, eighteen authors offer twenty essays on topics ranging from physical to emotional incarceration, political liberation, spiritual elevation, and professional, personal, and poetic journeys traversing all manner of road and byway. Each essayist was invited to write about what was on their mind and heart, to share what they most wanted or needed to say. Though all essays were form fitted in terms of typography, pagination and formatting for purposes of publication, no essay was harmed in the making of this book.