Heroes

I’m inspired by these people and their work. They’re listed in no particular order, and for the most part they are teachers, artists, and storytellers.

Alan Ball

Alan Ross

Alexis de Tocqueville

Alice Munro

Alice Stewart

Alistair Cooke

Alonzo Lines

Audrey Hepburn

Barack Obama

Bill Murray

Bill Strickland

Bjork

Bob Geldof

Brian Eno

Cameron Sinclair

Camille Paglia

Cate Blanchett

Catherine Devlin

Catherine Keener

Charles and Ray Eames

Charles Lamb

Chicken John

Chris Corrigan

Christopher Alexander

Dave Olsen

David Attenborough

Declan Kiberd

Delia Smith

Dervla Murphy

Diana Vreeland

Douglas Rushkoff

E.B. White

Edward Abbey

Elizabeth David

Elizabeth Gilbert

Elvis Costello

Emmylou Harris

Fr. Hugh Fagan

Frances McDormand

Franz Lanting

Freeman Dyson

Garrett Fitzgerald

General Romeo Dallaire

George Dyson

George F. Kennan

George Orwell

Gerrit Van Gelderen

Harold Lloyd

Henry David Thoreau

Hilary O’Farrelly

Howard Gardner

Howard Schultz

Jack Kornfield

James Joyce

Jane Jacobs

Jessica Mitford

Joan Didion

John Lennon

John Peel

Johnny Cash

Jon Ronson

Jonathan Kozol

Jonathan Raban

Jonathan Van Ness

Joseph Campbell

Keith Yamashita

Kevin Kelly

Kirsty McColl

Kirsty Young

Kurt Andersen

L.M. Montgomery

Lee Thorn

Lillian Hellman

Lin-Manuel Miranda

Lola Montez

Lou Reed

Madame de Stael

Marian Finucane

Marty Ashby

Max DuPree

Michel de Montaigne

Mihalyi Czikszentmihalyi

Natasha Banta

Nell McCafferty

Noel Browne

Norman Lear

Norman Lewis

Novice Phon

Nuala O’Faolain

Oprah

Pat Tobin

Patrick Collison

Paul Durcan

Paul Newman

Paul Smith

Peter Kramer

Pierre Omidyar

Ray Davies

Rick Vosper

Robert Altman

Robert Brunner

Robert Doisneau

Robert Hall

Robert Putnam

Roger Straus

Samantha Power

Saul Griffith

Scott Heiferman

Sean O’Faolain

Serge Gainsbourg

Seth Godin

Sofia Coppola

Steve Earle

Stewart Brand

Studs Terkel

Sunny Balzano

Tan France

Tavis Smiley

Terrence Howard

Tig Notaro

Tim Vetter

Tracy Kidder

Tucker Nichols

Twyla Tharp

Van Morrison

Villy Wang

William Shawn