Lara Tupper
Lara Tupper, MFA, is the author of Off Island, a novel, A Thousand and One Nights, a novel, and Amphibians, a linked short story collection forthcoming in 2021. Her short fiction was runner up for the 2019 Nicholas Schaffner Award for Music in Literature; her prose has appeared in The Believer, Nowhere Magazine, Dogwood Journal, Epiphany Magazine, and other literary publications. Lara taught creative writing at Rutgers University for many years and now teaches, writes, and sings in the Berkshires, Massachusetts. A jazz/pop performer who has traveled around the world, her latest album is This Dance.
Learn more about this presenter’s work:
Book Trailer for Lara's Novel OFF ISLAND
Resources
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The Calming Energy of Color
How do the colors we're drawn to relate to our intentions, our emotions, our chakras, and our deepest selves?
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8 Tips for Worrying Less
Kripalu's Lara Tupper seeks wisdom from activist Kerri Kelly, neuroscientist V. S. Rakmachandran, Sister Mary Catharine Perry, Mister Rogers, and Shaun the Sheep.
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Say No to Good Vibes? The Dangers of Spiritual Bypass
What should those of us in “wellness” communities do to act responsibly? How do we strike a crucial balance between self-care and community care? Writer Lara Tupper seeks wisdom from Kripalu faculty and presenters.
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The Practice of Putting Pen to Paper
Perhaps this unexpected time at home can be a chance to explore tactile creativity without devices, and to send tangible letters to those we’re seeing only on screens.
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An Interview with Cheryl Strayed: Writing as an Act of Transformation
Kripalu presenter Cheryl Strayed speaks about the ways in which honest, self-reflective writing can break barriers, build community, and serve as a political act.
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Wisdom from Cheryl Strayed: Saying Goodbye to What Could Have Been
“The most powerful and important thing I have to offer the world is to speak from my deepest voice of truth,” says author and Kripalu presenter Cheryl Strayed.
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How to Stay Grounded, Even in Flight: Mindful Remedies for Travel Anxiety
Travel can trigger new phobias: too many people, too many germs, too much movement when we want to be still, too much stillness when we long to move. Author and Kripalu teacher Lara Tupper went in search of wisdom for navigating the discomfort of being out of control.
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The Powerful Practice of Gratitude Journaling
Gratitude doesn’t have to be synonymous with appreciation. It can be about acknowledging and recognizing what exists for you right at this moment.
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The Camera as a Lens for Empathy
"The camera is such a powerful tool," says yoga photographer and Kripalu presenter Robert Sturman. “It’s an excuse to pay attention and truly see another.”
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Remembrance of Cakes Past: The Power of Food Nostalgia
Food carries memories. As we ingest a given dish—whether it's mandelbrot or a Devil Dog—we also consume associations that we’ve made over time.
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It’s Written in Stone: Death as Part of Life
When I feel stuck at my writing table, I walk through the local cemetery.
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The Yoga of Dylan
I must admit, I’m not a die-hard Bob Dylan fan. But since the announcement of his Nobel Prize win, I’ve become a quick study.
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Swimming Into the Present Moment
While floating on my back, I realize that the shell that holds my thoughts, worries, aches, grudges, plans, is just that—a human container buzzing with static.
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Being the Helper: Confessions of an Unenthusiastic Cook
As a perfectionist who finds it hard to multi-task, author and Kripalu faculty Lara Tupper find that cooking pushes all my buttons.
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Creative Collaborations with Our Berkshire Neighbors
Kripalu has developed collaborations with arts and nature organizations throughout Berkshire County, which offer unique opportunities for practicing present-moment awareness.
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Confessions of a Fanilow
Kripalu faculty member Lara Tupper shares her experience as a backup singer for Barry Manilow, her childhood crush.
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How to Make a Singing Bowl Sing
According to Kripalu presenter Ashana, the singing of crystal bowls is like, "E.T. phone home. It’s the fastest way I know to move into a meditative state of heightened awareness."
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Stories from Shadowbrook’s Past: Tracing the Imprints that Remain
Writer and Kripalu presenter Lara Tupper walks the Kripalu grounds and contemplates the rich stories of this land.
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The Art of Haiku: Clear Eyes, Clear Mind
I tried to describe the frigid lake, the singed pine needles, the sticky texture of my fingertips, and I fell into a self-directed calm that was new for me.
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Tapping My Inner Moxie
Yoga practice allows us to rub up against versions of ourselves that we may not like. But it’s one thing to confront self-judgment on the mat, another to meet it head-on among strangers.
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The Benefits of Oversharing: My Memoir-Writing Process
How do we write our truth without censoring ourselves, particularly if we think that our writing will hurt others?
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Following My Nose: The Delights of Aromatherapy
What is the connection between scent and memory? The answer is likely due to brain anatomy. Lara Tupper explores the science and experiences the impact on the massage table.
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How Time Changes When You Travel
Kripalu presenter Lara Tupper went to Ireland for the music, the green cliffs, the soda bread, the ruins. During those 10 days, time seemed to both slow down and speed up.
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Forging an Edge, or How to Audition for The Voice
I found myself, in my 40th year, outside the Javits Center in New York City at 6:00 am in February, ready to audition for the TV show The Voice.
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Finding Your True Self at Summer Camp
Adulting can be intense. Summer camp for grownups provides a pause to remember what really matters and to get back to who we really are—or who we want to be.
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The Power of the Tarot
Tarot reading is an art form, one that blends history, art, psychology, and mindfulness, and can be used as a tool for insight and transformation.
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The Yoga of Mister Rogers
Fred Rogers hoped that the legacy of the Neighborhood would be the understanding that we don’t have to hide our feelings, and that that we can share them without hurting others or ourselves.
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Animal Instincts: Communing with Our Spirit Guides
It’s springtime in Madison Square Park. A squirrel joins me, and I’m tempted to see it as a sign, a guide. I know how to survive in this city.
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Angela Farmer on Yoga, Activism, and Reconnecting with the Body
Inner activism, says Angela Farmer, means practicing internal healing to prepare for action.
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The Practice of Writing
Author and Kripalu faculty member Lara Tupper breaks down the when, where, what, how, and why of her writing practice.
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Getting Lost in a Museum: The Power of Art to Spark the Senses and the Soul
The act of viewing artwork can be a way to let distractions fall away. It’s the opposite of scrolling through an endless feed.
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Licia Sky's Advice for Perfectionists
Allowing ourselves to be vulnerable and honest is what makes us interesting, says singer-songwriter and bodywork therapist Licia Sky. All of our parts get to be here.
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The Kinship of Singing
It’s the time of year for caroling, a practice beloved by some and resisted by others. I sing with a local chorus, and we’re currently rehearsing our holiday repertoire for visits to assisted-living facilities, an annual endeavor that reassures and challenges me.
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Moonstruck
We link the moon to everything from insomnia to werewolves, but we also see it as a beneficent source, both a balm and a guide.
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Playing With Scissors
There are so many beautiful ways to enjoy playing and make a mess. In other words, you too can create an imperfect masterpiece—perfectly.
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Begin with Art: Tracking Berkshire County’s Writers, Then and Now
Author and Kripalu faculty member Lara Tupper follows in the footsteps of the Berkshires' legendary writers, and seeks out its newest literary voices.
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Resolving Out Loud: Turning What You Want Into What You Have
By saying resolutions out loud, writing them out, or even blogging about them, we start to turn what we want into what we have.
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The Key to Journaling Without Fear
A journal is not a diary, says memoirist, retired actor, and Kripalu Yoga teacher Lisa Jakub. It is a place for us to dive into our emotions about our lives.
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Blowing in the Wind: The Sacred Symbolism of Prayer Flags
Laundry waving on the line has had a calming effect on me since childhood. While placing a prayer flag between two posts on my deck, I began to make the connection.
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What’s Not To ‘Like’: Jealousy, Desire, and Social Media
We're more likely to scroll through Facebook when we wants to be distracted from ourselves, which inevitably pulls us in an uncomfortable direction.
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The Book I Didn't Want to Read
Lara Tupper, guest blogger “There’s a book I want you to read,” says my cousin Becky. She’s been saying this for months and I haven’t been listening—it’s...
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There’s No Place Like Home: How to Cultivate a Home Yoga Practice
Writer and Kripalu faculty member Lara Tupper speaks with Kripalu teachers and friends about their unique approaches to practicing yoga at home.
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Four Ways of Looking at “Wild Geese”
Writer and Kripalu presenter Lara Tupper reflects on the resonant words of Mary Oliver and David Whyte.
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Clearing the Clutter and Making Space
A self-confessed pack rat explores what's worth keeping and what needs to go.
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Walking in Circles: The Lore of the Labyrinth
Simply tracing the outline of a labyrinth on paper can be a soothing practice to counteract anxiety. For some, the seven circuits of the classical design recall the seven chakras in yoga philosophy.
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Reflections of a Pack Rat
By Lara Tupper “The root of suffering is attachment.” —The Buddha I’ve moved 10 times in the past 14 years, from various hotels in Asia to apartments in New...
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Searching for Brigid, Celtic Goddess and Icon
Brigid means “exalted one,” explains Irish theologian and singer Nóirín Ní Riain, while her ancient name, Breo-Saighead, means “fiery power” or “fiery arrow.” But what does she symbolize for seekers today?
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Favorite Quarantine Foods from Our Faculty
We asked our teachers what they’ve been whipping up in their home kitchens during isolation.
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Turning Point Q&A with Lara Tupper
Lara Tupper, MFA, is the author of A Thousand and One Nights, a novel about singers at sea. Her work has appeared in Six-Word Memoirs on Love and Heartbreak,...
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What We Can Glean from the Harvest Moon
We’ve had a spectacular year of celestial events (eclipses, meteor showers, Blue Moons, and Supermoons, to name just a few), but tonight’s Harvest Moon offers another good reason to stare up at the sky for a while.
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