OUT TO CHANGE THE WORLD is Announced

Summertown, TN

In 1971, more than 300 hundred hippie idealists bought land in south central Tennessee and founded a community they named The Farm. Their mission: to be part of something bigger than themselves, to follow a peaceful and spiritual path, to make a difference in the world.

What began as a spiritual commitment and grand social experiment was an extraordinary undertaking that touched the lives of thousands of people. Long-time resident Douglas Stevenson engages readers in each stage of community development and the myriad of changes that transformed its residents in his new book Out To Change The World.

Beginning in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury in the 60s,through buying land and the early idealistic years to the transition from commune to collective up to the present day-here is a chronicle of The Farm's origins, inception, growth, and evolution. Both a communal history and fascinating personal journey with first-hand perspectives throughout, Douglas reveals the challenges, hard work, and faith that built the community-and the heart that has sustained it.

Many of the hundreds of people who have shared The Farm experience continue to stay connected as a greater tribe networking together in business, social causes, and projects, friendly get-togethers and larger reunions. The Farm is a gestalt entity, a whole created by the sum of its parts, and it remains true that its most vital elements are created by the relationships that connect and extend from person to person to person.

Readers are immersed in a richness of experience and family that many people throughout the world are searching for today. Out To Change The World will speak to anyone curious about living in community as well as everyone who still has a piece of the counterculture movement in their hearts.

Douglas Stevenson is the media interface and principal spokesperson for The Farm. For the last ten years, Douglas has been host of Green Life Retreats, which sponsors educational workshops, conferences, small festivals, and other events. He is the author of three previous books and his articles have appeared in a variety of national and international magazines.

Early books released by Book Publishing Company-established in 1972 as one of the cottage industries of The Farm-were either on the spiritual teachings of Stephen Gaskin (This Season's People, Volume One), the community itself (Hey Beatnik!) or lifestyle values such as Spiritual Midwifery and The Farm Vegetarian Cookbook. Today Book Publishing Company has more than 300 books on healthy living, plant-based recipes and nutrition, as well as a line of books on Native American culture including fiction and non-fiction titles for youth.

To post a comment, you must register and login.