Edward Hays is the author of over thirty best-selling books on contemporary spirituality and the co-founder and a moving spirit of Forest of Peace Publishing. He has also served as director of Shantivanam, a Midwest center for contemplative prayer, and as a chaplain of the state penitentiary in Lansing, Kansas. Hays has spent extended periods of pilgrimage in the Near East, the Holy Land, and India. He continues his ministry as a prolific writer and painter.