Instructions for the Heart

Acclaimed storyteller Laura Simms gives us a rich tapestry of tales that unveil the secrets of love in all of its forms. Passionate, riveting, often humorous, these stories of emotional, physical, and spiritual love come from a variety of traditions, including Celtic, Inuit, Persian, Hindu, Jewish, and African. Laura finds the pearls of wisdom and insight carefully hidden within each story. Her evocative, telling commentaries and quotes interspersed with these tales of love and the mysteries of the heart lead us to the many faces and profound requirements of love.

“One can never know what love will look like or what form it will take. Each of these fourteen stories is a passage to love with its own perils and triumphs, disappointments and miracles. It is in the power of story to remind us what we have forgotten, what we need to remember to restore our hearts.”

—from the introduction by Terry Tempest Williams, author of Red, Refuge, and Leap

“Irresistible. A major force in the revival of storytelling in America.”

—The New York Times

“Intriguing, wonderful, and ripe with the mysteries of love.”

—Geoffrey Navias, Artistic Director of the Open Hand Theater

2002 | 94 pages