Michael Penn: On Hopelessness and Hope

Michael Penn's life abounds with uncommon stories. The son of a Cherokee father and an African American mother, he spent part of his childhood living in a converted school bus on land gifted to the family by his great grandmother who had been a slave. That humble beginning launched him into a lifetime of unaccountable twists of fate, including a miraculous encounter with the woman who would become his wife of 33 years, a near death experience, and an embrace of the Baha'i faith. Today he is a Clinical Psychologist and Professor of Psychology at Franklin & Marshall College. His research interests and publications include works in the pathogenesis of hope and hopelessness, the relationship between culture and psychopathology, the epidemiology of gender-based violence, and human dignity and human rights. Poignant, wise, and deeply inspiring, this interview with Michael shines a light into the heart and mind of a remarkable human being.

READ FULL STORY