At age 85, Lucile Day of Greenville, Florida, tends her own garden, located on land her grandparents cultivated before her. She still wields a chainsaw and gets “plenty of exercise” from her outdoor activities. Day believes strongly in a dedicated work ethic, appreciating what one has and prioritizing community. She shares her Brief But Spectacular take on the joy of living.

When Cecil Williams was born 90 years ago, his mother instinctively knew he would become a preacher. As an adult, Cecil began working at a church in San Francisco's Tenderloin but was disappointed to see it turn people away, rather than welcome them. He set out to create a different kind of community. Williams shares his Brief But Spectacular take on humanity and how everybody is somebody.

John Bates is a naturalist who sees his professional purpose as enabling people to develop environmental literacy. Since 2003, Bates has been particularly interested in old-growth forests, made up of trees that are hundreds of years old at minimum. Bates shares his Brief But Spectacular take on helping others “fall more deeply in love with the world” and connecting time through old-growth forests.

Poet Tongo Eisen-Martin was born and raised in San Francisco, a city whose rapid gentrification he critiques in his work. Through his writing, Eisen-Martin seeks to “facilitate resistance” to a culture that he believes perpetuates domination of those who are already oppressed. The winner of a California Book Award shares his Brief But Spectacular take on poetry as revolution.