Books

"The reader will be delighted and entertained by these teachings, and this beautifully written book will open the Zen world to everyone". Natalie Goldberg, author of Writing Down the Bones
"A blend of Herman Hesse, Tom Robbins and Kurt Vonnegut." Washington Post
"Amusing and amiable....Murphy has a deft, light touch." Kirkus Reviews
"A rich, vast, and slyly comedic novel that leaves you laughing and weeping. Read and rejoice." Malachy McCourt, author of A Monk Swimming
More Information on Zen

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Winner of the Hemingway Award for a First Novel



I'd be pleased to hear your feedback or questions on this site or my books or anything else.... Just click on the link below...

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My Innovative Meditation Teachers Training Program begins June 23 in Taos, see sagetaos.org. for information.

Book events: One Bird, One Stone
April 26: Brodsky Books, Taos
May 8: Dharma talk & reading, Upaya Zen Center, Santa Fe
May 21: Bookworks Albuquerque
May 22:Collected Works Santa Fe.
More details here
Support your local bookstore! If they don’t have the book, ask them to order it.

WRITE TO THE FINISH 2013
A nine month online course for writers working on a book-length manuscript. Everything is done by phone/​email, so you can take part wherever you are. Find out more.

Pre-order the new edition of One Bird, One Stone: 108 Contemporary Zen Stories (Hampton Roads, April 2013).


Click News & Views page for links to articles, interviews, stories to hear on the web, and to leave comments for Sean.


Thanks for visiting!
I hope you enjoy browsing my fiction and non-fiction titles, as well as the writing workshops I offer.
I was born in New York City, raised in Miami Beach, and went to University of California in Santa Barbara, finishing up with an MFA in Writing from the Naropa Institute in Boulder, CO. In 1986 I walked across America with The Great Peace March for Global Nuclear Disarmament. This 9-month adventure gave me a step-by-step sense of the continent, and of American culture, which deeply influences my writing.
Since 1987 I've been a formal practitioner of Zen meditation, spending much time training at Zen monasteries and practice centers. This is another key influence on my work.
I'm always happy to sign books for you or as gifts for your friends; just send them to me with return postage and I'll inscribe and return them. E-mail me (left) for address information.