Merlin Stone Remembered
Merlin Stone Remembered is a tribute to the renowned feminist, author, artist, historian, and speaker. With unparalleled access to Merlin’s unpublished writings, photos, and personal stories, this book is a significant contribution to women’s studies, spirituality, and the ongoing struggle for gender equality.
Known for her groundbreaking book When God Was a Woman, Merlin Stone was a pioneer of the Women’s Movement and the reclaiming of the Great Goddess tradition of the Western world.
In this phenomenal book, new light is shed upon Merlin’s philosophy and methodology as you take a memorable journey through her life.
Discover Merlin Stone, author of When God Was A Woman, through the eyes of her life partner of 34 years, Lenny Schneir (1941-2017), who affirms his love for Merlin, his passion to keep her legacy alive and his journey converting from chauvinist to feminist. Readers have praised their touching true story—part love story, part memoir, and part transformation of a diamond-in-the-rough gambler to a devoted husband and passionate feminist.
BUY IT TODAY…SPECIAL DISCOUNTED PRICE!*
After good sales, the publisher, Llewellyn Worldwide, was kind enough to offer me remainder copies at a lovely, discounted price so I can still sell you a book. But, * a bit like the old “bandwagon” ad-sell, Buy it today before we run out! Originally $22.95, now: $11.95 includes free USPO shipping
“It is so great to remember Merlin—to remember the time when I first read When God was a Woman and Ancient Mirrors of Womanhood. It is great to have so much detail about her life and her work. Thank you for this remembrance.” — Olympia Dukakis, Oscar-winning actress and author.
A Note about Lenny Schneir: Lenny Schneir, Merlin Stone’s life partner for 34 years, passed away on May 31, 2017.
You can click this link to read a tribute to him.
To honor Merlin’s memory and keep her legacy alive, he invited his friend, author/poet Dr. David B. Axelrod, to curate Merlin’s papers, write and edit a book that documents and celebrates Merlin’s life. It includes many unknown facts about Merlin as well as previously unpublished writings and a reprinting of “Unraveling the Myth of Adam and Eve” from When God Was a Woman, which Merlin designated as the best chapter to represent her million-selling book. Dr. Axelrod invited the noted feminist author/teacher Gloria Orenstein to write the introduction, and feminist author/psychologist Carol Thomas to add chapters to the book.
MERLIN STONE REMEMBERED
2014 FLORIDA BOOK AWARDS GOLD MEDAL WINNER, best non-fiction book.
2015 Coalition of Visionary Resources, COVR AWARD for Best Autobiography/Biography.
Watch an interview with the authors of Merlin Stone Remembered.
A Note about When God Was a Woman
“In the beginning, people prayed to the Creatress of Life, the Mistress of Heaven. At the very dawn of religion, God was a woman. Do you remember?” —Merlin Stone, When God Was a Woman.
When Merlin Stone’s first book, The Paradise Papers, was released in England in 1976 it became an instant sensation. When it was re-released in America under the title, When God Was a Woman, it exploded onto college campuses and elsewhere for its groundbreaking research regarding the role of women in ancient religions.
Merlin always felt guided by a force outside her control to correct historical information about female deities as she was convinced that the role of women, particularly Goddesses, had been all but erased from history.
We hope that Merlin Stone Remembered will, once again, bring this important information to the public’s attention, at a time when it’s especially needed by those of us who are concerned about world peace, preserving the earth, and understanding the world’s cultures.
Merlin said that early Gods were actually Goddesses and she traveled the world, alone, living out of a backpack, in order to do the research necessary to prove that her instincts were correct, ancient religions were matriarchal.
Praise for Merlin Stone
“This book is paradigm-shifting. It should be read by all those who yearn for miracles, as well as by those who still need proof to believe that they are possible. It gives us hope for the regeneration of compassionate and nurturing relations between all forms of interconnected life on our planet, now and in the future.” —Gloria Orenstein, Prof. Emerita, Comparative Literature and Gender Studies, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
“A lovely and loving tribute to the late Merlin Stone, a foremother of Goddess feminism. … What a gift to those of us familiar with Stone’s work, as well as those who want to know more about her life, both personal and professional.” —Judith Laura, author of Goddess Spirituality for the 21st Century: From Kabbalah to Quantum Physics.
Table of Contents, Merlin Stone Remembered
Preface, by Carol Thomas
Editor’s Note, by David B. Axelrod
Introduction: Transforming His/story into Her/story. Merlin Stone’s Dramatic Entrance onto the Stage of Our Story, by Gloria F. Orenstein
Merlin Stone Timeline
My Life With Merlin Stone, by Lenny Schneir
Poems, by Lenny Schneir
Merlin in Her Own Words
Ancient Mirrors of Womanhood: A Reflection on the Poetic Genius of Merlin Stone, by David B. Axelrod
Unpublished Writings, by Merlin Stone:
The Inner Voice: Intuition
The Global Garden
Women in Armed Combat
Two Poems
One Summer on the Way to Utopia or Dreams of Getting There: Excerpts from a Novel
Three Thousand Years of Racism: Recurring Patterns in Racism
The Importance of Merlin Stone, by Lenny Schneir
Merlin Stone, Artist and Sculptor, by David B. Axelrod
I Remember Merlin, by Cynthia Stone Davis
A Gallery of Photos and Artifacts
A Great Sense of Hope
The Legacy of Merlin Stone, by Carol Thomas
Epilogue, by Carol Thomas
Acknowledgments
Bibliography & Works Cited
About the Authors
Other Books by Merlin Stone
When God Was A Woman
“Lenny Schneir’s tribute to Merlin Stone—her life, her person, her work—touched me to the core. The book is both humble and powerful, proclaiming as it does his unconditional (and undying) love for a creative, independent woman, who expressed her own mind and lived out her destiny. A fine archival gathering of photos, as well as his stories and poems, plus her unpublished writings, the book is a peek into the mysterious, private world of this iconic feminist woman who changed history.” —Vicki Noble, Feminist shamanic healer and author of The Double Goddess: Women Sharing Power
You may also wish to buy Merlin Stones book:
Ancient Mirrors of Womanhood: A Treasury of Goddess and Heroine Lore from Around the World
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
DR. CAROL THOMAS was the holder of a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Saint Thomas of Villanova University in Miami. She also holds a Ph.D. in Literature and Psychology from Union Institute and University, and a doctorate in Applied Theology (D.Min.) from Pittsburgh’s Theological Seminary. She taught Women’s Studies, Psychology, and Literature at the University of Connecticut, Bowie State, as well as in additional colleges and universities. She also taught creative writing for Saint Leo University and for Gavle University in Storvik, Sweden. During her sojourn of eleven years at the University of Connecticut, she enjoyed private practice as a member of Shoreline Psychiatric Associates. At Niantic Women’s prison she taught for Mohegan College and was instrumental in facilitating the publication of a book of art and poetry written by the incarcerated women and published by the State of Connecticut’s Counsel for the Arts. She has published a book on the Women’s Movement and three books of poetry. Dr. Thomas and her husband, Frank, a retired surgeon, had a horse ranch in Oklahoma where they resided for a number of years, and a home in Palm Coast, Florida, where Carol lived until her passing in 2017.
LEONARD SCHNEIR was born in Brooklyn, New York. He lived at home with his sister Renée, and his mother, Betty. His father, Irving, a shoe manufacturer, only occasionally lived with them. In 1947, at the age of seven, he moved to Kew Gardens, Queens, where he became an “expert” at roaming the streets, as his memoir amply recounts. He received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 1962, from the University of Denver. Thereafter, he served in the Army, rising to sergeant E5, honorably discharged in 1968. After a series of jobs, first for his father, and at other sales positions, he moved to his home at 184 6th Avenue, New York City, in that same year. There, he settled into the life of a professional poker player. Later, he became a major collector of gambling memorabilia in partnership with the American playing-card authority, Gene Hochman. As an expert in that area, Lenny authored the book, Gambling Collectibles: A Sure Winner (Schiffer Publishing: Atglen, PA, 1993). Lenny met Merlin in September, 1976, and she moved in soon thereafter. They continued at their 6th Avenue residence until 2005, at which time they moved to Daytona Beach, Florida. After Merlin’s death, Lenny continued to live in Daytona Beach until he died in the same room, in the same bed where Merlin passed. At his request, his and Merlin’s ashes were combined and may be visited at the south corner of the Andy Romano Park in Ormond Beach, Florida.
DAVID B. AXELROD has written and published hundreds of articles and works of fiction and non-fiction ranging from 21 books of poetry to dramatic writing for stage and television, freelance journalism, stories and memoirs. He holds a B.A. from the University of Massachusetts; an M.A. from The Johns Hopkins University; an M.F.A. from the University of Iowa, and a Ph.D. from Union Institute. He is recipient of three Fulbright Awards, including his serving as Fulbright’s first official Poet-in-Residence in the People’s Republic of China. He is a Volusia County, Florida, Poet Laureate, and before that, served as Suffolk County, Long Island’s Poet Laureate. Dr. Axelrod’s CV notes that he has performed at hundreds of venues internationally including for the American Library Association and at the United Nations. As a non-fiction writer and journalist, he was published by the New York Times, Newsday, and Harper Collins. Dr. Axelrod’s four children—Jessica Robinson, Emily Axelrod, Daniel Axelrod and Aileen Axelrod—are all working professionals in the New York area. David B. Axelrod is Director of Creative Happiness Institute, Inc., in Daytona Beach, where he lives with his wife, Sandy Martin.
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR QUESTIONS, CONTACT:
Dr. David B. Axelrod
Email: axelrod@poetrydoctor.org
Phone: 386-337-4567.
