Tweetspeak Poetry

  • Home
  • FREE prompts
  • Earth Song
  • Every Day Poems—Subscribe! ✨
  • Teaching Tools
  • Books, Etc.
  • Patron Love

Book Club Announcement: Born to Be Good

By Will Willingham 10 Comments

Born to Be Good book club blond toddler with jewelry box
Once upon a time, someone instructed me to read a book called Feelings. Or Emotions. Something catchy like that. The book was a catalog of some fifty or so emotional markers, like happy, sad, angry, afraid—and a host of labels in between, like shocked, hopeful, enraged, bored—because it seemed to this person that my emotional literacy could use a little expansion. Were you to ask, “How are you feeling?” I was likely to say, “Fine.”

Fine, as it turns out, did not appear in any of the chapters of that book. It also does not appear in any of the chapters of Dacher Keltner’s book Born to Be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life. In this fascinating volume, Keltner explores not the full scope of emotions across the spectrum, as did my little pocket catalog I could whip out and browse whenever someone asked how I was feeling (there should be an app for that), but a range of positive emotions like gratitude, amusement, and awe. And his focus is not the mere identification of feelings, but a rich investigation of how these emotions define our humanity and contribute to our common good.

Keltner, through study of science and particular philosophies, finds that positive emotions “lie at the core of human nature and shape our everyday behavior—and they just may be the key to understanding how we can live our lives better.”

Join us for a brand new book club beginning January 10 where we’ll be discussion Keltner’s book over a three-week series.

Our reading schedule:
January 10: Chapters 1-4: Jen Science, Darwin’s Joys, Rational Irrationality & Survival of the Kindest
January 17: Chapters 5-8: Embarrassment, Smile, Laughter, Tease
January 24: Chapters 9-12: Touch, Love, Compassion, Awe

Read the first chapter of Born to be Good

Listen to Dacher Kelter discuss his book:

 

Buy Born to Be Good

Born to Be Good Keltner book club

Browse other book clubs

Photo by Chris J. McQueen, Creative Commons license via Flickr. Post by LW Lindquist.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Will Willingham
Follow Will
Will Willingham
Director of Many Things; Senior Editor, Designer and Illustrator at Tweetspeak Poetry
I used to be a claims adjuster, helping people and insurance companies make sense of loss. Now, I train other folks with ladders and tape measures to go and do likewise. Sometimes, when I’m not scaling small buildings or crunching numbers with my bare hands, I read Keats upside down. My first novel is Adjustments.
Will Willingham
Follow Will
Latest posts by Will Willingham (see all)
  • Earth Song Poem Featured on The Slowdown!—Birds in Home Depot - February 7, 2023
  • The Rapping in the Attic—Happy Holidays Fun Video! - December 21, 2022
  • Video: Earth Song: A Nature Poems Experience—Enchanting! - December 6, 2022

Filed Under: book club, Born to Be Good

Write with Us

About Will Willingham

I used to be a claims adjuster, helping people and insurance companies make sense of loss. Now, I train other folks with ladders and tape measures to go and do likewise. Sometimes, when I’m not scaling small buildings or crunching numbers with my bare hands, I read Keats upside down. My first novel is Adjustments.

Comments

  1. L.L. Barkat says

    December 21, 2017 at 1:16 pm

    I loved this book. Sometimes you can skim over certain parts that are kind of repeating things, but overall it is one of those “life-changer” books I wish more people would read and discuss.

    Oh! But we are going to do that. Happy. 🙂

    (Your “fine” discussion made me laugh. Humored! 🙂 )

    Reply
  2. Bethany R. says

    December 23, 2017 at 12:23 am

    I’m checking out the book and looking forward to reading it with you all. Happy holidays. 🙂

    Reply
  3. Will Willingham says

    December 23, 2017 at 10:56 am

    I’m looking forward to reading with both of you. 🙂

    Reply
    • Bethany says

      December 23, 2017 at 4:29 pm

      I just need to make myself an indoor reading nook now. 😉

      Reply
  4. Mary Van Denend says

    January 6, 2018 at 2:33 pm

    Looks intriguing. Count me in.

    Reply
    • Bethany R. says

      January 6, 2018 at 2:38 pm

      Delighted you’ll be joining us, Mary.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Reading in the Wild: December's Pages - says:
    January 5, 2018 at 8:00 am

    […] Tweetspeak, books matter. We host a book club, we review books, and we publish them at TS Poetry Press. We’re dedicated to literacy — for […]

    Reply
  2. Born To Be Good: The Jen Ratio - says:
    January 10, 2018 at 8:00 am

    […] Announcement Post January 10: Chapters 1-4: Jen Science, Darwin’s Joys, Rational Irrationality & Survival of the Kindest January 17: Chapters 5-8: Embarrassment, Smile, Laughter, Tease January 24: Chapters 9-12: Touch, Love, Compassion, Awe […]

    Reply
  3. Born to Be Good: The Right Kind of Smile - says:
    January 18, 2018 at 8:09 am

    […] Announcement Post January 10: Chapters 1-4: The Jen Ratio January 17: Chapters 5-8: Embarrassment, Smile, Laughter, Tease January 24: Chapters 9-12: Touch, Love, Compassion, Awe […]

    Reply
  4. Born to Be Good: Laughter Might Be the Best Medicine - says:
    January 31, 2018 at 8:00 am

    […] Announcement Post January 10: Chapters 1-4: The Jen Ratio January 18: Chapters 5-8: The Right Kind of Smile January 31: Chapters 9-12: Laughter is the Best Medicine […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Cute Comic

😊

The Sadbook Collections

A stick-figure human sure to capture your heart.

Take How to Read a Poem

Get the Introduction, the Billy Collins poem, and Chapter 1

get the sample now

Welcome to Tweetspeak

New to Tweetspeak Poetry? Start here, in The Mischief Café. You're a regular? Check out our May Menu.

Patron Love

❤️

Welcome a little patron love, when you help keep the world poetic.

Your Comments

  • under the harvest moon – sleepy time on Carl Sandburg – The Chicago Poems
  • Happy Ideas: Poetry Prompt Series - Tweetspeak Poetry on “The Whole Harmonium: The Life of Wallace Stevens” by Paul Mariani
  • L.L. Barkat on Awe & Wonder Journal
  • L.L. Barkat on The Honey Field—10: Anna’s Heart

Get Every Day Poems

Featured In

We're happy to have been featured in...

The Huffington Post

The Paris Review

The New York Observer

Tumblr Book News

Stay in Touch With Us

Categories

Coloring Page Poem Printables!

Get all free coloring page poems now

Learn to Write Form Poems

How to Write an Acrostic

How to Write a Ballad

How to Write a Catalog Poem

How to Write a Ghazal

How to Write a Haiku

How to Write an Ode

How to Write a Pantoum

How to Write a Rondeau

How to Write a Sestina

How to Write a Sonnet

How to Write a Villanelle

5 FREE POETRY PROMPTS

Get 5 FREE inbox poetry prompts from the popular book How to Write a Poem

Shakespeare Resources

Poetry Classroom: Sonnet 18

Common Core Picture Poems: Sonnet 73

Sonnet 104 Annotated

Sonnet 116 Annotated

Character Analysis: Romeo and Juliet

Character Analysis: Was Hamlet Sane or Insane?

Why Does Hamlet Wait to Kill the King?

10 Fun Shakespeare Resources

About Shakespeare: Poet and Playwright

Top 10 Shakespeare Sonnets

See all 154 Shakespeare sonnets in our Shakespeare Library!

Explore Work From Black Poets

About Us

  • • A Blessing for Writers
  • • Annual Theme 2022: Perspective
  • • Annual Theme 2021: Generous
  • • Our Story
  • • Meet Our Team
  • • Literary Citizenship
  • • Poet Laura
  • • Poetry for Life: The 5 Vital Approaches
  • • T. S. Poetry Press – All Books
  • • Contact Us

Write With Us

  • • 5 FREE Poetry Prompts-Inbox Delivery
  • • 30 Days to Richer Writing Workshop
  • • Poetry Prompts
  • • Submissions
  • • The Write to Poetry

Read With Us

  • • All Our Books
  • • Book Club
  • • Every Day Poems—Subscribe! ✨
  • • Literacy Extras
  • • Poems to Listen By: Audio Series
  • • Poet-a-Day
  • • Poets and Poems
  • • 50 States Projects
  • • Charlotte Perkins Gilman Poems Library
  • • Edgar Allan Poe Poems Arts & Experience Library
  • • William Blake Poems Arts & Experience Library
  • • William Shakespeare Sonnet Library

Celebrate With Us

  • • Poem on Your Pillow Day
  • • Poetic Earth Month
  • • Poet in a Cupcake Day
  • • Poetry at Work Day
  • • Random Acts of Poetry Day
  • • Take Your Poet to School Week
  • • Take Your Poet to Work Day

Gift Ideas

  • • Every Day Poems
  • • Our Shop
  • • Everybody Loves a Book!

Connect

  • • Donate
  • • Blog Buttons
  • • By Heart
  • • Shop for Tweetspeak Fun Stuff

Copyright © 2023 Tweetspeak Poetry · FAQ, Disclosure & Privacy Policy

We serve poetry with our cookies. Because that's the way it should be.
We serve poetry with your cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you... accept the cookies with a smile.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
update cookie prefs

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT