A Single Excellent Night

Name: A Single Excellent Night
ISBN: 979-8999418302

by Lee Carlson

Publisher

Lee Carlson

Publication

Oct 28, 2025

Format

Paperback/Softback

Illustrated

Price

$19.99

ISBN

979-8999418302

ASIN

B0FNNFQJC4

Pages

447

Age

Adult 18+

Rights Sold

🌍 World Wide Rights Available

Description

From journalist and internationally recognized author Lee Carlson comes a life-changing memoir about our journey to seek meaning and the personal relationships we build along the way.

At the end of a tree-lined country lane shrouded in early morning mist, a small group of acolytes meets in ancient ritual, intoning chants as they sit cross-legged in the dim light. Their teacher—the well-known author, naturalist, social activist, and Zen master Peter Matthiessen—stands at the head of the room, speaking in a soft voice, calling attention to the birds singing outside in the predawn stillness. He urges them to be diligent in their meditation, then sits to the right of a rustic altar, a first among equals, allowing silence to engulf the small group of spiritual seekers.

One novice, 43-year-old Lee Carlson, is in the throes of a life-changing emotional crisis. As he stares at the wall inches from his nose, concentrating on his breath—breathing in, breathing out—working to still his mind, he looks deep inside himself: “Why such pain in this life? Is there any reason behind it all? Is there really love and joy in this world? What is God? Can I be a better person? Can I inspire others around me? How can I contribute to making the world a better place? How can I love more fully?”

As teacher Matthiessen says, “All will be revealed.”

A Single Excellent Night weaves together awakening experiences and pivotal realizations from the first four years of a 15-year apprenticeship Lee Carlson spent with Peter Matthiessen. The relationship between these two men, Zen teacher/student, writer mentor/mentee, trusted confidants and friends, unfolds in beautiful stories as Carlson goes on a quest to the furthest limits of human understanding and mindfulness, culminating with a single magical event on a winter beach.

Layered with profound insights on identity, belonging, and suffering, A Single Excellent Night is more than a book about Zen, spiritual awakening, and the enlightenment found in presence. It is a book about meaningful relationships, healing, love, and community. Unpacking the wisdom and teachings of towering literary figures like Peter Matthiessen and spiritual teachers like Joanna Macy, Carlson invites readers to experience the rare fusion of lived memory and meditative inquiry—a search for insight shaped by Zen practice, poetic prose, and the lasting imprint of a literary legacy.

Awards & Endorsements

Early praise for "A Single Excellent Night"

"A Single Excellent Night threads a synchronistic tapestry of mentorship, mystery, and self discovery that exemplifies the ancient adage "The teacher will manifest when the student is ready." Carlson's journey is the epitome of a life filled with adventure, curiosity, and surrender." 

—Neil O'Keefe, Qigong Teacher

  "A very fine writer, Carlson speaks with great emotion and insight. Carlson's spiritual searching is described beautifully in A Single Excellent Night. What makes it truly stand out is his very close friendship with the writer Peter Matthiessen. Mr. Carlson has written an important memoir that puts him on a par with both his mentor and the very best memoir writers working today."

 —Steve Wick, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author of Bad Company, The Long Night, and The Ruins

  "A compelling account of a spiritual journey. The author takes us all the way from the private depths of despair to a genuine revelation about suffering and the way out of suffering. It is an eloquent testament to the effectiveness of Zen training and the importance of finding a wise and compassionate teacher."

 —Michael Haggiag, publisher of The Zen Gateway, and Peter Matthiessen's Sand Rivers

  "In this detailed and deeply personal memoir, sports and travel writer, sailor, magazine editor, and parent Lee Carlson, shows life itself, with all its challenges and complexities, to be a spiritual path. Drawing especially on his interactions with his Zen teacher, the noted author, environmentalist, and activist, Peter Matthiessen (author of The Snow Leopard among many other award-winning books), Lee presents the challenges of our ordinary lives in our complex times as the ground for our maturing as spiritually whole human beings." 

—Rafe Martin, professional storyteller, award-winning author, and Founder of the Endless Path Zendo

  "Lee Carlson has done the impossible. This captivating memoir unfolds his personal journey of love, pain, injury, and recovery into a journey of enlightenment and universal truths with the beating heart of Zen Buddhism. Supported by his friendship with and teachings of Peter Matthiessen, Carlson encompasses a broader view of life, nature, and spiritual activism. Readers will experience their own expanding awareness that the journey is often as important as the destination."

 —Connie Hambley, author of The Jessica Trilogy 

Author(s)

Lee Carlson

Lee Carlson is an author, journalist, and Zen practitioner whose life and work have been shaped by recovery, resilience, and a relentless search for meaning. A survivor of traumatic brain injury, his acclaimed memoir Passage to Nirvana chronicled his journey from near death to healing, guided by writing, sailing, and Zen. The book became a grassroots success, connecting with readers across the U.S. and internationally—from Hamptons bookshops to missionary circles in Indonesia. A seasoned editor and reporter, Carlson brings a refined observational style and structural discipline to his work, developed over decades in both long-form nonfiction and magazine publishing. Carlson’s career spans decades in magazine, newspaper, and broadcast journalism, including work for Outside, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, NBC Sports, and Time Inc. He later transitioned into advertising and media production, with clients ranging from ESPN to Lavazza Coffee. He also served as executive producer of the award-winning documentary Patriot Guard Riders. He has spoken to audiences ranging from medical institutions to public libraries, often on the topics of neurological trauma, creative recovery, and Zen. For more than 15 years, Carlson was a close student of Peter Matthiessen, the National Book Award–winning author and Zen teacher. Their spiritual and intellectual relationship—rooted in daily practice—informs his book A Single Excellent Night, a literary nonfiction work that explores Matthiessen’s legacy and teachings from the rare vantage point of personal proximity. Shaped by working closely with figures like Matthiessen and Carlson’s cousin, activist and scholar Joanna Macy, Carlson’s ongoing body of work sits at the intersection of narrative memoir, contemplative inquiry, and literary reportage, engaging readers who seek meaning in both suffering and resilience. Carlson earned his bachelor’s degree from Skidmore College, where he studied under acclaimed author Clark Blai...