Includes bibliographical references (pages [215]-221) and index.

Award-winning essayist and poet Diane Ackerman has beguiled us with her richly informative tours of the senses, the heart, and the world of endangered species. In her latest exploration, Ackerman illuminates an exalted state of transcendence achieved through emotionally and physically vigorous acvtivities. The ability to play is an essential part of what it means to be human. And "deep play" is that mom intensified form of play that puts us in a rapturous mood and awakens the most creative, sentient, and joyful aspects of our inner selves. As Ackerman vividly describes her own experiences, from her weekly bike treks to witnessing the daily rituals of penguins amidst blustery Antarctic winds, she illuminates the nature of deep play in its panoply of artistic, spiritual, and athletic realms. Keenly perceived and written with poetic exuberance, Deep Play enlightens us anew by revealing the manifold ways we can enhance our lives.