Tom Lane

Like Hal, I went to Dartmouth College and then to Yale, where I obtained a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature specializing in ancient Greek and nineteenth century. I finished my dissertation during a remarkable year at the Ecole normale supérieure in Paris. Paris can be challenging, but I love going back and feel comfortable there.

After all these studies, I returned to Los Angeles, where I got into the film business. As a development executive, I worked with dozens of writers on screenplays, including one that won the national Emmy for best long-form television film of the year.

A colleague then offered me a job doing content development for a health behavior change platform, where I worked with subject-matter experts from Stanford, Duke, and UCLA medical schools. Working in the web inspired me to get a programming certification, mainly so I could talk intelligently to tech types.

A similar job with a New Zealand-based company enabled me to get over there half a dozen times. A later, less fortunate trip to Tibet led to a near-fatal attack of pneumonia for which I was hospitalized in Kathmandu and Bangkok for over three weeks.

I started practicing Buddhist meditation in 1990 and have worked extensively in both the Theravada (mindfulness) and Tibetan traditions. I’ve spent more than a year in all in silent retreats and have been authorized to teach mindfulness meditation by the Spirit Rock Retreat Center in Marin. A dedicated yoga practice led to opening a yoga studio in Ventura called Yoga Jones. (The name was my wife Tina’s idea; she basically ran the place and I was her backup and consigliere.)

I’ve been focusing on print ghostwriting and structural/developmental editing for about ten years now. During that time, I’ve developed several close and deeply satisfying relationships with authors with whom I’ve worked on multiple projects. I think it’s now safe to say that I’ve also worked on several books and articles dealing with psychedelics.

Having moved on from Hollywood, I now live in bucolic Ojai, California, near Santa Barbara, an artists’ colony that offers extensive opportunities for hiking and backpacking. The third member of our household is our sixteen-year-old Lab mix, Rosie. We’ve got a deck at the back of the house overlooking the entire western end of the Ojai Valley which half the year offers great sunsets for our early-evening viewing pleasure.

I become obsessed with new or unfamiliar fields of knowledge and throw myself into them with both feet. My love for books, movies, great literature, and the esoteric—whether it be spirituality, technology, or history—has never deserted me. Nor has my love for music of many different types, which inspired me to take piano for ten years despite having no discernible talent. However, I do have a talent for friendship and irony, as well as for throwing excellent parties.