Author and singer-songwriter Alex Woodard was in the audience, waiting to be called to the stage to perform at New York Times bestselling author Dr. Wayne Dyer’s lecture presentation in New York. Dr. Dyer’s daughter had written him a letter, and Alex had crafted a song about the letter in the spirit of his first Hay House release (FOR THE SENDER: Four Letters. Twelve Songs. One Story.). Any moment now, Alex would be asked to play it for the sold-out auditorium. But first Scarlett Lewis was invited to the stage. Scarlett’s son was a six-year-old hero who died saving his friends’ lives in the Newtown, Connecticut, elementary-school massacre, and her words of love rang deep through the packed house as she told her story. Alex noticed that Scarlett described love more as an action and less as a feeling, and made a mental note to speak to her after the presentation. Scarlett would soon send Alex a letter—and coupled with the letter from Dr. Dyer’s daughter, the foundation would be set for Alex’s spring 2014 release FOR THE SENDER: Love Is (Not A Feeling). Through those letters (and three other inspiring examples), and songs from platinum-selling artists written about them, Alex weaves his own story of discovery as he sifts through the competing messages we receive daily about the most powerful of human experiences: love. He challenges mainstream media, the self-help establishment, and the reader to re-examine what really matters: what we actually do, for ourselves and each other. The end result is a deeply empowering reading and listening experience that will be featured in Dr. Dyer’s 2014 PBS special and on stages nationwide this spring.
