Amy Newmark, 58, is the bestselling author, editor-in-chief, and publisher of the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. Since 2008, she has published 125 new books, most of them national bestsellers in the U.S. and Canada, more than doubling the number of Chicken Soup for the Soul titles in print today.

Amy is credited with revitalizing the Chicken Soup for the Soul brand, which has been a publishing industry phenomenon since the first book came out in 1993. By compiling inspirational and aspirational true stories curated from ordinary people who have had extraordinary experiences, Amy has kept the 23-year-old Chicken Soup for the Soul brand fresh and relevant.

Reading stories from each book has also made a difference in her own life. “I’ve learned how to have better personal relationships, how to focus on what’s important, how to look for the positive in every situation, and how to put in perspective the daily ups and downs of life,” Amy says. She shares that positive thinking in her public speaking, telling her favorite stories and showing us how they apply to our lives.

Amy and her husband own Chicken Soup for the Soul. When they are not working, they are visiting their four grown children. Amy graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University where she majored in Portuguese and minored in French. She then embarked on a three-decade career as a Wall Street analyst, a hedge fund manager, and a corporate executive in the technology field. Her return to literary pursuits was inevitable, as her honors thesis in college involved traveling throughout Brazil’s impoverished northeast region, collecting stories from regular people. She is delighted to have come full circle in her writing career—from collecting stories “from the people” in Brazil as a 20-year-old to, three decades later, collecting stories “from the people” for Chicken Soup for the Soul.

The Spirit of America 

We live in a great country and we are proud to be Americans, despite the negativity that arises during the political process. With the elections and the 15th anniversary of 9/11, we are all focused on what America means to us.

This truly is the land of opportunity, filled with people who demonstrate resilience, creativity, compassion, and that American can-do attitude. The stories that Amy tells are uplifting and entertaining, and they’ll remind you why we are lucky to live in this great land. The companion book for this topic is Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Spirit of America.

The Joy of Less

Whether you’re reclaiming your empty nest, downsizing, or turning over a new leaf, you know you’ve got too much “stuff” and too much on your schedule! Learn how to say “no” to the things that don’t matter so you can say “yes” to the things that do. Cutting back on material possessions and reducing the number of commitments on your calendar can change your life.

By getting rid of the excess, you clean house, literally and figuratively, and find yourself happier, freer, and re-energized. There are a hundred different ways to find the joy in less, as covered in the companion book for this topic: Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Joy of Less.

The Best of Chicken Soup for the Soul 

Amy’s journey from Wall Street to Main Street has changed her in ways she never anticipated. Still a maverick with an irreverent sense of humor and a penchant for self-deprecating stories about herself and her family, she also synthesizes everything she has learned from reading and editing tens of thousands of Chicken Soup for the Soul stories, sharing her favorite stories and their lessons with her audiences.

A keen observer on parenting, love and marriage, positive thinking, resilience, and the human spirit, she shares the wisdom, humor, and advice from her book Chicken Soup for the Soul: Maverick with a Mission in this uplifting and entertaining presentation.