Encounters with the Cosmic Messenger

"Encounters with the Cosmic Messenger" is a collection of essays by guitarist/composer/author Michael DeLalla, culled from his journals and tour blog that document a musician's life immersed in creativity and his never-ending search for Beauty, Insight and Wisdom. Michael's travels include all 50 United States (with performances in 44 of them), as well Canada and Europe. Throughout these travels, Michael endeavors to immerse himself in whatever place he happens to land by walking or biking around, never wasting an opportunity to chat up a local. The 28 essays that comprise "Encounters with the Cosmic Messenger" are divided into three sections: 'The Mysterious Wisdom of Strangers, ' 'The Road Speaks Fluent Wisdom, ' and finally, 'Seeking Beauty, Finding Insight, Sparking Wisdom.' Along the way, the reader will meet fascinating people, including a tennis-racquet wielding monk, a 103-year-old mentor, the villagers of a small French village who are arguing at lunchtime and romancing by mid-afternoon, a 'wine-whisperer' who knows how the land can inform a vintage, and countless meetups with nameless strangers that have touched Michael over the years and fostered his own unflagging optimistic quest for insight to the human condition.