Phil Cousineau

In this 2026 interview with Justine Willis Toms, Phil Cousineau discusses Homer’s The Odyssey. Navigating life’s most turbulent times, The Odyssey offers enduring wisdom through vivid, imaginative language. More than myth or history, it traces a nonlinear journey of loss and return.

The award-winning author and filmmaker shares nine strategies for getting past creative burn-out and rekindling your imagination. Contrary to popular belief, creativity isn't just about muses and mentors. It's a process that requires focus, determination, and practice. Creative blocks are just a...

In this masterwork, Phil Cousineau examines the connection of mythology to contemporary life and what that means for self-improvement. Drawing on his extensive work with Joseph Campbell (The Power of Myth), this is Cousineau's grand opus—revealing mythic insights for everyday life. Cousineau...

Since graduating from college with a journalism degree, Phil Cousineau's wanderlust has driven him to visit nearly 100 countries as a backpacker, a documentary filmmaker, a travel writer, a photographer, and an art and literary tour leader. For him, travel provides what his mentor Joseph...

In Burning the Midnight Oil, word-wrangler extraordinaire Phil Cousineau has gathered an eclectic and electric collection of soulful poems and prose from great thinkers throughout the ages. Whether beguiling listeners with glorious poetry or consoling them with prayers from fellow restless souls...

To untangle the knot of interlocking meanings of these painted words, logophile and mythologist Phil Cousineau begins each fascinating word entry with his own brief definition. He then fills it in with a tint of etymology and a smattering of quotes that show how the word is used, ending with a...

Phil Cousineau's lifetime of pilgrimage has taken him from the depths of lost jungles to the heights of the human soul, always with passion, curiosity, warmth, wisdom and humor. And in this little golden guide, he brings us along with him. This is an experience not to be missed, for any reason...

Who knew that the great country of Canada is named for a mistake? How about "bedswerver", the best Elizabethan insult to hurl at a cheating boyfriend? By exploring the delightful back stories of the 250 words in Wordcatcher, listeners will be lured by language and entangled in etymologies...

As indispensable as forgiveness has been to the healing process throughout history, there is another equally profound action that is needed for ultimate reconciliation, which Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mohandas Gandhi, calls the other side of the coin. Turning over the coin of forgiveness, we...

“Phil Cousineau always notices what nobody else does—a sure sign of a sharp writer. His odyssey through the Odyssey uncovers new sights at every site.”—Daniel Handler, aka Lemony Snicket, author of A Series of Unfortunate Events A fresh, modern companion to Homer’s Odyssey that...