Brother Phap Hũu (Dharma Friend) first encountered Zen Master Thich and the Plum Village community as a child when his father, a former refugee from the war in Vietnam, took his family from Canada to visit Plum Village France in 1996. From the age of twelve, Brother Phap Huu knew that he wished to become a monk, and in 2002 when he turned thirteen, he was ordained as a novice, receiving full ordination in 2006. He has been the abbot of Plum Village Upper Hamlet since January 2011. Mindfulness advocate, spiritual mentor, coach, and journalist Jo Confino has worked closely with Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh and his monastic community in France since 2009. Specializing in sutainability, he has partnered with the UN Development Program on a consciousness and systems change initiative and held senior editorial positions at The HuffPost in New York and The Guardian in London.
""Reading Calm in the Storm feels like sitting beside dear friends, listening to their steady, loving voices as they guide us back to what truly matters. Brother Phap Huu and Jo Confino offer the rare gift of presence—not just in their words, but in the integrity of how they live. I’ve known Brother Phap Huu since he was a child, before he became a monk, and it is a delight to witness the depth of his practice and embodiment now. Jo, too, brings great heart and insight to this book. Together, they share the fruit of decades walking alongside the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh and the Plum Village community, helping us all remember that even in the most turbulent moments, we can return home to ourselves—one breath, one step at a time."" —Kaira Jewel Lingo, Buddhist teacher, author of We Were Made for These Times and coaauthor of Healing Our Way Home