Stephen Drew lives in the northwestern Connecticut town of Morris, a bucolic community that surrounds Bantam Lake. He moved there after a period of personal loss and tragedy, searching for peace and simplicity; a place to collect himself.
It was here he took up walking, and in the space of taking one particular step, was moved into a mystical experience that would forever change his life. Called to walk the Camino de Santiago, the Way of Saint James, Spain’s thousand year old pilgrimage route, he came to a journey of physical, psychological, and spiritual implications. Among the many outcomes of this walk were the reawakening of his writing voice, and a longing to share the story. The memoir Into the Thin, A Pilgrimage Walk Across Northern Spain was his first published book. It was followed by a contribution to the anthology In Search of Simple, Field Notes from Near and Far on Slow Living. Most recently, his latest work, a long-form, lyrical essay entitled, Around the Forever Bend, Remembrances of Wondering What Lies Beyond Death was published. Currently, he is writing a novel. Stephen continues his practice of daily walking, mostly on the roads and paths around Bantam Lake. Hiking here and elsewhere serves as a centerpiece of contemplative, intentional living.