“Tricking Power into Performing Acts of Love weaves together delightful stories of mischief from famous tricksters.”
Open Your Mind...
…to grownups who play as they did when children, play in order to keep on playing, not to win or defeat. Such folks will encounter and engage with the Trickster, humanity’s oldest known archetype. The Child plays for fun, and the Warrior plays to win, but the Trickster’s play disrupts the Warrior’s contest, and opens a portal to a wider range of societal possibilities. Click around to learn more.
…a thoughtful examination of shared attributes of Tricksters across genres, time periods, and cultures, from the Native American coyote and Zulu weasel to “The Fool” in King Lear and Bugs Bunny. Though the book’s firm command of the scholarly literature surrounding Tricksters will appeal to academics, its approachable, often jovial, writing style will also appeal to a wide audience.
Public Speaking
Shepherd Siegel would love to meet you, engage with and play with you and yers. Within the conventions of a featured speaker, but of course! With more than a nod to the magic of vaudeville, standup, and the fruits of diligent research. Dr. Siegel brings the Trickster archetype to life right before your very eyes. And explains how giving tricksters their due is going to make the world a better place.Recent Posts
Laurie Garrett: Fable For A Trickster – Or Of A Trickster
January 14th, 2026 Coming over Highway 17 into Los Gatos, timing the journey so we’d get a perfect spot in Winterland. Timing the trip so the acid would peak midway through the Dead’s show. The bass hits hard on the opening chords of “Sugar Magnolia” and you shouted, “Phil Lesh is a God!” You turned…
Susan Leslie: Having a Partner with ALS
You asked me to write about what it is like having a partner with ALS. You want to know what it is like to be in my shoes. As a former Legislative Counsel, I can tell you that, legally, “a” is read as “any.” So, you have actually asked me what it is like having…
Shepherd Siegel Obituary
Shepherd Siegel died on January 14 after a valiant struggle with ALS, surrounded by family and friends. His partner Susan Leslie accompanied him with love and devotion throughout his illness. She survives him, along with his sisters Adena Siegel (Steve Soklin) and Gretta Siegel, and nephew Leo Stein. Born in Chicago in 1953, the family…