William Powers discusses "New Slow City: Living Simply in the World's Fastest City"

Getting away from it all--in the heart of the Big Apple.

“All of us sense that we could live better, kinder lives. But Bill Powers has the courage to try to change and then--ever so artfully, without the slightest wag of a finger--to show us how.”--Colin Beavan, author of No Impact Man

Burned-out after years of doing development work around the world, William Powers spent a season in a 12-foot-by-12-foot cabin off the grid in North Carolina, as recounted in his award-winning memoir Twelve by Twelve. Could he live a similarly minimalist life in the heart of New York City? To find out, Powers and his wife jettisoned 80 percent of their stuff, left their 2,000-square-foot Queens townhouse, and moved into a 350-square-foot “micro-apartment” in Greenwich Village. Downshifting to a two-day workweek, Powers explores the viability of Slow Food and Slow Money, technology fasts and urban sanctuaries. Discovering a colorful cast of New Yorkers attempting to resist the culture of Total Work, Powers offers an inspiring exploration for anyone trying to make urban life more people- and planet-friendly.

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Born and raised on Long Island, William Powers has worked for over a decade in development aid and conservation in Latin America, Africa, Native North America, and Washington, DC. He is a senior fellow at the World Policy Institute and is on the adjunct faculty of New York University. He is the author most recently of Twelve by Twelve: A One-Room Cabin Off the Grid and Beyond the American Dream. Learn more at www.williampowersbooks.com.