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Between Earth and Sky
  • Published: 12 May 2026
  • ISBN: 9781967175024
  • Imprint: Parallax
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 176
  • RRP: $49.99

Between Earth and Sky

100 Days of Deep Looking in the Place of the Dead

Formats & editions
EBook
7 Apr 2026
Paperback
12 May 2026
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A transformative 100-day exploration through the seemingly desolate lands of Mexico's "place of the dead" etches a path of collapse and renewal, documented in poignant, imaginative prose and remarkable macro lens photography.

A visually arresting and contemplative giftable object that pairs luminous, full color macro photography from the stark, mythical deserts of Oaxaca, Mexico with short, reflective prose rooted in mindfulness

A transformative 100-day exploration through the seemingly desolate lands of Mexico's "place of the dead" etches a path of collapse and renewal, documented in poignant, imaginative prose and remarkable macro lens photography.

A visually arresting and contemplative giftable object that pairs luminous, full color macro photography from the stark, mythical deserts of Oaxaca, Mexico with short, reflective prose rooted in mindfulness

After the loss of his career and identity as a New York City journalist, Jo Confino finds himself in pandemic exile in Mitla, Mexico—the “place of the dead”—where the silence of the landscape becomes the canvas for a radical unlearning. The book that emerged, compact and aesthetic, is a tactile, treasured companion for personal reflection or ritual space.

Inspired by the Engaged Zen teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh and the tradition of mindfulness, these reverent pages invite the reader to slow down, look deeply, and encounter impermanence, interconnection, and endless mystery. The spritiual arc—from disintegration to insight and renewal—the author discovers offers a map through global disruption and toward rootedness in unfamiliar places.

Tracing 100 days of unexpected lockdown, Between Earth and Sky folds together memoir, photographic meditation, and spiritual inquiry to create a fresh, poetic take on ecological awareness and spiritual resilience in a time of crisis that speaks to anyone who’s ever been brought to their knees by change and found something sacred in the dust.
  • Published: 12 May 2026
  • ISBN: 9781967175024
  • Imprint: Parallax
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 176
  • RRP: $49.99
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Praise for Between Earth and Sky

"While we all did our best to stay calm, death surrounded us in the weeks that followed. The suffering in Mitla was immense. There is no reliable count of how many residents died in town, but nearly every family intimately knew someone who passed.Each of us who survived was transformed, in ways large and small. This is the visual story of how I learned to see the world in a profoundly different way, and transform myself in the process."

"During my time in Mitla, I took around 1400 close-up photos of the sparse fauna and flora. I had rarely used a macro lens on my camera but I became so grateful I had brought it with me as it offered me the opportunity to get up close and personal to what I was looking at and develop a real intimacy with my surroundings. In this way, I was able to more deeply appreciate the power of observation and patience that had largely been lacking in my life."

"Nowhere to go, nothing to do. These six simple words become the backdrop of my life during lockdown, a daily mantra.The beauty of the mantra is that it does not mean sit and do nothing all day, but that we can relax into life as we already have more than enough conditions to be happy. There is no need to be in a rush. With this in mind, I decide to start hiking but without the need to arrive at a particular destination. I have brought my walking boots with me on this trip and every morning I get up early and walk into the wilderness while the air is still cool on the skin."

"While we all did our best to stay calm, death surrounded us in the weeks that followed. The suffering in Mitla was immense. There is no reliable count of how many residents died in town, but nearly every family intimately knew someone who passed.Each of us who survived was transformed, in ways large and small. This is the visual story of how I learned to see the world in a profoundly different way, and transform myself in the process."

"During my time in Mitla, I took around 1400 close-up photos of the sparse fauna and flora. I had rarely used a macro lens on my camera but I became so grateful I had brought it with me as it offered me the opportunity to get up close and personal to what I was looking at and develop a real intimacy with my surroundings. In this way, I was able to more deeply appreciate the power of observation and patience that had largely been lacking in my life."

"Nowhere to go, nothing to do. These six simple words become the backdrop of my life during lockdown, a daily mantra.The beauty of the mantra is that it does not mean sit and do nothing all day, but that we can relax into life as we already have more than enough conditions to be happy. There is no need to be in a rush. With this in mind, I decide to start hiking but without the need to arrive at a particular destination. I have brought my walking boots with me on this trip and every morning I get up early and walk into the wilderness while the air is still cool on the skin."