Born August 19, 1944, in Fort Worth, TX; son of Elmer and Ellen (a homemaker; maiden name, Taylor) Canfield; married Judith Ohlbaum, 1971 (divorced, November, 1976); married Georgia Lee Noble, September 9, 1978 (divorced, December, 1999); married Inga Marie Mahoney, July 4, 2001; children: (first marriage) Oran David, Kyle Dania; (second marriage) Christopher Noble. Education: Harvard University, B.A., 1966; University of Massachusetts at Amherst, M.Ed., 1973. Politics: Democrat. Religion: Christian. Hobbies and other interests: Tennis, travel, skiing, running, billiards, reading, guitar.
Career
Motivational speaker, author, and editor. High school social studies teacher in Chicago, IL, 1967–68; Clinton Job Corps Center, Clinton, IA, director of teacher program, 1968–69; W. Clement and Jessie V. Stone Foundation, Chicago, associate director of education, 1969–70; New England Center, Amherst, MA, founder and director, 1971–77; Institute for Wholistic Education, Amherst, founder and director, 1978–80; Insight Training Seminars, Santa Monica, CA, director of educational services, 1981–83; Self-Esteem Seminars, Santa Barbara, CA, president, 1983–;
Foundation for Self-Esteem, founder and chairperson of the board, 1986–; Chicken Soup for the Soul Enterprises, Santa Barbara, chief executive officer, 1998–. National Council for Self-Esteem, co-founder and member of board of trustees, 1986–96, member of advisory board, 1996–. Maui Writers Conference and Retreat School, faculty member, beginning 1996.
Member
National Speakers Association, Association for Humanistic Psychology.
Awards, Honors
Named Outstanding Young Man of America, U.S. Jaycees, 1978; honorary Ph.D., University of Santa Monica, 1981; American Booksellers Book of the Year (ABBY) award, and Storytelling World award for tellable adult stories, both 1995, Body, Mind, and Soul Book award, and American Family Institute Nonfiction Literary award, both 1996, all for Chicken Soup for the Soul: One Hundred and One Stories to Open the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit;
named Southern California Book Publicist of the Year, 1995; Storytelling World award for tellable adult stories, 1996, for A Second Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul; Distinguished Author award, Radio and Television Interview Report, 1996; Motivator of the Year award, Business Digest, 1997; Chancellor's Medal, University of Massachusetts, 1998; Promise of the Earth Award, National Arbor Day Foundation, 1998; Oprah's Angel Network Award, 1999.
Writings
- (With Harold C. Wells) About Me: A Curriculum for a Developing Self, Encyclopedia Britannica (Chicago, IL), 1971.
- (With Harold C. Wells) One Hundred Ways to Enhance Self-Concept in the Classroom: A Handbook for Teachers and Parents, Prentice-Hall (Englewood Cliffs, NJ), 1976, revised edition, Allyn & Bacon (Boston, MA), 1993.
- Personalized Learning: Confluent Processes in the Classroom, privately printed (Newington, CT), 1976, published as Loving to Learn, Self-Esteem Seminars (Culver City, CA), 1997.
- (With Marie Reese, Ron Rowland, Sandie Limina, and others) Self-Esteem in the Classroom: A Curriculum Guide, Self-Esteem Seminars (Culver City, CA), 1986.
- Self-Esteem and Peak Performance: A Transcript, Career-Track (Boulder, CO), 1991.
- (With Frank Siccone) One Hundred and One Ways to Develop Student Self-Esteem and Responsibility in the Classroom, Allyn & Bacon (Boston, MA), Volume 1: The Teacher as Coach, 1992, Volume 2: The Power to Succeed in School and Beyond, 1992, published in one volume, 1994.
- Los Angeles Dodgers Team Esteem Program: A Self-Esteem Curriculum Guide, Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, CA), 1992.
- (With Mark Victor Hansen) Dare to Win, Berkley Books (New York, NY), 1994.
- (With Karen Goldberg) Follow Your Dreams: A Goals-setting Workbook, Dream Time Project (Wayne, PA), 1994.
- (With Mark Victor Hansen) The Aladdin Factor: How to Ask for and Get Everything You Want in Life, Berkley Books (New York, NY), 1995.
- (With Jacqueline Miller) Heart at Work: Stories and Strategies for Building Self-Esteem and Reawakening the Soul at Work, McGraw (New York, NY), 1996.
- (With Mark Victor Hansen and Barry Spilchuk) A Cup of Chicken Soup for the Soul, Health Communications (Deerfield Beach, FL), 1996.
- (With Mark Victor Hansen and Les Hewitt) The Power of Focus, Health Communications (Deerfield Beach, FL), 2000.
- (With Janet Switzer) The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2005.
Adaptations
Most of the "Chicken Soup" books have been adapted as audiobooks, as have The Aladdin Factor, Dare to Win, and Heart at Work. The "Chicken Soup" series has also inspired storybooks and audiocassette music collections, such as Chicken Soup for Little Christian Souls, produced by Kid Rhino.