Lotus Girl with Helen Tworkov

Explore Tworkov’s extraordinary journey across art, spirituality and culture in search of truth and belonging.

Celebrate Helen Tworkov’s memoir, Lotus Girl: My Life at the Crossroads of Buddhism and America, at this free LiteraryArts@SPAC event presented in collaboration with Skidmore College and Tang Museum. 

Moderated by Benjamin Bogin, Associate Professor of Asian Studies at Skidmore College with an introduction by SPAC Chief Executive Officer Elizabeth Sobol, the conversation will explore Tworkov’s spiritual journey, her upbringing in New York’s vibrant art world as the daughter of acclaimed artist Jack Tworkov, her reflections on Buddhism’s evolution in the West, and the experiences and encounters that inspired her memoir. Set against the cultural backdrop of the Vietnam War and the American counterculture, Lotus Girl traces her search for meaning and truth through Japan, India and Nepal, where she encountered some of the most influential Buddhist teachers of her time.

The daughter of an artist, Tworkov grew up immersed in New York’s Abstract Expressionist art scene, yet from an early age questioned the cultural norms that shaped her world. At 22, after encountering an iconic photograph of Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc, whose act of protest profoundly challenged her understanding of the human mind and spirit, she set off for Japan and later traveled through Cambodia, India and Nepal in search of a deeper understanding of truth and the self. Tworkov went on to found The Tricycle Foundation in 1990, helping bring Buddhist perspectives and teachings to a wider Western audience through Tricycle: The Buddhist Review.

In Lotus Girl, she reflects on a life shaped by encounters with extraordinary figures across the worlds of art and spirituality, including the Dalai Lama, Pema Chödrön, Charles Mingus and Richard Serra. Blending personal experience with research and reflection, Tworkov offers a distinctive perspective on the intersection of Buddhist wisdom and American values, while exploring the universal search for belonging, meaning and a place to call home.

This event is free to attend, however space is limited. Register now!

Lotus Girl will be available for purchase onsite through Northshire Bookstore, with a signing to follow the discussion.

Helen Tworkov grew up in a family of artists where art was considered the religion. Yet from an early age, she sought another kind of religion—one that would address deeper questions of the nature of truth and the self. After traveling throughout Asia and experimenting with a variety of New Age practices, Tworkov eventually arrived at Buddhism—and went on to found The Tricycle Foundation in 1990.

In her new book, Lotus Girl: My Life at the Crossroads of Buddhism and America, she uses her own spiritual journey to explore how Buddhism has developed in the West over the past sixty years. Set against the cultural backdrop of the Vietnam War and the American counterculture, the book offers a portrait of Tworkov’s search for meaning and truth as she travels through Japan, India, and Nepal and encounters the great Buddhist luminaries of her time.

Helen Tworkov is the founding editor of Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, the first independent Buddhist magazine, and the author of Zen in America: Profiles of Five Teachers. With Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, she is the co-author of Turning Confusion into Clarity, In Love with the World, and A World of Difference, forthcoming in February 2027. Her memoir, Lotus Girl: My Life at the Crossroads of Buddhism and America, was a Library Journal best book of the year and received a starred review in Publisher’s Weekly. It will be published in a new paperback edition in November 2026. She lives in New York City and Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

In conjunction with the program, Tang Museum at Skidmore College will feature an important painting by American Abstract Expressionist artist Jack Tworkov, Helen’s father, alongside related drawings, available for viewing from November 16-19. This special presentation offers an additional connection to the artistic influences that shaped Tworkov’s life. Visit tang.skidmore.edu for details.