David Rottenberg reflects on his creative life as an author alongside his lifelong career as a teacher of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique. He explores how creativity arises naturally from inner stillness and why the solutions that emerge from that state are so deeply fulfilling.

Mr. Rottenberg shares stories from his books—especially Gwendolyn, the Graceful Pig, including its journey from page to stage as a live ballet performance. He also discusses his other works, his many years of teaching TM, and the joy he finds in bringing the knowledge of TM Founder Maharishi Mahesh Yogi to his students.

David Rottenberg is a graduate of Columbia University and the author of a beloved series of children’s books, including Gwendolyn Goes to Hollywood and Gwendolyn’s Nutty Nutcracker. His work has been adapted for ballet by Ballet Rhode Island and Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, Massachusetts. Gwendolyn, the Graceful Pig has also been performed by Nevada Ballet Theater in Las Vegas as part of an elementary school reading week program.

David Rottenberg … explores how creativity arises naturally from inner stillness and why the solutions that emerge from that state are so deeply fulfilling.

His other published works include Margarita’s Star, Outside the Edges, Transcendental Meditation Works, The Solution System: Mastering Consciousness and Creativity, and the poetry collection Soldiers of Beauty.

Mr. Rottenberg learned the TM technique in 1970 and became a certified TM teacher in 1972. Since then, he has taught both part-time and full-time for more than five decades. He has also been a producer and writer in educational media, with roles at Boston Magazine, Leading Edge Computers, and the WPEC Film and Tape Library, where he helped produce videos on Transcendental Meditation.

Christine Albers, host of TM Talks, interviewed David Rottenberg. This interview was aired on March 29, 2026.