Robert Lee Potter

Over the span of his life, Robert Potter has gradually developed the skills and insights to articulate the messages of his trilogy, Letters from 500. He has worked in the fields of community development, environmental planning, documentary writing and filmmaking. He represented the U.S. Federal Government in two, long-term engagements—first as a Peace Corps volunteer, and then as a program chief in the National Park Service. During this life, he has traveled the world over, meeting and appreiciating diverse peoples and cultures from Africa and Asia to Europe and the Americas. His commitment to envisioning and working for the most positive future of our planet is firm and persistent.

Robert was born in Plainview, Texas and grew up in Seattle, Washington. He now lives near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Robert served for two years (1966-68) in the Peace Corps (Niger, West Africa), where he worked in textbook publishing and audio-visual production. He returned to the States to complete his undergraduate degree at the University of Washington. After graduation he joined the VISTA program in New York City as a counselor with the New York City Department of Correction (1969-70). Later, he became a psychiatric social worker for the City of Philadelphia during four years (1971-75). He then returned to graduate school.

In 1977, Robert received a master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and began a position in regional planning with the Health Systems Agency in Philadelphia. His professional career took a new turn in 1983, when he joined the U.S. National Park Service. He stayed within this agency until 2005, where he supervised conservation and community organization projects, and media production. This included writing a number of documentary books and instructional manuals.

Within the National Park Service, Robert rose through various management positions. In a parallel avocation, he created a private video production company, Media-Media, which continued for eight years, from 1988 to 1996. He produced more than two-dozen short and feature length films, focusing on the subjects of progressive education, environmental awareness, natural resource conservation, and cultural heritage planning.

In 2005, Robert retired from the National Park Service to continue making independent films and pursue freelance writing. In his local community, he joined the Shade Tree Commission of Chester, Pennsylvania and became a founding member of the Media Film Festival (Media, Pennsylvania) group. Another important element of his life has been continuing volunteer work with the Monroe Institute (Charlottesville, Virginia) in the capacity of local chapter network leader. The Monroe Institute is dedicated to the research and exploration of human consciousness.

In 2008 the idea arose for his startling trilogy depicting humanity’s potential future. The ‘muses’ took hold and would not let go for the next five years. Robert wrote the three volumes, possessed of a strange, detached passion through it all. The messages in the letters—from 500 years in the future—came smoothly out of the ethers onto the pages, day after day, with virtually no planning or understanding of where they were leading. Curiously, each book was drafted in exactly five months, to the day. Writing would commence on the first of a month and end on the first—five months later. Neverthless, these are not strictly ‘channeled’ materials; considerable time was taken to review and edit after the initial drafting. Over the course the work, the characters within the books took on increased vitality and presence. In Robert’s mind, these characters are responsible for generating and maintaining the overall project. He often thinks of himself as not much more than a “translator”. He has been told by these future friends that the books will have a life of their own. So far, it seems to be so. In the end, time will tell.