Steve Bhaerman is an internationally known author, humorist, and workshop leader. For the past 18 years, he has written and performed as Swami Beyondananda, the “Cosmic Comic.” Swami’s comedy has been called “irreverently uplifting” and has been described both as “comedy disguised as wisdom” and “wisdom disguised as comedy.”

As the Swami, Steve is the author of four books, Driving Your Own Karma, When You See a Sacred Cow, Milk It For All It’s Worth, Duck Soup for the Soul, and his latest Swami for Precedent: A 7-Step Plan to Heal the Body Politic and Cure Electile Dysfunction. Swami’s nationally syndicated spoof advice column, Ask the Swami -- along with his comedy performances -- have found a wide and appreciative audience.

In his “past life” (before Swami), Steve started an alternative high school in Washington, D.C. and co-authored a book about his experiences, No Particular Place to Go: Making of a Free High School. A political science major, he later taught history to autoworkers at Wayne State University in Detroit as part of the Weekend College.

In 1980, Steve co-founded Pathways Magazine in Ann Arbor, Michigan, one of the first publications bringing together holistic health, personal growth, spirituality, and politics. The Swami was a regular comedy feature in Pathways, and helped launch Steve’s career as the cosmic comic. Having spent his deformative years in Brooklyn, Steve earned a black belt in Borscht Belt, and has won numerous Irony-man competitions. He currently resides in Santa Rosa, California with his wife Trudy.