"This is the Ross Gay, Julia Cameron, Wendell Berry mashup I needed! E. Katherine Kottaras brings humor, playfulness, intuitiveness and reflection to her meditative invitations. Her workbook, chock full of poetry and koans, supports professional creatives as well as readers looking to start their days refreshed and renewed. Whether it's for daily practice or in times of need, readers will find a playful, supportive home in Katherine's words."
–Kayla Cagan, author of Piper Perish and creator of The Comma
"Kottaras creates a safe space for everyone to make joyous noise by accepting her “invitations” to experiment with creative expression, not just on the page but also in the gardens of our own backyards and in the community found in our everyday connections with the natural world."
–K.E. Ogden, author of What the Body Already Knows
When the world feels overwhelming, where do you find sanctuary?
In this tender collection of essays, poems, and meditations, E. Katherine Kottaras invites us into her small Los Angeles garden—a place of refuge and renewal during pandemic isolation, family health crises, and the daily challenges of being a queer parent in an uncertain world.
Organized around nature's cycles of planting, growing, releasing, and celebrating, How to Come Out To the Jasmine First weaves together scientific research on nature-based healing with deeply personal poetry and reflections on creativity, identity, and resilience. Each piece includes gentle invitations for readers to explore their own relationships to place, body, and creative expression.
Nature wasn't just a pleasant escape but actual medicine for our wounded bodies and spirits.
Buy direct from the author, autographed, personalized, and shipped directly to you!
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Book Groups & Speaking
Katherine is available for book group visits, workshops, and conversations exploring themes of queer parenting, nature-based healing, gardening as spiritual practice, caretaking and resilience, creative writing, journaling, yoga, and finding sanctuary in uncertain times. Contact Katherine here to bring this work into your community.