Gentle Currents: Poems of Pause & Peace (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781968610166)

Gentle Currents is a poetry collection created as a refuge for the heart-a soft landing for souls seeking hope, tenderness, and renewal. Through mindful self-compassion, the poems invite readers to slow down, notice the world around them, and reconnect with the resilience and love that live within us all. Each piece flows with awareness of our shared humanity and our deep connection to nature, holding everything-joy, grief, imperfection-with open arms.

Accompanied by Edward Kane's luminous watercolor paintings, these poems form a vibrant, all-color gift book. The result is a work of art that nourishes the senses while offering emotional sustenance. Written and illustrated in the spirit of community-rooted in the Wednesday morning mindfulness meditation group that began in the lockdown of 2020-Gentle Currents celebrates love in all its forms: love for self, for each other, and for the planet.

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Reading Julie Potiker's poems is like slipping into a refreshing stretch of ocean: we feel ourselves held by the largeness and power of her attention to the world around her, buoyed by the abundance of the here and now. This book will remind you, over and over, this is how the soul spells home.

-JAMES CREWS, author of Turning Toward Grief

In a world that feels shaky, unsettled, far from gentle, Gentle Currents is just the breath of fresh air we so urgently need. You will want to keep this treasure close, a north star pointing you toward home when the waves of life threaten to pull you under.

-JULIA FEHRENBACHER, author of Staying in Love

These are poems of noticing, opening and relishing. And when combined with the stunning art of Edward Kane, these poems become prayer, become lifeline, become an invitation to be wildly present in our own lives.

-ROSEMERRY WAHTOLA TROMMER, author of The Unfolding and host of The Poetic Path

The poet invites us on an attentive, even prayerful, journey. Our companions: sun and moon, bees and aspen trees, matzo balls and brisket, shards and sorrows, yellow poppies and wild roses . . . the entire rhapsody we tune into. At the end, we're left with what we begin with: thank you thank you thank you. That's more than enough.

-PHYLLIS COLE-DAI, poet/writer, co-editor of the Poetry of Presence volumes