In this exploration of creativity, identity, and healing, E. Katherine Kottaras invites readers to discover how writing and connection to nature can transform our relationship with ourselves and the world. Drawing from her experiences as a queer mother and teacher navigating chronic pain and family hardship, she weaves together stories of tending garden beds in Southern California with reflections on embracing her identity later in life. Through essays, poetry, and guided invitations to write, Kottaras offers a compassionate framework for embracing wholeness and offers parallels for how the cycles of gardening mirror our creative and healing journeys.
 
How to Come Out To the Jasmine First: On Writing and Loving in the Natural World is a tender companion for anyone seeking to cultivate their creative voice while honoring the wild, untamed aspects of self that, like volunteer tomatoes and resilient nasturtiums, insist on growing into the light.
 
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Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 17, 2025
Language ‏ : ‎ English
374 pages