You First: A Love That Will Not Let Me Go

You First: A Love That Will Not Let Me Go

Join author Karen Luke Jackson and Center for Spiritual Wisdom on Saturday, August 8 at 2:00 PM as Karen explores themes in her new book You First: A Love That Will Not Let Me Go. The event will be held in the Community Room at Elk Haven Wellness Center, 100 Elks Club Road, in Brevard.

Published this spring by Wipf and Stock, this beautifully-written book includes poems and short essays on a variety of subjects, with spirituality as a unifying theme.

"Spiritual encounters can upend one’s life," wrote the publisher. "Karen Luke Jackson discovered this firsthand while sitting at the bedside of a dying friend. She didn’t know who to confide in. She’d grown up in a small country church and knew nothing about mystical traditions. Only when a therapist told her that such experiences were a divine gift did she realize she was not alone. A quest to know more took her to the secluded island of Iona, St. Clare’s humble monastery near Assisi, the Pacific redwoods, and an interfaith mikvah. In You First, Jackson shares what she gleaned."

On Aug. 8, Karen will read from her book, speak about its genesis, and respond to questions. Signed copies of the book will be available for purchase

Karen Luke Jackson companions individuals on their spiritual journeys. Her own personal work with respected spiritual teachers and wisdom keepers, stint in higher education, and twenty-five years as a retreat leader with the Center for Courage & Renewal founded by Parker J. Palmer qualified her for this calling. Her poems, essays and stories have appeared in more than forty journals, and she has authored three poetry collections. Karen lives in a cottage on a goat pasture in western North Carolina, where she draws upon contemplative practices, family lore, and nature for inspiration.