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Found. Still lost.
Found. Still lost . is an empowering collection of poetry and images exploring the depths of trauma and inviting us all to heal through the validation of our innermost feelings. One of the best ways to combat the effects of trauma is to remind ourselves that our emotions are the mind’s healthy ways of coping with extraordinary events. This is what we find in the pages of “Found. Still lost.” Brother and sister duo, Ashley Walkowiak & John Nester, invite us to be present with the discomfort of loss, violation, and daily struggles of the human condition. Trauma can leave us juggling feelings of shock, confusion, denial, and grief. Experiencing trauma can manifest physical conditions such as anxiety, panic, headaches, dizziness, poor concentration, and flashbacks. Feelings of detachment, isolation from family and friends, and struggling to complete typical daily tasks are all common responses to trauma. Experiencing uncomfortable thoughts and feelings reflected in the pages of this short and profound work reminds us all that being present with our loss and trauma is what our bodies need to heal and move forward. In Found. Still lost. you will experience a seduction of words and images that invite you to exist in the current moment and seek healing through the confirmation of your thoughts and emotions. Within these pages, you will find that you are never alone. " Found. Still lost. is a beautiful and visually prolific journey into the epicenter of pain, fear, trauma, hope, and healing." - Jennifer Storm is the author of several books on sexual violence, substance use, and recovery, including Blackout Girl and Awakening Blackout Girl .
"This is an achingly gorgeous collection that needs to remain out, on a table somewhere in your home, where it can constantly be picked up and cherished. It’ll make you feel less alone, as well as dazzle you with its beauty." - Jen Pastiloff, best-selling author of ON BEING HUMAN , yoga teacher, and empowerment coach.
"Ashley Nichole Walkowiak and John M. Nester’s Found. Still lost. is a collection that interrogates the wounds of loss with the careful precision of an archaeologist studying ancient ruins. Paired with stark black and white photography, the poems serve as ghostly echoes for the aching landscapes rendered in the images. The natural world in its power to ruin mingles with the disorienting traumas of human loss through tsunamis and cracked spines, constellations, and mirrors. Mythologies weave their way into the grieving process as well, as the speaker navigates their broken self through allusions to Frankenstein and Rapunzel, revealing that loss is both a horrifying and magical maze we all wander through, where truth is both distorted and discovered. These poems and photos vibrate as a gong of meaning making, reminding us all that 'all that glows/begins with sorrow.'" - Anne Champion, 2009 Academy of American Poet’s Prize recipient, is the author of several poetry compilations, including The Good Girl is Always a Ghost . She currently teaches writing and literature at Wheelock College in Boston.
"This is an achingly gorgeous collection that needs to remain out, on a table somewhere in your home, where it can constantly be picked up and cherished. It’ll make you feel less alone, as well as dazzle you with its beauty." - Jen Pastiloff, best-selling author of ON BEING HUMAN , yoga teacher, and empowerment coach.
"Ashley Nichole Walkowiak and John M. Nester’s Found. Still lost. is a collection that interrogates the wounds of loss with the careful precision of an archaeologist studying ancient ruins. Paired with stark black and white photography, the poems serve as ghostly echoes for the aching landscapes rendered in the images. The natural world in its power to ruin mingles with the disorienting traumas of human loss through tsunamis and cracked spines, constellations, and mirrors. Mythologies weave their way into the grieving process as well, as the speaker navigates their broken self through allusions to Frankenstein and Rapunzel, revealing that loss is both a horrifying and magical maze we all wander through, where truth is both distorted and discovered. These poems and photos vibrate as a gong of meaning making, reminding us all that 'all that glows/begins with sorrow.'" - Anne Champion, 2009 Academy of American Poet’s Prize recipient, is the author of several poetry compilations, including The Good Girl is Always a Ghost . She currently teaches writing and literature at Wheelock College in Boston.
66 pages, Paperback
Published February 10, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 13, 2023
5/5 Stars
I’m so glad for books like this one. When I opened the pages, I felt the authors took me by the hand and walked me through a gallery of words and black and white photographs. More than that, it opened a conversation between the reader and the writers to process in a safe place the dynamics of grief and loss.
What at first felt like a juxtaposition between being FOUND and being STILL LOST, later made more sense to me as I gave it room and time and space to process. I found myself reading through poem after poem that resonated with my own stuff: my trauma, my history, my lived experience, and I recognized that John and Ashley have been on this journey like I have.
I learned that I was not alone. That I could walk with others, and it eased my experience with grief, with pain and hurt, and loss. I stared into the pictures and sat with what came up to the surface. I allowed myself to feel it, and whether the feelings were pleasant or painful, it was okay.
As a therapist, I love that the journey begins with left brain work: poems, and shifts to right brain work: photographs. And that’s what trauma work is: both left and right brain work. This book is a bridge between both sides, and effortlessly navigates the reader through the gallery and to the end.
What at first seemed disparate and incongruent, turned out to be unequivocally the way to sit in the space with the grief and loss and practice tolerating it, poem by poem, photography by photograph. I found the experience cathartic, resonant, and beautiful.
I’m so glad for books like this one. When I opened the pages, I felt the authors took me by the hand and walked me through a gallery of words and black and white photographs. More than that, it opened a conversation between the reader and the writers to process in a safe place the dynamics of grief and loss.
What at first felt like a juxtaposition between being FOUND and being STILL LOST, later made more sense to me as I gave it room and time and space to process. I found myself reading through poem after poem that resonated with my own stuff: my trauma, my history, my lived experience, and I recognized that John and Ashley have been on this journey like I have.
I learned that I was not alone. That I could walk with others, and it eased my experience with grief, with pain and hurt, and loss. I stared into the pictures and sat with what came up to the surface. I allowed myself to feel it, and whether the feelings were pleasant or painful, it was okay.
As a therapist, I love that the journey begins with left brain work: poems, and shifts to right brain work: photographs. And that’s what trauma work is: both left and right brain work. This book is a bridge between both sides, and effortlessly navigates the reader through the gallery and to the end.
What at first seemed disparate and incongruent, turned out to be unequivocally the way to sit in the space with the grief and loss and practice tolerating it, poem by poem, photography by photograph. I found the experience cathartic, resonant, and beautiful.
May 27, 2024
I loved the photography paired with the poetry, made it extra haunting and extra engaging.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews