Found. Still lost.

Ashley Nichole Walkowiak

Non-Fiction

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...

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9781620069059

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$9.99

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.

by Ashley Nichole Walkowiak and John Michael Nester
Page Count: 62

Trim Size: 6 x 9
Publish Date: February 9, 2022
Imprint: Brown Posey Press
Genre: Poetry and Photography


POETRY / American / General
PHOTOGRAPHY / Individual Photographers / Artists' Books
BODY, MIND & SPIRIT / Healing / General

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Anonymous
A gallery of black & white artwork and poetry

I’m so glad for books like this one. When I opened the pages, I felt the authors took me by the hand & walked me through a gallery of words, black & white photographs. More than that, it opened a conversation between the reader & the writers to process in a safe place the dynamics of grief & loss.

What at first felt like a juxtaposition between being FOUND & being STILL LOST, later made more sense to me as I gave it room, time, & space to process. I found myself reading through poem after poem that resonated with my own trauma, history, my lived experience, & 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, & it eased my experience with grief, pain, hurt, & loss. I stared into the pictures, sat with what came up to the surface. I allowed myself to feel it, & whether the feelings were pleasant or painful, it was okay.

As a therapist, I love that the journey begins with left brain work: poems, shifts to right brain work: photographs. And that’s what trauma work is: both left/right brain work. This book is a bridge between both sides, effortlessly navigates the reader through the gallery to the end.

What at first seemed disparate & incongruent, turned out to be unequivocally the way to sit in the space with the grief & loss & practice tolerating it, poem by poem, photography by photograph. I found the experience cathartic, resonant, & beautiful.

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Anonymous
Heart tugging

Let me start by saying that the photos are perfectly chosen for the poetry. There is truth to the saying, "A picture tells a 1000 words." Lucky with this book, you get the picture and the words. Ashley and John have a way with theirs. You can use poetry or writing to help you understand what you are going through. When you read Found, still lost, you being to see how that is possible.

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Anonymous
Reflective

I found this book to be refreshingly expressive of the places within my own loss and grief that I not only am sometimes unaware of but at the same time reflective of those places I'm painfully aware of and unable to give voice, give words to. My lonely darkness.

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Anonymous
Stunning

Amazing images. Gripping words. It’s almost like you get a front row seat to the healing process. Powerful!

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Anonymous
Emotional

I could almost feel the authors pain and joy. The poetry is beautifully written, and the photographs Are breathtaking. If you were looking for a book to soothe your soul and look deeper at yourself. This is the book for you