Gentle Currents: Poems of Pause & Peace

by Julie Potiker

with artwork by Edward Kane

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.

Enjoy a video of Julie reading from her new book:

Early Praise

Gentle Currents is the perfect title for this collection, which invites us into deeper mindfulness and presence in every moment of our crowded lives. 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 and Breathing Room

In a world that feels shaky, unsettled, far from gentle, Gentle Currents is just the breath of fresh air we so urgently need. Julie Potiker’s poems, paired with Edward Kane’s watercolor paintings, drop me deeply into my heart space, settle my nervous system, and remind me that when I let go and float, beauty always finds me. 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. Poems that remind us how deeply connected we are to all around us, from the Acorn Woodpecker to the uncountable particles of star dust swirling the universe. 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. It’s never been more important that we, like Julie Potiker, choose to pause, to integrate, to turn toward peace.

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

Gentle Currents is a collection to be savored slowly, perhaps with a steaming mug of tea. Julie Potiker takes us by the hand and leads us into places of quiet beauty and peace, causing us to slow down, breathe, and notice the everyday miracles around us.  Paired with the graceful paintings of Edward Kane, this volume is a treasure.

Potiker’s voice is tender and steady, with a rare authenticity, as her eyes gaze with unflinching love at grief, gratitude, memory, and renewal. Some of her poems remind us of the preciousness of human connection and inspire us to hold those we love more closely. Often her poetry is heartwarming, occasionally heartbreaking, but always heartfelt. Allow these words to float you to an inner refuge from an often-turbulent world.

—CELESTE BOUDREAUX, author of Sherry and the Butterfly Lady

As the world gets noisier and busier, Julie Potiker brings us home to quiet and stillness.  Each of her poems is a balm to a bruised heart, opening into the loving vastness amidst all things. You feel her presence with you, connecting with the ancient relational systems in your own brain, rocking you gently in the rhythms of her words. In this beautiful collection, again and again you will find—as she puts it—moments of ease / to string together like pearls.

—RICK HANSON, Ph.D., author of Buddha’s Brain, Hardwiring Happiness, and Neurodharma

Reading Gentle Currents draws you into Potiker’s world of awareness, where familiar things suddenly feel new—the grosbeak, the carob tree, the green coins of the aspen. Your busy mind softens; you settle by the river, savoring the spacious calm of simply being and remembering what truly matters: love, community, family, friendship. These poems truly are gentle currents guiding us home.

—KAREN BLUTH, author of The Self-Compassionate Teen and Mindful Self-Compassion for Teens in Schools

Reading this collection feels like pausing beside a river: listening, breathing, remembering what matters. With the sensitivity of a teacher and the courage of a poet, Julie Potiker turns ordinary moments of love and loss into glimmers of insight. The poetry and art together invite us to rest in beauty, to find compassion in impermanence, and to meet the world—nature and our own nature—with tenderness.

—CASSANDRA VIETEN, PhD, clinical professor and director of UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness

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

About the Author

Julie Potiker is a mindfulness expert, author, and—much to her own delight—a debut poet at the age of 65. Her journey to poetry feels like a joyful surprise, arriving after a decade of helping others bring more peace and wellness into their lives through her Mindful Methods for Life programs. A former attorney, Julie is a Certified Mindful Self-Compassion teacher affiliated with UCSD Center for Mindfulness, and founder of the Balanced Mind Meditation Center in La Jolla, California. She trained with leaders in the field, including Kristin Neff, Christopher Germer, and Rick Hanson, and holds certifications in trauma-sensitive mindfulness, grief education, and multiple adaptations of the Mindful Self-Compassion program.

Her first two books—SNAP! From Chaos to Calm and Life Falls Apart, but You Don’t Have To— and are available in print and audiobook format. Julie’s work has been featured in The Oprah Magazine, Costco Connection, AARP, and major news outlets including NBC, CBS, and Fox. Now, she embraces the wonder of sharing her first poetry collection, proof that creativity can bloom at any stage of life. More at MindfulMethodsForLife.com.

About the Artist

Edward Kane is a watercolor artist and illustrator of children’s books with more than 30 years of professional experience in graphic design, photo editing and teaching art, art history, and drawing at Platt College of Multimedia Design. He holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in art and art history from the University of California, Berkeley. For many years Edward has exhibited his work at the San Diego Watercolor Society.

Julie’s poems in Gentle Currents relate to mindfulness and acted as a catalyst for the watercolor paintings. Edward’s illustrations for Gentle Currents are his third collaboration with an author and his first effort illustrating a book of poetry. Many of Julie’s poems reference familiar backyard birds such as crows, sparrows, wrens, and hummingbirds and animals such as elk, cows, and rabbits for which Edward has a passion.

When not working on art projects, Edward enjoys cultivating his backyard canyon sanctuary for birds, blooms and wildlife. To learn more about Edward’s art visit: edwardkaneart.com

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