Literature allows us to take time out to stop and listen to the important and diverse voices and varied perspectives on mindfulness. The following contemporary authors have woven mindfulness into their works, inviting readers into mindful reading to explore introspection, presence, and serenity. Here, I’m sharing my personal experiences with these authors’ works and how they have enriched my mindfulness journey.
You’re Grounded: An Anti-Self Help Book To Calm You the F*** Down
Swan Huntley • Tarcher Perigee
So many of us access the same tools when it comes to cultivating a mindfulness practice, but I’m always interested in new and different ways to deepen my practice. Swan Huntley is at the top of my list when I look towards tools that invite me to embrace mindfulness through a slightly different lens. Her illustrations are reminders that keeping it simple and having a sense of humor isn’t a bad thing. As I read through her “anti-self-help” book, I find myself asking myself, How can we take ourselves less seriously?
You’re Grounded is a refreshing take on the self-help genre, offering practical advice with a humorous twist. Huntley’s witty and relatable approach makes mindfulness accessible, encouraging readers to find balance through laughter and self-compassion. One of the book’s standout moments is when Huntley writes, “Once in a while, I walk from East LA to the beach (it’s far), and every time, I think: Am I literally trying to walk away from myself right now?” Aside from reminding Angelenos of the Missing Persons lyric, “Nobody walks in LA,” Huntley addresses the flaneur in all of us. As she walks the streets of Los Angeles, she makes mental notes to improve anything that makes her feel “less than” and settles for the idea of improvement vs. the thing itself. These pages remind us of the human condition and our tendency to place obstacles on our path toward leading a more mindful life. Swan Huntley has tips for all of us to get out of our own way and embrace mindfulness with good, gentle humor.
Read Swan Huntley for practical advice about mindfulness and keeping a sense of humor and self-compassion.
Prairie, Dresses, Art, Other
Danielle Dutton • Coffee House Press
In mindfulness, where every moment invites us to experience the world with heightened awareness, literature offers us the opportunity to get lost in a narrative, and sometimes, without realizing it, we find ourselves coming away from our experience with a heightened sense of ourselves and our surroundings as a result. One such work that offers a profound exploration of this concept is Dutton’s latest book, Prairie, Dresses, Art, Other—a shimmering and perplexing collection that defies the constraints of traditional prose. Dutton, most recently known for her novel Margaret the First, shares a new series of essays and experimental writings that challenge conventional storytelling notions. Her work is not merely about conveying a narrative; it’s about capturing the ineffable—the feelings, the sensations, and the fleeting moments that often escape words. With an intellectually stimulating and mischievously playful style, Dutton’s writing invites comparison to the form-breaking thrills of authors like Anne Carson or perhaps even Gertrude Stein. Her stories are curious and help readers land someplace they’ve never been. To my mind, this is what all good writing should do.
At its core, Dutton’s book explores how stories can transcend their textual boundaries to offer something far more moving—a sense of presence, a way of looking or knowing, and a space wherein we can fully attend to the world at hand. Through these essays, she poses questions that deeply resonate with the mindful reader. How can a story embody a specific way of seeing? How might we write about something that isn’t meant to be read but felt? The questions that arise feel reminiscent of those asked of the reader in John Berger’s Ways of Seeing. How does our perspective influence the narrative? Or does it?
How does our perspective influence the narrative? Or does it?
Through its genre-bending structure, Dutton’s book becomes more than just a collection of essays; it’s an invitation to engage with the text mindfully, considering how words move us and how a narrative can help us shift our perspective. For those who read with a mindful eye, this work offers a different opportunity to explore the intersection of life and language by examining the collage of art, literature, and consciousness that Dutton has artfully curated in these pages.
Read Danielle Dutton for her attention to detail and a keen eye fo