It's Here: Shades of Me – Second Edition Launches Today - A Poetic Memoir - Art and Healing

Dear friends, readers, and fellow wanderers,

I’m thrilled to share that Shades of Me – Second Edition is officially complete and ready for release! It’s been a long, winding journey—through health challenges, life transitions, and creative transformation—but today, the book that once whispered itself into being is now a bold, full-throated song.

Front Cover

This isn’t just a reprint—it’s a rebirth.

A poetic memoir - art and healing.

Originally written in the wake of my Parkinson’s diagnosis, Shades of Me began as a way to make sense of shifting ground beneath my feet. But in returning to it now, after years of reflection, I’ve expanded it into something deeper: a poetic memoir threaded with art, insight, vulnerability, and truth.

The second edition includes new poems, refined language, additional artwork, and meditative reflections on time, illness, identity, and the spaces where science and spirit meet. It honors where I’ve been and gestures toward the woman—and the artist—I continue to become.

I’m reaching out today not just to announce a book, but to invite you into a conversation.

If you’ve ever felt caught in between moments…If you’ve ever struggled to name the beauty in hardship…If you’ve ever needed art to speak when words failed…

Then this book was written for you.

Shades of Me – Second Edition will be available in hardcover through Amazon starting July 31, my birthday—and yes, the timing is intentional. Releasing it then is a celebration of resilience, of voice, and of choosing to share even when silence might seem easier.

Until then, I’ll be sharing excerpts, behind-the-scenes notes, and reflections here on the blog. I’d love for you to join the mailing list, comment, or simply sit with the words when they arrive.

Thank you for believing in the power of story, and for being part of this one.

With gratitude and courage,

R.D. Wooten