Honors Program Director and Professor of English Dr. Bonnie Smith Whitehouse recently published a book, “Afoot and Lighthearted: A Journal for Mindful Walking,” which launched at a book release celebration held at Nashville’s Parnassus Books last month.
The book is an interactive journal that teaches readers how to harness the power of walking to cultivate and nourish attention, inspiration and determination, as well as combat distraction, anxiety and the dreaded creative block.
Smith Whitehouse, who has taught for 22 years, designed an English course seven years ago called “The Adventures of Writers Who Walk.” The course, a BELL Core Interdisciplinary Learning Community course paired with Dr. Holly Huddleston’s Health & Fitness Concepts, was the inspiration for writing the book, said Smith Whitehouse.
“As I taught millennials over the years and studied the links between writing, walking and wellness, I saw a true need for a book like ‘Afoot and Lighthearted’—a book that showed millennials and others how and why using their bodies in nature could spark creativity,” said Smith Whitehouse.
“Additionally, I saw a need to curate and gather voices and wisdom about the connections between walking and creativity in one place. So, in many ways, I have been working on this book on and off, since I began teaching that course seven years ago. “
Published by New York City-based Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House, “Afoot and Lighthearted” is organized around thematic prompts designed to help makers take a break from digital life and tap into the transformational magic of creative journaling. The book also introduces innovative walkers throughout literature, art, philosophy, and history, and offers encouragement in the form of inspirational quotes.
More information can be found here: www.bonniesmithwhitehouse.com
