Poetry. Risa Kaparo is a teacher, therapist and writer who makes her home on the island of Kauai. Her life, like that of the Handless Maiden—the character from the fairy tale that forms the thematic underpinning of this collection—was transformed when a life-threatening illness challenged her to grow beyond the conventions of her schooling and learn how to heal herself from the inside out. This eventually led to the birth of her life's work, Somatic Learning, a methodology of transformative healing based on a synthesis of psychological, somatic and meditative disciplines.

"EMBRACE is poetry fired in a crucible of suffering. It is a life told in a lyrical narrative that moves from abuse to love and redemption, from darkness to light. These poems are autobiographical and mythical at the same moment, visceral and spiritual. They sing."—Richard Garcia

Risa Kaparo, author of EMBRACE (Scarlet Tanager, 2002), has published poems, articles, and essays in many journals, magazines, and anthologies. She grew up in New York City and earned her M.A. in Fiber Arts from Goddard College, then her M.A. and Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the Professional School for Psychological Studies. She has taught at M.I.T., John F. Kennedy University, the California Institute of Integral Studies, and other universities and professional institutions. In addition to maintaining a private practice, she gives lectures, seminars, and workshops throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.