My Book of the Dead

Grief and Death are never easy things to cope with. From an Evangelical Christian childhood with a troubled mother through questioning and exploration of spirituality, Edwards unveils how she deals with both. Gifted with an early love of art, she describes the slow maturing of her artistic practice into something that was not only a way to make a living but a way to navigate life's biggest challenges, including her divorce. Death is the touchstone for memories of her grandparents, visits to ancestors' remains and reflections on life. She follows her relationship with her parents all the way through to the end of their lives. With the arrival of Covid-19, suddenly the communal meditation on death echoes her own. The book both describes and embodies creative practice as a way to navigate change.

Kathleen Edwards' first art sales were to sixth grade classmates in late 1960's L.A. - drawings of flower wreathed peace signs for ten cents each. She studied at Pratt Institute and holds a Master's degree in Interdisciplinary Arts from San Francisco State University. Painter, illustrator and book maker, her award-winning work has been widely exhibited. She is the author of the graphic non fiction "Holy Stars! Favorite Deities, Prophets Saints and Sages from Around the World" from Sentient Publications. She lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her husband. When not in her studio, she can be found in her garden - working or lying in the hammock.