❊ stories ❊
“Words set things in motion. I’ve seen them doing it. Words set up atmospheres. Words conjure. I’m careful about what I give voice to.” -- Toni Cade Bambera
I’m careful what I give voice to. Indeed, in my writing I seek to de-program the belief that every story must center humans, that every story requires a hero and an anti-hero, that every story requires dysfunction for it to be interesting. What if stories were as magical as Quantum Science reveals about our cosmos? What if stories were seen as vehicles for dreaming a new world into being?
I’m merging my writing, songwriting, graphic art, and guided meditations into offerings on Substack. I hope you’ll see my latest post there.
Current and Upcoming Books
by Jennifer Comeau
The Inside of ME
With Dr. Seussian whimsy, the team of Comeau and Linden have drawn us into an enchanting natural world. Humans of all ages need this story.
The Inside of Me is a profound reminder of the beauty that happens on the inside when we go outside. In a classic style, like Good Night Moon, this rhyming story with flowing imagery prompts children to think about the magical, interconnected world they live in and the possibility of a reciprocal relationship with nature. Each illustration renders a scene from a natural place in Maine that is both open to the public and accessible by small children. In the back of the book are invitations to adventure to those places and to places elsewhere. This book is a keepsake and guide for exploring Maine’s outdoors and the natural world wherever you are.
"A word-and-picture book that takes children and parents on a sun-and-wind-blown joy ride across the place where we live; reawakening our childhood souls in much the same way that Dylan Thomas's Fern Hill does." — Kerry Hardy, researcher, eco-historian, and author of Notes on a Lost Flute: A Field Guide to the Wabanaki
“"The Inside of ME shimmers. When I founded Climate Change & Consciousness, I did so with the full faith that inner and outer environments mirror each other. Jennifer Comeau opens this portal to our precious little ones so that they can feel their birthright of connection to the natural world." — Stephanie Mines, PHD, Author of The Secret of Resilience and The Great Physician
"The Inside of Me is a beautiful book that reminds children of all ages the joy and gratitude for our intimate relationship with Mother Earth and all her children. This is a book to have in your personal library." — Dr. Anita Sanchez, Nahua & Toltec, author of The Four Sacred Gifts: Indigenous Wisdom for Modern Times
"In a simple, classic style of books like Good Night Moon, The Inside of Me is a heartwarming book that is sure to inspire children and adults to go outside and play. With delightful illustrations and poetic language, readers are reminded of how sparkly and happy we feel when we immerse ourselves in the beauty of nature." — Ellen Dee Davidson, Author, Forest Listener, Mother, Grandmother
A Moon in All Things
“This book brims with life, magic, and a flow back to the forces of nature we have forsaken.” – Ellen Kleiner, former publishing editor
“Tears, sighs, fabulous!” – Geralyn White Dreyfous, Academy Award-winning film producer
“Comeau delivers a beautifully crafted historical fantasy infused with lyricism and Celtic magic. [The] heroine's viewpoint is consistently engrossing, allowing readers full access to her internal life, as well as a vicarious connection to the natural world that so informs her character.” – Booklife Prize, (Score 9.5 out of 10)
“A writer should be able to “dance with a pen” according to Nietzsche. If we accept this as a test for a writer, then Jennifer Comeau passes with flying colors her first time out of the gate with A Moon in All Things. This work is not formulaic magic realism, but rather reality as magic. This is a generous, warm-hearted, and very well researched novel and the reader will want more.” – Tom Bancroft, former book critic
With evocative imagery, A Moon in All Things tells the story of an unbridled young woman in remote 1820s County Galway, unusual in her desire to captain boats, but bonded to her people’s ancient Celtic ceremonies. Comeau draws readers into a web of mysterious otherworldly connections in a land under siege by dominating powers, where stories of the past clash with premonitions of the future revealing the truth about Morrigan’s destiny through the objects her great-grandmother left behind. Written in lyrical, open-hearted prose, the novel asks big questions, as relevant today as at any time: What is our true nature? Separate and elevated from the rest of Earth’s beings, or an integral and equal part of a World Tree of Creation?
Publication Date: February 2025. Preorders are available in October, 2024.
Current Anthologies
A Dangerous New World: Maine Voices on the Climate Crisis
A Dangerous New World: Maine Voices on the Climate Crisis, edited by Meghan Sterling and Kathleen Sullivan, is an anthology of work by 65 writers and 20 artists, who responded to a call for essays, poetry and art work on the effects of climate change – on their lives, their communities, their families, and their futures. The resulting anthology is a many-layered and complex mosaic of voices and visions, of thoughtful appraisals, of careful observations, of emotional responses, and of scientific analyses.
Published by Littoral Books with a foreword by Governor Janet Mills. All profits go to 350 Maine.
Sacred Stone Sacred Water: Women Writers & Artists Encounter Ireland
Sacred Stone Sacred Water: Women Writers & Artists Encounter Ireland is an elegant and intimate collection of writing, art, and photography evoking Ireland’s wild beauty and deep soul through the work of 14 American women writers and artists at some of the island’s most eminent sacred sites. Their journey yields exquisite poetry, photographs, drawings, and essays from visits to three renowned parts of Ireland.
“In this stunning collection of writing and photography by women, we are offered pilgrimage in its most generous sense, a call to enter the sacred landscape of Ireland, a journey that guides us through the inner and outer landscapes of these deeply observant travelers. We are given joy in the familiar and the strange. We are given grief in the dark night of the soul and the potent glare of truth. We are given the vast breadth of centuries and the intimate essence of moments.” – Regina O'Melveny, author of The Book of Madness and Cures
No Ordinary Words: The Real Life Wisdom of Women
No Ordinary Words: The Real Life Wisdom of Women, edited Kelly Herrick,
What if women shared their life lessons with the intention of uplifting and inspiring the next generation? In this book, 33 women from around the world come together to celebrate the hardships, the celebrations and the revelations of life in today’s world. From mental health to nature connectedness, from fertility to menopause, belonging and community, this book explores the deeper aspects of life with an open honesty and authenticity found amongst friends.
“Something magical happens when we find our life experience reflected in the eyes of another woman. Somewhere in this book, is a story that was written for you. Sit around the campfire, listen intently. Find the women who are Just Like You and exhale. We are all connected.” – Danielle MacLeod, Author of Remarkably Easy.
