Karen Luke Jackson companions individuals on their spiritual journeys. Her own personal work with respected spiritual teachers and wisdom keepers, stint in higher education, and twenty-five years as a retreat leader with the Center for Courage & Renewal founded by Parker J. Palmer qualified her for this calling. Her poems, essays and stories have appeared in more than forty journals, and she has authored three poetry collections. Her fourth book, a collection of poems and essays about her spiritual journey entitled You First: A Love That Will Not Let Me Go, was published by Wipf and Stock in 2026. Karen lives in a cottage on a goat pasture in western North Carolina, where she draws upon contemplative practices, family lore, and nature for inspiration.