Holding Space

“Doula, chaplain, theologian, mother, wounded daughter, philosopher, lover, Amy Wright Glenn writes with poetry and power… Holding Space, part memoir and part spiritual exploration, is brilliantly written and asks the central question we all face in this life. ‘What does it mean to love, die and let go?’”—Patricia Harman, Arms Wide Open and The Midwife of Hope River “This book is like a superhero, showing us how to run bravely toward the darkness and come out the other side as a human being. Amy deserves not just praise for writing in gorgeous, clear prose, but deep thanks for creating a gentle guide we all need for that one thing no one escapes: death.”—Tina Cassidy, Birth “Holding Space does just that for each of us. In a clear, intimate voice, Amy Wright Glenn shares her own experience and wisdom and by doing so makes a space for her reader to develop the same. For anyone going through loss, this book will feel like a treasure.” —Sharon Salzberg, Lovingkindness and Real Love “This is a beautifully written book about the challenging practice of remaining present—holding non-reactive space—around emotions of grief, sorrow and loss. This practice is brought alive through many touching vignettes from the author’s life and work as a hospital chaplain and as a doula for the poignant transitions of birth and death. I recommend Holding Space highly for hospice workers, religious and medical professionals, and for anyone facing personal loss.” —Jan Chozen Bays, Mindfulness on the Go and Mindful Eating “Many parents are uncertain how to talk to their children about death. Through personal stories and spiritual teachings, Amy Wright Glenn offers insight into the way death is a natural part of life. Her honest reflections remind us to hold space for children, elders and ourselves to be more fully present with one another.” —Rev. Amy Freedman, Unitarian Universalist Minister of Religious Education“Amy Wright Glenn dares to enter the holy space of birth and death simultaneously. She teaches us to hold not only our loved ones’ hands––those breathing and those who have crossed the threshold into death––but to embrace love and fear together in our open hearts. ‘Death is not a disease,’ Amy tells us. As a mother of a newborn who died in my arms, whose body I prepared for burial on my bed moments after birth, I agree.” —Dianna Vagianos Armentrout, Walking the Labyrinth of My Heart “Holding Space is a book that everyone should read, for our collective conscience would be better off for it. There are people in life whose shoes you’d like to walk in or whose head you’d like to be in, yet Amy is one of the very few whose heart I’d like to feel in. “  —Tracy Cassels, PhD, Founder of Evolutionary Parenting

Amy Wright Glenn earned her MA in Religion and Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She taught in the Religion and Philosophy Department at The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey for over a decade earning the Dunbar Abston Jr. Chair for Teaching Excellence. Glenn is a Kripalu Yoga teacher, a DONA certified birth doula, a hospital chaplain, and founder of the Institute for the Study of Birth, Breath, and Death. She is also a contributor to PhillyVoice. Glenn provides online and in-person trainings to birth and mental health professionals regarding pregnancy loss. Her first book, Birth, Breath, and Death- Meditations on Motherhood, Chaplaincy, and Life as a Doula, was published in 2013. To learn more-