New book, Spring 2025
Tree Trek: A Daughter's Walk Through Grief
I’m thrilled to announce the publication of my forthcoming book set for release May 20, 2025 by Holy Cow! Press. Jim Perlman is the founding editor and publisher of this longstanding, independent press housed in Duluth, Minnesota. I'm delighted to be part of this prestigious history!
This nature journey through the trees tells the story of my moving through grief at the loss of my father and beginning to heal through nature as I take up his Tree Trek legacy–an educational tree ID tour he initiated in a nearby city park and where I continue to lead Tree Treks today. Included in my personal narrative is the story of becoming a master naturalist and how that added a scientific perspective to my life and career as a visual artist.
Reading this book is in a way like joining one of my Tree Treks with several additional levels woven in. The writing seamlessly weaves science, philosophy, and observations on the beauty of the world around us into my story of loss. In this way, the reader travels beyond the personal into a universal connection we all have with nature, and the vital importance of nature–and of course trees!–in our lives.
A book launch event is planned for Thursday, May 22, 2025 in Brainerd MN. Check my 2025 Calendar page for updates on bookstores and libraries I'll be visiting after the release date.
Praise for this Book
"It is a rare pleasure to go for a walk among the trees with someone who clearly knows and loves them as much as I do. There is a wealth of scientific and botanical knowledge here (Linnaeus would be proud!) but much more than that, we find also a true depth of feeling and understanding. 'Each tree,' writes Stephanie Mirocha, 'is a world unto itself.' And so it is. But there is a dimension--a near mystical connection, perhaps--where the world of the tree touches and reflects the inner world of the human being. Someone who is hurting, perhaps. In need of guidance. Of comfort or inspiration. It is of that world--that connection--that Stephanie writes so beautifully. She says that in getting to know the trees, she has also found herself. I suspect that may be the case for any reader who treks among the trees with her."
--Douglas Wood, author of Old Turtle, Deep Woods, Wild Waters, and A Wild Path
"Tree Trek is an intensely personal story of one woman’s exploration of trees and family grief. Tapping into a lifetime of experience with nature, Ms. Mirocha successfully blends scientific knowledge with personal discovery. Through her narrative the healing power of trees is revealed. We learn that trees are good listeners, but they don’t say much. Using an engaging writing style, Ms. Mirocha speaks for the trees and for all of us who have dealt with grief."
—Welby Smith, author of Trees and Shrubs of Minnesota
"For all of us who long to be reminded of the power of nature to heal, Stephanie Mirocha’s poignant memoir is a welcome blessing. More than simply a soothing walk in a park, more than an affectionate, enlightening meditation on the nature and character of Earth’s most enduring plants, more than a master naturalist’s journey through grief, Tree Trek is a touching, tender testament to the everlasting love between a father and daughter. I heartily recommend this beautiful book to all of us who seek to be moved by an inspiring story of familial love and to all of us who seek restoration in nature."
—Andrea Gilats, author of After Effects: A Memoir of Complicated Grief and Radical Endurance: Growing Old in an Age of Longevity