January 27, 2017

ISBN: 978-0692834589

6 x 9 in

236 pages

POETRY / Women Authors

POETRY / Love & Loss

Lamentations of the Sea

111 passages on grief, love, loss and letting go

by Dr. BethAnne K.W.


WINNER of the 2017 NAUTILUS SILVER BOOK AWARD in the Category of Grief/Loss

Lamentations of the Sea is a lighthouse in the dark for anyone who has known loss. This collection of personal essays, reflections, poetry and prose follows the journey of the author after losing her brother as she takes a passage of grief and finds light and love along the way. Honest, authentic and heartfelt, Lamentations of the Sea offers perspectives on loving and losing through a spiritual, psychological and personal lens leaving the reader with a sense of understanding, comfort, and hope. 

Illustrations by BethAnne Kapansky Wright. 

“This book is a welcome companion for every traveler, unveiling the paradoxical nature of loss and love that moves beneath all things. Open these pages. Give yourself this moment. Whatever you are carrying, wherever you have been and wherever you are heading—these words will ease your way.” 

—HILLARY WALKER, Mental Health Therapist 

“BethAnne is a friend and guide through the dark passages of grief. This is an honest, authentic, and unfailingly healing book. She captures the deepest meaning of being able to be with grief all the way to a state of grace, changed and whole again. Her soft and strong words are stars scattered on the impossible dark path of loss. She is the true friend who takes your hand, looks in your eyes and says I am here for you, come as you are.”

—DR. LINDA WEBBER, Clinical Psychologist

“I wish I had had this book when I was 16 and lost both my mom and my way. People told me I should be strong and I didn’t know how. Ms. Kapansky-Wright showed me that it was ok to feel what feel and grieve however I need to grieve. Her writing is sincere, compassionate, and real. This book will support so many in love and grief.”

—DR. LESLIE CORNICK, Professor and Dean

Lamentations of the Sea will transform your life and your experience with grief and loss. Dr. Kapansky Wright has provided the world with a deeply touching and transformational gift with this book. It’s not just a book but a piece of herself and her life that connects to the heart, your heart, of what the experience of loss and healing really is like. Her vulnerability and compassion speak to the needs that all of us humans share when going through life changing experiences such as grief. This book will be my go-to for clients in need of healing, connection, support and compassion, and it will be the go-to for myself when I need to be reminded that I am not alone in my pain and healing. Thank you BethAnne for sending this Light out into the world when we most need it.”

—DR. GLORIA PETRUZZELLI, Clinical Sports Psychologist, lifewithnolimitscoaching.com

“BethAnne has given us a soulful, brave, honest, and compelling exploration of the depths of grief, written through the lens of her own losses. A collection of beautifully voiced essays, poems, and reflections elucidate the universal journey of protest, sorrow and struggle, and the transformation of grief into hope, personal growth, and profound acceptance. This book is the consummate grief-travelers’ companion for the unchosen tour of places both light and dark, exposed in the loss of a loved one.”

—CYNTHIA BOLIVAR, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

“Since I was already familiar with BethAnne’s lovely writing, I fully expected to take away a few gems from Lamentations of the Sea. But I could never have imagined the depth of this book’s brave and heartfelt message of hope and love. This personal invitation into her private world of grief is absolutely spot-on for anyone sadly familiar with the grieving process. It not only spoke, in an achingly beautiful manner, to the worst loss I’ve ever experienced (that of losing my beloved mom to cancer); it also surprisingly addressed the grief I am currently feeling, trying to adapt to life in a foreign country. I began highlighting my favorite sections in the book, but quickly realized my entire copy was turning yellow! The amazingly poignant way that BethAnne approaches her own healing and the gift of brighter days that her words offer to others are not to be missed. I am forever changed (for the better).”

—APRIL M. LEE, Holistic Life and Wellness Coach, essence7wellness.com

“Comfort. Compassion. Love. Time. Healing. These messages of hope are thoughtfully and beautifully woven in the pages of Lamentations of the Sea. BethAnne’s journey is an inspiration and her words are a heartfelt gift for the grieving. Thank you.”

—AMY SMITH, Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Dr. BethAnne K.W. (BethAnne Kapansky Wright, PsyD) is deeply passionate about inspiring authentic change in others. A Spiritual Psychologist, Intuitive Channel, Writer, Speaker and Artist, she blends the worlds of psychology and spirit to offer dynamic teaching on personal transformation. She empowers energetically sensitive souls to access and shine with their full potential, through her unique healing gifts of word magic, multidimensional wisdom, and heart-based transmissions. She is the author of the award-winning grief book, Lamentations of The Sea, and its sequels, Transformations of The Sun and Revelations of The Sky, as well as several books of poetry and a children’s book. A creative at heart, she is continually inspired by nature, color, dance, music, and all things mystical. Her life underwent profound change when she lost her brother in 2016, which became the catalyst for leaving her longtime home of Alaska and moving to the island of Kauai to live more intuitively, spiritually, and creatively. 

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