Gently Between the Words guides and instructs our hearts In his latest collection of essays and poems Taylor-Troutman guides readers through seemingly simple stories of death, life, parenting struggles, successes and failures that speak to larger questions we all face: How do we best spend our time? How can we raise our kids to be kind and confident? Who gives us guidance and wisdom? What does love look like in our lives on a day-to-day basis? In simple and important gestures like cleaning spilled milk with toilet paper, flipping the perfect pancake with your partner, and walking down the beach with your young child, readers find universal truths to guide their own lives regardless of personal circumstances. Gently Between the Words guides and instructs our hearts to keep the endangered language of beauty, love, forgiveness, grace, and sensitivity alive in order that we all might become more and more necessary to the urgency of our times and the dreams of our children. — Jaki Shelton Green, NC Poet Laureate