Author Archives: Beth Waitkus

The New Year is always an interesting moment – opportunities to restart, rejuvenate, reset. I’m not sure if studies have been conducted to determine whether resolutions translate into reality, but for me, simple lists – lose weight, eat healthy, etc … Continue reading →

In 2002, I founded the Insight Garden Program (IGP) at San Quentin – with the vision to bring gardens into prisons, transforming lives through connection to nature. I’ve always felt comfortable working in “difficult places” with diverse people. I was … Continue reading →

Having just returned from a desert camping adventure, I’m intrigued by the meaning of “space” on so many levels. It seems, when I’m able to view/be immersed in the vastness of nature, I discover new places in my soul I … Continue reading →

Today is the first anniversary of the Bay Area’s Shelter in Place. It feels stunning, really. 365 days of the most surreal year. Life, as we knew it, turned into slow motion trauma, or as my friend Jenny-Beth says, “wading … Continue reading →

Much gratitude to the Hotchkiss School Alumni Association’s Board of Governors for the school’s 2013 Community Service Award.  Below is my speech to the Hotchkiss community on April 12, 2013. To the Hotchkiss School Alumni Association’s Board of Governors and … Continue reading →

(Reposted from January 2012) In last week’s prison garden class, our provocative question for the day was:  “What does it mean to be free?”  Aside from the obvious – that most people in prison want to get out – some … Continue reading →

In last week’s prison garden class, our provocative question for the day was:  “What does it mean to be free?”  Aside from the obvious – that most people in prison want to get out – some interesting answers emerged, including:  … Continue reading →