In Winds to the West, Kayla Kempers uses a collection of nature-inspired poetry, prose, and photography to dive deeper into feelings of leaving home, loneliness, anxiety for the future, and grounding in nature as a form of processing. The collection explores the journey of leaving the home you’ve always known and building a new life, through the lens of the natural world. This collection discusses the journey itself, reflections on the choices we make in this life, and learning to accept what has become and what will be. In a world full of events that can leave us feeling uprooted and chronically stressed, rekindling our connection to the natural world provides enlightening experiences of healing, learning, and allowing ourselves and others to be held with compassion. Winds to the West offers the words to explore those experiences.