Groundbreaking Self-Help Artbook by Gretchen Reininga-Yates to Be Exhibited at the L.A. Times Festival of Books 2023

At the 2023 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, fairgoers will find at the book exhibits new publications in the genre of self-help aimed toward personal motivation while managing anxieties and fears. But while a lot of these books will be written guides, at least one author has gone the more visual route when addressing the challenge of anxiety-driven addictions.

Her name is Gretchen Reininga-Yates, and her book “Are YOU Breathing?” has an unusual yet thorough map to helping people come to grips with the bundle of emotions that eventually push them towards their vices.

With the aid of esteemed comic book artist Michael Ploog, Reininga-Yates uses contrasting pieces of art to visually represent people’s internal struggles. The central contrast features the War Dog, the menacing creature that graces the book’s cover.

This War Dog represents the usual suspects behind anxiety-driven addictions, such as anger, fear, and rage, as well as their cravings and causes. It represents a realm of irrational emotions deep within. Throughout the book, this portrait is broken down into its components and prompts the reader to understand what they mean for their anxious situations.

In contrast, Reininga-Yates then shows a simple and ornate yet otherwise blank frame that represents a calm emptiness. This picture represents the realm of joy, friendship, and other positive emotions.

The core technique of going between these realms is to simply breathe.

Both author Gretchen Reininga-Yates and illustrator Michael Ploog hope that the exercise described in the book will go a long way to helping people breathe properly during moments of intense anxiety instead of spiraling into addictions that trap them in an unhealthy cycle. “Are YOU Breathing?” will be exhibited at the ReadersMagnet exhibit at booth #225 at the L.A. Times Festival of Books 2023 on April 22-23, 2023, at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles.

Get a copy on Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and the ReadersMagnet online bookstore.

“Are YOU Breathing?”
Author | Gretchen Reininga-Yates
Published date | September 6, 2022
Publisher | ReadersMagnet LLC
Genre | Self-Help

Author
Gretchen Reininga-Yates lives on a small island in the Puget Sound and has done in-depth work in meditations including Vipassana; Kundalini; Transcendental; Dynamic and others focused on breathing whether in motion or sitting. Her work focuses on the cadence of breathing as a means to manage one’s emotions with breath and discover the fabulous freedom from anxiety-driven cravings.

Contact Information

Aime Ignacio

Author Relations Officer

ReadersMagnet LLC

authorrelations@readersmagnet.com