Author Event Recap: Nilam Patel's Into Her Wild

When I first met Nilam Patel, I was writing a magazine feature about her. At the time, she had completed her first book of poetry entitled Finding Her Being Her, which was—is!—incredible. Fast forward, and she has now put out an equally incredible second book exploring the themes in her latest chapter of life, Into Her Wild.

In honor of her new collection, she hosted a book launch and open mic event at Red Horn Brewery & Roastery. Before I arrived, I was pumped to experience some introspection and well-executed metaphors. And by the time I left, I was feeling... personally victimized by everyone's availability to summon entire emotional landscapes in so few words.

Twinkle Zaman, Raquel Medora, and Ashlynn Delias all crushed their reads. But of course, Nilam brought it home with her own reading, hopping through each of her chapters—Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Space—with so much presence and clarity.

Into Her Wild is a poetry collection that invites readers on a soulful journey through self-discovery, healing, grief, self-love, and femininity. It offers a timeless reflection on inner growth with vivid imagery rooted in nature. Nilam intended for this book to speak to the souls of mothers, women, and young girls, and I believe it achieves exactly that.

The event itself was like a cozy literary festival surrounded by beer barrels. And honestly, what could be better than that? Red Horn had plenty of space for everyone to come together in support of Nilam and her lovely poet friends, and the vibe was one of genuine inspiration, creativity, and community.

Needless to say, I'm already missing it.

Her book launch was also such a fun way to meet local bookish girlies, like Shreya with @sir.reads.alot and Katy with @katycherry.reads, both of whom are Instagram gems with stellar reading recs. (Give them a follow! Now!) Outside the venue, I even got to see Sarah from Lioness Books, whose mobile indie bookstore is basically a dream on wheels. (If I could live in it, I probably would.)

At the end of it all, I'm just beyond proud of Nilam. Seeing people show up to celebrate the magic she puts on a page meant so much, and I look forward to many more poems to come from her.

There is no time like the present to discover your inner wild. And the best way to do that? Grab your physical or ebook copy (yes, it's on Kindle Unlimited) of Nilam Patel's Into Her Wild on Amazon by clicking this link!