River Wolton trained as a social worker, psychotherapist, and carpenter; since 1998 she has taught creative writing in therapeutic, community, and educational settings. She is a former Derbyshire Poet Laureate, and her poetry collections include Leap, Indoor Skydiving, and Year – poems written each day of 2020 on the theme of kindness and obstacles to it.
A deepening interest in the connections between psychology, embodiment, creativity, activism, and spiritual practice led her to an Insight Meditation retreat in 2000. Since then she has been a regular retreatant at Gaia House, Devon, and continues to be inspired by teachings in the Buddhist tradition, and by radical thinkers who seek to address the crises of our times.
River helped to establish Sheffield Insight Meditation, completed Dharma Teacher Training with Bodhi College, and teaches meditation retreats and groups throughout the UK. A longtime peace, feminist, and LGBTQ activist, River sang for many years with lesbian acapella group Deep C Divas, and co-founded Out Aloud, Sheffield’s LGBT+ choir.
