New from Wooden Owl Books · 2026
The Side Door
A Mindful Approach to Food Noise, Emotional Eating and Anxiety
Coming soon!
Don't walk in through the front, looking at everything head-on. Just step through the side door and begin.
Poems and short prose on food noise, emotional eating, anxiety, and finding your way back to the present moment.
Now it’s Debby’s turn to become the teacher and gift you by sharing her poems in the hopes that they will help support you on your own unique, extraordinary life journey.
This is a book that knows how to sit with discomfort without making a home there, and that recognizes joy when it walks in the door. Savor it slowly, then give it to someone who needs it.
The Side Door will serve as a wonderful resource for those looking for validation and support.
What it is
- Honest, and often funny
- A companion for the noisy moments
- A practice you can return to
- Poems and short prose you can read in minutes
What it isn't
- A diet book or a meal plan
- A list of rules
- A substitute for professional support
Inside the book
Four sections, one gentle path.
It's Noisy in Here
What food noise and compulsive thinking feel like.
“Slow this down.”
Returning to Mindfulness
Reframing in the present moment.
“I learn to savor stillness, which creates a fullness of its own.”
Walking Through the Side Door
Seeing things differently.
“All I need is to close my eyes and begin sifting.”
In the LIVING Room
A self-acceptance mindset.
“You're not "too" anything. You're just right.”
Read a poem
The Precariousness of a Donut
My husband buys donuts for the kids on the car trip.I am not amused.
His impulsive gesturefeels like an uncaring slightto my precarious inner resolve.
In that momentI can go either way.I walk into the donut store to "use the bathroom,"money in hand.
from The Side Door, Part I
An excerpt. The full poem lives in the book.
Zen Garden
At the Sagestone Spa there is a giant Zen garden.It mirrors the micro-Zen garden I keep on my desk at home.I imagine myself pushing the rakes,…the life-size, and the doll-size.
When I close my eyesmy mindis the Zen gardenfilled with un-sifted thoughtsfearsrocksdebris.
from The Side Door, Part III
An excerpt. The full poem lives in the book.
Red Rocks
Red rocks towerpowerful, grounded–in charge.
I want to be like those rocks–Filled with earth energyreaching up to the sky.
Unafraid of my power,while keeping my grace and beauty.
Not afraid to stand—To be solid,To be fully seen.
from The Side Door, Part III
The full poem, as it appears in the book.
If you're struggling, you can call or text 988 in the U.S. More resources →
For reviewers & press
I'd love to share your review on my website, and on Amazon!
Downloads
Short bio
Debby Rosenfeld is a poet, essayist and children's writer in upstate New York. Her poetry and creative nonfiction have appeared in Sage Trail Poetry Magazine, San Gabriel Valley Poetry Quarterly, Street Spirit and elsewhere. The Side Door (Wooden Owl Books, 2026) gathers poems and prose on food noise, emotional eating and anxiety, with a foreword by Dr. Pamela Peeke.
I can do this.
I'm doing it.
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The Side Door is published by Wooden Owl Books. Cover art and logo by John Caplan.