Cheryl Della Pelle is an educator, meditation instructor and master gardener. She owns and operates a one-woman gardening business, and spends as much time out of doors as possible. No doubt her early years spent on her grandparents’ Pennsylvania farm imprinted her for this current life of design and care of gardens. For many years she led a meditation group based on the teachings of Lobsang Samten, Pema Chodron and Thich Nhat Hanh; she also founded the Walking Haiku Meditation Workshop, drawing on the Zen tradition which inspires poetry born on the tongue. In 1995 she co-founded Common Thread, a poetry performance group, producing several evenings of poetry, dance and music throughout the year. As an educator, she is a visiting artist in public schools, colleges and retreat centers, helping students find expression through poetry. Her own poems have been published widely, and she has read at venues throughout Connecticut.