Media Kit

What if you set out to travel the world and got sidetracked in a Himalayan art workshop?  

What if that sidetrack turned out to be your life’s path—your way home? 

Part art book, part memoir, part spiritual travelogue, Threads of Awakening is a delightful and inspiring blend of adventure and introspection. Leslie Rinchen-Wongmo shares her experience as a California woman traveling to the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile in India to manage an economic development fund, only to wind up sewing pictures of Buddha instead. Through her remarkable journey, she discovered that a path is made by walking it and some of the best paths are made by walking off course.  

For over 500 years, Tibetans have been creating sacred images from pieces of silk. Much rarer than paintings and sculptures, these stitched fabric thangkas are among Tibet’s finest artworks. Leslie studied this little-known textile art with two of its brightest living masters and let herself discover where curiosity and devotion can lead. In this book, she reveals the unique stitches of an ancient needlework tradition, introduces the Buddhist deities it depicts, and shares insights into the compassion, interdependence, and possibility they embody.  

His Holiness the Dalai Lama even blessed the book with a foreword!

Ever thought your path might be elsewhere? Let Threads of Awakening be your first steps of discovery. 

Short Bio

Leslie Rinchen-Wongmo is a textile artist, teacher, and author of Threads of Awakening: An American Woman’s Journey into Tibet’s Sacred Textile Art. One of few non-Tibetans to master the Buddhist art of silk appliqué thangka, she stitches bits of silk into elaborate figurative mosaics that bring the transformative images of Buddhist meditation to life. Her artwork has been exhibited internationally and featured in magazines such as Spirituality & Health, FiberArts, and Fiber Art Now and in the documentary, Creating Buddhas: The Making and Meaning of Fabric Thangkas. She teaches women around the globe through her Stitching Buddhas virtual apprentice program, an online, hands-on course bridging East and West, traditional and contemporary. After two decades abroad, Leslie returned to southern California where she now lives with three cats and enough fabric to last several lifetimes. Visit her at threadsofawakening.com.

Long Bio

A California woman traveled to the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile in India to manage an economic development fund. In a twist of fate, she ended up sewing pictures of buddhas instead. She ultimately learned that a path is made by walking it, and some of the best paths are made by walking off course.

Leslie Rinchen-Wongmo is an American textile artist, teacher, and author of Threads of Awakening: An American Woman’s Journey into Tibet’s Sacred Textile Art.  After attaining masters degrees in urban planning and management from UCLA, curiosity carried her from California to India, where she became one of few non-Tibetans to master the Buddhist art of silk appliqué thangka. Trained by two of the finest living Tibetan appliqué artists, she stitches bits of silk into elaborate figurative mosaics that bring the transformative images of Buddhist meditation to life.

The documentary film, Creating Buddhas: The Making and Meaning of Fabric Thangkas, focused on her work and the tradition it springs from. Her silk thangkas have been exhibited internationally in museums and Dharma centers. Her artwork and writing have been featured in magazines such as Spirituality & Health, Buddhistdoor Global, FiberArts, and Fiber Art Now.  Spurred by her commitment to the preservation and evolution of the art form, she developed the Stitching Buddhas® Virtual Apprentice Program, a teaching program that bridges East and West, traditional and contemporary, as it transmits the techniques and blessings of Tibetan appliqué art to students around the globe. 

Recognized by her bright smile, Leslie Rinchen-Wongmo has long felt that joy is her greatest gift to give. She calls her work “Threads of Awakening” and encourages people to follow the threads of connection and joy in their own lives. After two decades abroad, she returned to  southern California where she now lives near the beach with three cats and enough fabric to last several lifetimes, but never enough for the next project. Learn more, buy the book, and view the artwork at threadsofawakening.com.

Book cover (click image to view, then right-click to save)

One-page sell sheet (pdf)

Author/Artist Headshot, web-resolution (Click image to view, then right-click to save. Choose square, 4×3, or 2×3, as needed.)

Author/Artist Headshot, print-resolution (Click image to view, then right-click to save. Crop sides as needed to fit use.)

More web-resolution images (click image to view, then right-click to save)

Here are some questions I’d be happy to respond to in a conversation or interview:

• In one sentence, what is Threads of Awakening about?
• Okay, you’ve hooked us! Now tell us some more.
• What inspired you to write this book?
• What do you hope readers will take away from the book?
• What is a thangka?
• What’s special about the kind of thangka you learned to make?
• You’re one of very few Westerners to learn this art form. Why is that? How did you discover it?
• Looking back, what early signs were there that you might take this path?
• A few times in the book, you write about nervously picking at your fingers or eyebrows? Is that significant? How does having BFRBs (Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors) relate to your path as a textile thangka artist?
• What unique challenges did writing this book pose for you?
• What was your writing process like?
• Tell us about your journey to publication.
• What’s next for you?
• Where can we find you, if we want to learn more?