Susanville-based author and poet Diana Henning has announced the upcoming release of her new book, Rucksacks for the Leaf Cat, scheduled for publication by Finishing Line Press on January 16th, 2026.
The book is a collection of poems that, according to Henning, “invites the reader into questioning the duality of love as well as examining what it means to survive on this delicate planet.” The poems are said to contain “heartbreaking moments” and “eloquent nature scenes that mingle amongst laments regarding war, incarceration, injustice.”
Henning describes the collection as poems that “touch upon the metaphysical, that render prayerful attention to details, and that finally lift us.” She adds that the book “threads sunlight across mountainous terrain, and spills starlight ‘when night balances its books.'”
Henning, who holds an MFA in Writing from Vermont College, is a well-known figure in the local literary community. She has taught through California Poets in the Schools and led workshops for the William James Association’s Prison Arts Program. She currently runs “The Thompson Peak Writers’ Workshop.”
Her work has been published in numerous journals and anthologies, and she has received several Pushcart Prize nominations.
Pre-orders for Rucksacks for the Leaf Cat are available with a price guarantee until November 21st. Click here to pre-order now at the publisher’s website.
Henning expressed her gratitude to friends who wrote blurbs for the book, photographer Manjula Leggett for the cover image, and everyone who supported her through the editing process. She also noted that she has another completed manuscript, When Body Becomes House, that is currently seeking a publisher.
