TRUCKEE, Calif. — Chasing Nirvana: A Seeker’s Story of Love, Loss and Liberation, the highly anticipated memoir by writer and Tahoe Literary Festival co-founder Priya Hutner, publishes on March 3, 2026, by She Writes Press and distributed by Simon & Schuster. 

With raw, unflinching honesty, Hutner chronicles her years inside a cult-like spiritual community led by a charismatic female guru from Brooklyn and her difficult exit. The book explores the complexities of belief, family allegiance, spiritual entrapment, personal awakening, freedom from the bondage of belief, the universal human longing to belong, and the perilous terrain where devotion can slip into coercion. 

BookLife Publishers Weekly calls the book “[A] hypnotic debut memoir,” praising Hutner’s “crisp, unwavering candor” and that “by the taut, thriller-like ending, Hutner reveals the steep cost of surrendering one’s agency and the fierce resolve to reclaim it outside the confines of blind faith.”

Chasing Nirvana speaks directly to contemporary conversations around belief systems, ideologies, systems of control, identity, healing, and the courage required to walk away from inherited beliefs.

The book launch release party for Chasing Nirvana is on March 5 at Alibi Ale Truckee at 6 p.m. The evening will feature an intimate author conversation with Priya Hutner and Nevada County Poet Laureate Karen Terrey, followed by a book signing.

Priya is available for interviews with print, radio, television, and podcast media nationwide. 

About the Author

Priya Hutner is a writer, teacher, and co-founder of the Tahoe Literary Festival and the Truckee Literary Crawl. Her work explores spirituality, culture, belonging, and personal liberation. Chasing Nirvana is her debut memoir.