Giving Yourself to Life

For twelve months Deborah Shepard kept a journal to help her with a chronic pain condition. Soon she found herself contemplating all of life's pains and losses, including the devastating earthquakes that shattered her hometown of Christchurch. Searching for a way through, she began observing the natural world on her doorstep and reflecting on family, friendship, flowers, beauty, literature and art. By ”˜giving herself to life' she discovered the power of writing to heal. ”˜It's about learning to live fully in the moment in the midst of all the sufferings we as human beings encounter on a life path.'

About the author: Deborah Shepard is a biographer and teacher of memoir, and has a PhD in Film Studies. She began her writing career as a film and art historian. Her previous three books were critically acclaimed for documenting the contribution of women to the arts in New Zealand. In 2013 she was appointed to the Autumn Residency at the Michael King Writers' Centre, where she also teaches memoir. Giving Yourself to Life is the first of her autobiographical explorations in journal writing.