Upcoming Events

Journal Workshop with Deborah Shepard

​WHEN: 4 x Saturday 9, 16, 23 and 30 June, 9:30am - 2:00pm
WHERE: The University of Auckland Campus
Life Writing 2: Writing Memoir and Biography

​WHEN: 5 mornings, Monday 9 July - Friday 13 July, 9:30am - 1:00pm
WHERE: The University of Auckland Campus

Featured Book: The Pain Journal

For twelve months Deborah 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 and friendship, flowers, beauty, literature and art. By ‘giving  herself to life’ she discovered the power of writing to heal. 

​You can read more about the book on Deborah's website www.thejournal.co.nz.

"This lovely journal, not made lovely by chronic pain, but deepened because of it. Humane, delicate and bold as the journals of May Sarton or Elisabeth Tova Bailey’s observation of her snail."
​
— Elizabeth Smither, New Zealand poet and novelist.

Featured Posts

Deborah's Love Letter to the Women's Bookshop

My favourite bookshop is the Women’s Bookshop in Ponsonby Road. It opened, first, in Dominion Road in 1989...
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The Value of attending a Writing Class

You want to write your memoir? Discover the value of attending a Writing Class and hear past students experiences.

Writers' 
​​Stories

‘From Mother to Child: How dementia stole my mother’ by Joan Hugo Burley, a story from Translucence: Life Writing from Manukau and Papakura. 

What people say about Deborah’s courses

"If you want to be inspired, take Deborah's course."

- Gloria

"This is such a worthwhile course where emotional safety and student growth in writing are paramount."

​– Marilyn Woolford
Picture
Author photo: Babiche Maartens, NZ Herald

About Deborah Shepard

Deborah Shepard is an Auckland biographer, life writing mentor and teacher of memoir with a PhD in Film Studies. She began her career as a film and art historian. Her previous three books: Reframing Women: A History of New Zealand film (Harper Collins 2000), Between the Lives: Partners in Art (Auckland University Press, 2005), and Her Life's Work: Conversations with Five New Zealand Women  (AUP, 2009) were critically acclaimed for documenting the contribution of women to the arts in New Zealand.
Copyright © 2017 Deborah Shepard