Author Talk — Bibliotherapy
At this author panel talk, Bijal Shah, bibliotherapist, counsellor and author of the recently published Bibliotherapy, will discuss the restorative power of reading with poet Marianne Burton, writer Anthony Good and author and illustrator Sally Kindberg.
Bijal Shah is a bibliotherapist, counsellor and author. She is the founder of Book Therapy, which offers individual, couples and group bibliotherapy, literary curation and personalised reading services as well as bibliotherapy training. Bijal’s book recommendations have featured in the Guardian, Marie Claire, NBC News, among other publications. She’s a member of the International Federation of Library Associations and the American Library Association, and has undertaken bibliotherapy workshops for the United Nations as well as various corporate organisations and libraries in the UK and the US. She is also the co-host of the podcast Raising a Reader & Storyteller.
Marianne Burton‘s pamphlet The Devil’s Cut was a Poetry Book Society Choice. Her first full book She Inserts the Key (Seren) was shortlisted for the Forward First Collection Prize. Her second collection Kierkegaard’s Cupboard (Seren 2018) was inspired by the life and works of Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard. Her poetry has been featured in the Times Literary Supplement, Guardian, Sunday Times, and on Radio Four’s Poetry Please.
Anthony Good studied at Oxford and the University of East Anglia. He is the recipient of a Man Booker scholarship. Kill [redacted] is his first novel. He lives in London with his partner and child.
Sally Kindberg is a London based author, illustrator and comic strip maker. Whilst a travel writer for newspapers she sailed on a Tall Ship to Lisbon and attended Elf School in Iceland. She has run visual narrative workshops for people of all ages in venues as far apart as China and the Outer Hebrides, and this year at Swedenborg House, and with keepers at London Zoo. Sally is a Royal Literary Fund Writing Fellow, currently encouraging good writing skills in sixth forms, and working on a mystery memoir. She is also the curator of a travelling Museum of Dust.
About Bibliotherapy
In this unique and transformational guide to healing, bibliotherapist and counsellor Bijal Shah explores the restorative power of reading.
Bibliotherapy traces the history of how therapeutic reading evolved – including the important role played by the best writers such as the Stoics, Montaigne, Eliot and Wordsworth. In doing so, Bijal offers first-hand stories from clients who have found solace in great works of literature when struggling with grief, relationships or illness. Full of practical advice and insights into how bibliotherapy really works, Bijal offers an A to Z reading list of books for every mood and need.
A much-needed reminder of how comforting and life-changing reading can be, Bibliotherapy is a sumptuous celebration of books that will invite you to see them as more than just an escape, but a legitimate form of self-care.