About Christen
Christen Shepherd earned a post-graduate certificate in creative writing from the Humber School for Writers in 2018, under the supervision of Governor General Award winning author, Dianne Warren. Shepherd has also studied writing with Carol Bruneau at NSCC and holds a degree in Anthropology from the University of Western Ontario.
In 2013 she co-authored, The Promise: Truth from the Trenches of Adoption. Part memoir and part manual, The Promise has become widely circulated among adoption professionals and adoptive parents in Canada and the US.
In 2019 she did ghost writing and editing on music producer Mark Howard's book Listen Up published by ECW Press. In 2024 Christen helped famed American art forger Mark Landis on his memoir, published by Sartoris Literary Group, entitled, Self-Portrait of a Master Art Forger.
An unpublished novel, Suffering Things was a semi-finalist in the 2001 Chapters/Robertson Davies First Novel Prize, and in 2018 her novel, The Approaches was named to the long list for the Guernica Prize.
Christen has written numerous articles for publications such as Today's Parent Magazine and The Huffington Post Canada.
Her play, MRS KRAY, an examination of motherhood through the life of Violet Kray, mother of famed London gangsters, Reggie and Ronnie was developed as part of Tinkserspace Theatre's Play Lab, was performed at a rehearsed reading by actors at the TAP Centre for Creativity in London, Ontario, and most recently was part of a rehearsed reading by Little Lion Theatre Company in London, England at the Drayton Arms Theatre.
Christen's most recent book (co-authored with Lisa Highfield) is Broken Promises: The Battle to Find Help for Kids with Aggression. This book is an examination of AFCCA (Aggression Towards Family and Caregivers in Childhood and Adolescence) and the significant struggles parents have trying to get help for their children. Part memoir and part critical reflection, it discusses a unique form of domestic violence and the dire need for services.
In addition to writing, Christen has used her experienced as an adoptive mother of four to contribute to adoption advocacy, and has given numerous workshops on trauma and adoption. She has also studied in the end-of-life doula program at Douglas College, is a registered member of the End of Life Doula Association of Canada, and runs a death doula practice supporting those with life limiting illnesses, including helping them to preserve their stories and legacies. She lives in the country in Ontario, Canada, surrounded by dogs, donkeys, and trees.
Christen
Shepherd