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, and is provided as a resource to parents taking the Pathway to Permanence adoption training course.
In 2019 she did ghost writing and editing on music producer Mark Howard's book Listen Up published by ECW Press.
An unpublished novel, Suffering Things was a semi-finalist in the 2001 Chapters/Robertson Davies First Novel Prize, and in 2018 her novel, The Approaches was named to the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.
Shepherd has written numerous articles for publications such as Today's Parent Magazine and The Huffington Post.
She is currently developing her play, MRS KRAY, an examination of motherhood through the life of Violet Kray, mother of famed London gangsters, Reggie and Ronnie, most recently debuted at a rehearsed reading by actors at the TAP Centre for Creativity in London, Ontario. As well, she is working with famed American art forger Mark Landis on his memoir.
Shepherd strongly believes in permanency for foster children, lending her voice to adoption advocacy, and has given numerous speeches and workshops on trauma and adoption. She has also appeared in the media regarding her other passion: rescuing chickens. Most recently, Christen studied in the end of life doula program at Douglas College in order to help those with terminal illnesses preserve their stories and legacies. She lives on a small rescue farm in Ontario, Canada.
Author photo: Liana Louzan