In Grief Country, a widow sets out on a quest to become her own "grief expert."
Stephanie Larkin's world was turned upside down when her husband died. "I stabbed at my grief with my pen," she writes, but her poems and essays could only lessen a fraction of the searing pain of widowhood. She decides to throw herself into studying what the "experts" have to say about grief, discovering in the process that theories about bereavement vary wildly. What is true about grief? Who are the real experts? Grief Country traces Larkin's personal journey through loss, blending her raw depiction of widowhood with an overview
of grief theories from the past one hundred years.
Praise for Grief Country: "By weaving in expert opinions...the author gives a more nuanced picture
of the bereavement process than is conveyed by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross's now-discredited five stages...a personal, relatable study of grief." - Kirkus Reviews
Available on Amazon.com
Stephanie Larkin's world was turned upside down when her husband died. "I stabbed at my grief with my pen," she writes, but her poems and essays could only lessen a fraction of the searing pain of widowhood. She decides to throw herself into studying what the "experts" have to say about grief, discovering in the process that theories about bereavement vary wildly. What is true about grief? Who are the real experts? Grief Country traces Larkin's personal journey through loss, blending her raw depiction of widowhood with an overview
of grief theories from the past one hundred years.
Praise for Grief Country: "By weaving in expert opinions...the author gives a more nuanced picture
of the bereavement process than is conveyed by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross's now-discredited five stages...a personal, relatable study of grief." - Kirkus Reviews
Available on Amazon.com
In Displaced: A Memoir, Stephanie Larkin weaves the story of her friendship with a
community of refugees into her own compelling personal narrative.
Two years into a mid-life marriage, Larkin begins a new chapter of her life in Boise, Idaho, where she helps recently arrived refugees adapt to their new lives in America. Her happy, peaceful life is disrupted by unexpected events, however, and eventually Larkin must face
her own challenges. Displaced is a story of family, friendship, and, most of all, love.
Praise for Displaced: "A weighty, captivating look at a caregiver who deals with death, mental illness, and the struggles of refugees in America... the author manages to perfectly capture both the joys and the immense psychological toll of constantly helping others, becoming an inspiring survivor herself in the process." - Kirkus Reviews
Available on Amazon.com
community of refugees into her own compelling personal narrative.
Two years into a mid-life marriage, Larkin begins a new chapter of her life in Boise, Idaho, where she helps recently arrived refugees adapt to their new lives in America. Her happy, peaceful life is disrupted by unexpected events, however, and eventually Larkin must face
her own challenges. Displaced is a story of family, friendship, and, most of all, love.
Praise for Displaced: "A weighty, captivating look at a caregiver who deals with death, mental illness, and the struggles of refugees in America... the author manages to perfectly capture both the joys and the immense psychological toll of constantly helping others, becoming an inspiring survivor herself in the process." - Kirkus Reviews
Available on Amazon.com
"Resettled" recounts the seven years Stephanie Larkin spent helping a community of
refugees begin their new lives in the United States.
"Resettled" is excerpted from "Displaced: A Memoir," and focuses solely on the struggles
and accomplishments of the refugees. At 116 pages, it is a fast-paced, easy-to-read
glimpse into the refugee resettlement process, which also captures day-to-day life once
the initial excitement of arriving in America has worn off.
Praise for Resettled: "This is the true story." - Dadiri Nuro, Somali Bantu Community Advocate
"This should be required reading for anyone involved in the refugee issues of the present time."
- Amazon Reader Review
Available on Amazon.com
"Introduction to Chizigula" is an English-Chizigula phrasebook for an endangered African
Bantu language spoken in Tanzania, Somalia, and Kenya. In 2003 several thousand
Chizigula speakers came to the United States as part of the larger resettlement of
approximately twelve thousand refugees known as the Somali Bantu.
Stephanie Larkin met her co-author and Chizigula native speaker Dadiri Nuro in 2005,
when she befriended a community of Somali Bantu refugees (see "Resettled"). This book
codifies basic words, phrases, and situational dialogues with the goal of helping the
Chizigula speakers in the U.S. expand upon their English language skills, while also
helping to preserve the ancestral language of these new U.S. citizens.