When Words Are Not Enough: Creative responses to grief

by Jane Harris, Jimmy Edmonds

Throughout history people have needed to talk about their grief, but much in contemporary society tells us that grief is a depressing, morbid subject. When Words Are Not Enough is a necessary counterweight to those who would have us hide grief away. In both word and image, all the stories told here, from visual story tellers who reimagine their loved ones depicted in their own lives now, to artists who have taken their children' s artworks as a basis for their own creations, to those who have found peace in their music and their poetry, to some who relish the challenge of diving into cold waters as a way of connecting with their children. All are very different and uniquely creative responses to trauma following the death of a loved one and testament to the value of a shared and more openly expressed grief.Everything we do to attend to our grief, the authors claim is about accommodating the loss of a loved one into our on-going lives, of filling the void left by their absence. Almost by definition grief, they argue, is a creative process. It' s about making something new, something that didn' t and couldn' t have existed unless they had died.With a foreword by Dr Kathryn Mannix, author of With the End in Mind and Listen. ‘ This is a book about sorrow, yet it is brimming with hope. This is a book about loss, but it overflows with love and generosity. The community of bereaved people is as diverse as humanity itself, and this book is a gathering of their wisdom, guided and curated by the creative talents and parental grief of Jane Harris and Jimmy Edmonds.‘ ‘ The word I keep coming back to with this book is beautiful, not a word I would usually associate with grief. But this book is rich in detail and compassion, it is authoritative and kind. Through their immense loss and pain Jane and Jimmy have done an extraordinary thing and redefined grief as love turned inside out. They make grief less scary. I have not read a better book on grief.' Annalisa Barbieri, The Guardian‘ Such an inspiring book – full of moving stories of people who have found active ways to respond to their grief, from photography through to (my favourite) cold-water swimming. Jane and Jimmy' s ten ‘ lessons learned' about the loss of their child wisely reject any idea of ‘ moving on' or ‘ closure' . Indeed, this beautifully designed creation is itself an example of what the book is all about.' Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter, Statistician, University of Cambridge

112 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 27, 2023

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Reviews

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book bring hope to a dark subject. The author's focus on the creative actions they took after their son died that helped them to carry on. Its the continuing bond that they have with their son that is so moving. We're often told to 'move on' or 'get over it'. Grief is something that stays with you, as does your love.
Totally recommend this book for anyone who has lost a loved one, or knows someone who has. There's a great part at the end: 10 things we have learned, with some of the things NOT to say to someone who is bereaved. We can't make it better, but we can listen and just be there.

[Laing Rikkers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, this is a special book. It is personal, informative, and expansive. It opens our eyes to the many ways we can experience loss and commemorate our loved ones. They show how every form of creativity can be employed to create connection and memory and help us integrate the greatest losses into our current lives. There are so many beautiful ideas to incorporate.

I highly recommend it for everyone. We either have or will all lose people that we love, and widening the circle of expression will serve us and our communities well.

[Renetta Neal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I was a bit weird because of the ways I have marked the loss of my Son in memorial, this book helped me see creative ways of showing loss/love/grief are not abnormal. I wasn't seeking approval so much as some confirmation that I was doing grief my way and that was okay.

[K]

this book solely focuses on child loss and a couple of parent losses, which i wish had been clear before purchasing it.