Author talk
This is Grief - On the Road by Kirsten O'Connor
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- Date
- Friday, 13 November 2026
- About this event
Join Unity Books for a thoughtful and moving author talk with New Zealand writer Kirsten O’Connor, as she shares the deeply personal experiences behind her writing and her work encouraging more open, honest and compassionate conversations about grief. Kirsten O’Connor is a New Zealand author, speaker and passionate advocate for more open and compassionate conversations about grief. She is the founder of This Is Grief, a platform dedicated to breaking the silence surrounding loss, helping people better understand grief and creating supportive spaces where no one feels pressured to heal according to someone else's timetable. Kirsten's work grew from the heartbreaking loss of her 24-year-old daughter, Kahlia, in 2024. Faced with the enormous gap between how grief is commonly portrayed and how it is actually experienced, she turned to writing as a way of navigating her own loss and connecting with others facing similar struggles. Her deeply personal memoir, The Year After Kahlia: Surviving, Loving and Writing My Way Through Loss, chronicles the first twelve months following her daughter's death, combining raw personal reflections with insights into the psychological and physical effects of grief. In STAY: A Dog's View of Love, Grief and Ordinary Days, Kirsten takes a gentler, sometimes humorous approach, exploring love, loss and companionship through the eyes of her beloved dog, Buster. She has also created Tiny Invitations: A Grief Workbook for Impossible Days, a beautifully considered collection of reflections, writing prompts and simple activities designed to offer comfort during difficult times. Her writing also includes Composed Through Chaos, a contemporary young adult novel exploring friendship, identity, emotional struggles and the courage to find one's voice. Through her books, workshops, speaking engagements and community conversations, Kirsten encourages a different way of approaching grief — one that replaces expectations and easy answers with understanding, honesty and human connection. At the heart of her work is a simple but powerful message: grief doesn't need to be fixed, and nobody should have to face it alone. This special event at Unity Books offers an opportunity to hear Kirsten speak about her experiences, her books and the importance of making room for grief in everyday life. It promises to be a heartfelt conversation about love, loss, resilience and the connections that help us through life's most difficult moments. Website: thisisgrief.nz
- Cost
- Free
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Added 9/11/2026 · Last checked 9/11/2026
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