Valerie Mason-John facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Valerie Mason-John
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| Born | 22 November 1962 Cambridge, England
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| Alma mater | Leeds University, Sussex University |
| Occupation | Co-founder of Eight Step Recovery and Mindfulness Based Addiction Recovery |
| Known for | Author and public speaker |
Valerie Mason-John (born 22 November 1962) is an English writer and teacher. They are known for helping create 'Eight Step Recovery'. This program uses Buddhist teachings to help people overcome challenges and build a better life. It offers a different approach to other self-help programs.
Contents
About Eight Step Recovery
Since the 'Eight Step Recovery' book came out in 2013, it has won awards. It received the Best USA Book Award in 2014. It also won the Best International Book Award in 2015. These awards were in the self-help category.
Meetings for Eight Step Recovery now happen in many places. You can find them in the UK, USA, Canada, India, and Finland. Valerie Mason-John also helped create Mindfulness Based Addiction Recovery (MBAR). This program was inspired by another helpful method called 'Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression'.
Valerie Mason-John uses they/them pronouns. They have written eight books. They also work as a public speaker. They teach about mindfulness for emotional well-being. They train people in how to handle bullying and solve disagreements peacefully. Valerie is a leader in the Triratna Buddhist Community. There, they received their spiritual name, Vimalasara. This name means "she whose essence is stainless and pure." They are also the chairperson of the Triratna Vancouver Buddhist Centre. Valerie used to write for The Voice newspaper. They were also a performer and poet known as "Queenie." Born in Britain, they now live in Canada.
Valerie's Early Life
Valerie Mason-John was born in Cambridge, England. Their parents were from Sierra Leone Creole. Valerie spent much of their childhood in foster homes. They also lived in childcare facilities, like the Barnardo's Orphanages in Britain. For a short time, they lived with their mother when they were a teenager.
Valerie left university before finishing their first degree in the 1980s. However, they continued to study and train after that. Since the early 1990s, they have worked as a writer, artist, and speaker. They earned a teaching certificate from London South Bank University. Today, they lead workshops on how to manage anger and solve conflicts.
After studying philosophy and politics at Leeds University, Valerie continued their education. They studied journalism and earned a master's degree in creative writing. They also got a diploma in theater performance. By 2003, Valerie became interested in helping others. They also became a leader in the Western Buddhist Order. This led them to write and perform. They also trained themselves and others in anger management. In 2007, Valerie Mason-John received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of East London. Valerie continues to write, teach, perform, and speak around the world.
Writing and Media Work
Valerie Mason-John's writing has appeared in many newspapers and magazines. These include The Guardian, The Voice, and The Morning Star. They have also contributed to several books. These include Half the Earth: Women's Experience of Travel Worldwide and Assaults on Convention.
Valerie was the editor of Feminist Arts News from 1992 to 1997. They were also the artistic director of the London Mardi Gras from 1997 to 2000. For four years, they directed the Pride Arts Festival. Valerie has worked for TV channels like the BBC and Channel 4. They have also been on British radio shows. These include Midweek and Woman's Hour.
Besides writing and broadcasting, Valerie Mason-John also worked in theater. They studied at the Desmond Jones School of Mime and Physical Theatre. By 1998, they began performing and writing plays. They focused on one-person shows. Some of their plays include Sin Dykes, Brown Girl in the Ring, and The Adventures of Snow Black and Rose Red.
Their first novel, Borrowed Body (2005), later came out as The Banana Kid (2007). This book won the Mind Book of the Year Award. Since then, Valerie Mason-John has written six more books. This includes their spiritual non-fiction book Detox Your Heart (2006).
The Great Black North
In 2012, Valerie Mason-John worked with poet Kevan Anthony Cameron. They edited a collection of poems called The Great Black North: Contemporary African Canadian Poetry. This book featured over 90 poets. The Great Black North was one of the first complete poetry collections of modern Black Canadian poets.
Important poets in the book include George Elliott Clarke and M. Nourbese Philip. The book is special because it divides poems into "page" and "stage" categories. This honors both written and spoken poetry traditions.
Published Works
- 1992–97: Editor of Feminist Arts News
- 1992: Black Art and Culture on the Mainland of Europe: France, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Spain (editor), Arts Council of England
- 1993: Lesbians Talk: Making Black Waves (co-author with Ann Khambatta) Scarlet Press, ISBN: 9781857270075
- 1993: Words from the Women's Cafe: Lesbian Poetry from Word Up (contributor; eds Bernadette Halpin and Dorothea Smartt), Centerprise Publications, ISBN: 978-0903738767
- 1994: Talking Black: Lesbians of African and Asian Descent Speak Out Anthology (editor), Cassell, ISBN: 0304329657
- 1995: Assaults on Convention (contributor), Cassell, ISBN: 978-0304328833
- 1999: Brown Girl in the Ring: Plays, Prose and Poems, Get A Grip
- 2005: Borrowed Body, Serpent's Tail, ISBN: 1852428910
- 2005: Tell Tales (contributor), Tell Tales/Flipped Eye Publication, ISBN: 1905233027
- 2006: Detox Your Heart, Windhorse Publications, ISBN: 9781899579655
- 2007: Black British Aesthetic, edited by Victoria Arana – contributor, ISBN: 978-1443806015
- 2008: Broken Voices Ex Untouchable Women Speak Out, ISBN: 978-8183860734
- 2012: The Great Black North - Contemporary African Canadian Poetry (edited with Kevan Anthony Cameron), ISBN: 978-1897181836
- 2013: New edition of Borrowed Body, Demeter Press Canada, ISBN: 978-1927335369
- 2014: Eight Step Recovery - Using The Buddha's Teachings to Overcome Addiction – co author, ISBN: 978-1909314023
- 2017: New revised expanded edition of Detox Your Heart - Meditations for Emotional Trauma, ISBN: 9781614293873
- 2020: I Am Still Your Negro: An Homage to James Baldwin. Canada: University of Alberta Press, ISBN: 9781772125108
Awards and Prizes
- 2000: Windrush Achievement Award Arts and Community Pioneer
- 2001: Winner of the Black, Asian and Chinese Shoreline/Cultureword First Chapter Award
- 2005: Young Minds Book Award (shortlist) (for Borrowed Body)
- 2006/7: Grant For The Arts – Arts Council England
- 2006: Winner Mind Book of The Year Award (for Borrowed Body)
- 2007: Black LGBT Community Award
- 2007: Honorary Doctorate for Life time Achievements - Doctor of Letters
- 2014: Alberta's Book Awards Best Educational Book (for The Great Black North)
- 2014: The Best USA Book Award (for Eight Step Recovery)
- 2014: The Robert Kroetsch Poetry Award (for The Great Black North)
- 2015: The Best International Book Award (for Eight Step Recovery)
