Selkirk College Mir Lecture Speaker to Discuss Triumph Over Trauma
By Bob Hall
Selkirk College’s Mir Centre for Peace and the Nelson Police Department’s Restorative Justice Program will welcome author and advocate Shannon Moroney to the West Kootenay in late-November to discuss her personal story of violence, grief and ultimately forgiveness.
Moroney was a high school guidance counsellor in 2005 when violence tore her life apart. Her husband was arrested after confessing to the sexual assault and kidnapping of two women. Moroney faced difficult choices as she searched for a path that would lead her out of trauma and toward a positive future. After discovering the lack of help available for families of criminals, she became a restorative justice advocate who speaks on the ripple effect of crime.
“Shannon’s story is both heartbreaking and inspiring,” says Jennie Barron, the Chair of the Mir Centre for Peace. “She has been addressing audiences around the world where she details her journey through grief, violence, judgement and stigma. Ultimately her story is filled with compassion, forgiveness and hope.”
As part of the annual Mir Lecture Series, Moroney will be at Nelson’s United Church on Wednesday, November 21 starting at 7 p.m. She will also be taking part in several events and attending regional high schools during National Restorative Justice Week (November 19-25).
Moroney’s memoir, Through the Glass, was published in Canada in 2011 where it became a national bestseller and nominee for several awards including the Governor General’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction. Her book has been featured by the international Forgiveness Project and is currently being developed into a stage production.
Currently living in Toronto, Moroney is an educator and facilitator who leads experiential workshops and retreats on forgiveness, restorative justice and on writing what hurts.
Tickets for the Mir Lecture Series event on November 21 will be available at the door ($13 for adults and $10 for seniors/students).
