Julie Whitney
The scenes we act out, the scripts we inherit, the characters we meet and the stories we choose to rewrite all shape who we become. So I sacked the scriptwriter and appointed myself author instead. That philosophy sits at the heart of my writing. I am resilient, resourceful and endlessly hopeful. I love fiercely, laugh loudly and believe wholeheartedly in our ability to change the narrative - both on the page and in our own lives. Above all, I write to connect. I write about the messiness and magic of being human: humour and heartbreak, love and loss, courage and reinvention, and ordinary people navigating extraordinary moments. Whether I am writing for adults or children, prose or poetry, I want my words to make readers feel something - to laugh, reflect, recognise themselves, or perhaps see the world a little differently. Six published books in, I still feel the same excitement about a blank page and the possibilities it holds. There are many more pages to come. So, as an author, poet and storyteller, I invite you to turn the page with me. Here’s to changing the script.
“I am truly honoured you allowed me to read the draft of your book – The Little White Book of Funeral Celebrancy. I found it engaging, comprehensive and exceptionally knowledgeable. You tackle all key elements, including some I’ve not encountered, and anyone aspiring to be a good celebrant should have this as an essential resource!” Kerry Thornton, Funeral Director
“I’ve just finished your book – Not Lost For Words – and loved it. Personally, I could relate to a lot of it, especially being prepared for her death but not prepared for your/my life after it. Even without those shared experiences, I think it offers so much experience and wisdom on how things can be done better. I loved the poems too, especially ‘Dance on the table.'” Cathy Pennicott
“As a man, I found some of these poems uncomfortable to read – but importantly so. They made me reflect on the ways men, not only of my generation, can behave.” Anonymous reader
“What a warm, insightful and authentic piece of writing in The Will To Surthrive. Julie has opened her soul and, in turn, will open the minds and hearts of others. A brilliant book!” Theresa Woulfe
The Little White Book of Funeral Celebrancy
I never really set out to write books and certainly not one on funerals. They have grown, much like my work as a celebrant, from observing and listening to people, sharing their stories and discovering just how much there is to learn when we talk honestly about life, love, loss and the way we say goodbye.
Over the past six years, and through leading hundreds of funerals, I have been welcomed into people’s homes and trusted with memories that are funny, moving, complicated and wonderfully human. Those conversations have shaped me as a celebrant, but they have also made me want to put some of what I have learned onto paper.
This book and its reflective partner aren’t textbooks, and I certainly don’t pretend to have all the answers. They are personal, practical and rooted in real experience – the things I’ve noticed, the lessons families have taught me and the stories that have stayed with me.
And while these two books have grown from my work as a celebrant, they are certainly not just for celebrants. They are for anyone facing the loss of someone they love, trying to find the right words, navigating the unfamiliar territory of a funeral, or simply wondering how on earth you begin to say goodbye.
The Little White Book of Funeral Celebrancy has grown from conversations and from my own experiences of life, loss, love and laughter. Some content is practical, some more personal, but one thing is paramount: a fascination with people, their stories, and the extraordinary lives hidden inside the apparently ordinary.
Ferocious Women: Poetry on Strength, Healing and Finding Your Voice
These poems were written across years of movement; between countries, cities, seasons of life, and the many conversations that quietly shaped me. Some began on aeroplanes over unfamiliar landscapes, others in apartments filled with laughter, in airports and gardens, beside seas, or during meanders through streets that slowly became home.
Living overseas has given me the gift of seeing life through more than one lens. Different languages, customs, and ways of living have deepened my understanding of belonging, distance, identity, and connection. Travel has taught me that although places may differ greatly, human feeling rarely does.
At the heart of this collection are the women whose friendships, wisdom, resilience, humour, and honesty have influenced my thinking over the years. Women of different ages and cultures: mothers and daughters, old friends and chance acquaintances have left their imprint on these pages. Through shared stories, quiet encouragement, sometimes disagreement, kindness, and courage, they have widened my perspective and enriched my life in ways both subtle and profound.
These poems do not attempt to offer conclusions. Rather, they are reflections: moments gathered from journeys outward and inward. They speak of memory and change, of place and displacement, of friendship, womanhood, loss, discovery, and the small details that connect us across borders and generations.
If these poems invite you, my reader, to pause, remember, question, or feel less alone in your own journey, then they have found their purpose.
The Will To Surthrive
Even before the Coronacoaster, I had become aware of the futility of slogging at an education system which I no longer believe has any principles, for a life that I don’t especially relish, so that I can buy useless things that I know I don’t like.
After a great deal of loss, feeling the burnout from teaching, and an existential crisis brought on by my Mother’s death from dementia, I had decided that life is too short to be living anything less than the one of which I am capable. There were seemingly no roadblocks – only my own thoughts and fears.
Then came a shockingly timed loss of my job, along with financial insecurity, and a global pandemic. That’s a motorway pile-up, if ever there was one. No time to wallow…the show must go on! Time to put into action all the lessons I have learned to thrive in the heart of happiness, even amongst the chaos which surrounds us.
Not Lost For Words
One effect of grief is being unable to formulate our thoughts, struggling further to muster up enough coherence to process them. It can be just as hard to express our empathy and sorrow for others – when they go through the same rites of passage – without seeming to make it about our own mourning, suffering and anguish.
But in trying to find the words, we persist with compassion. In trying to find meaning, we may be able to help others.
We are ‘Not Lost for Words!’
Sometimes, despite being mindful and respectful of the needs of someone diagnosed with dementia, it is also painful and hard to bear. Dementia is cruel and unrelenting. But what makes it so much harder is the way words are casually misappropriated.
This collection of poems and anecdotes formulate some shared help, focusing on the way words can be used to empower people living with dementia, to help us to stay positively engaged and to sustain feelings of belonging and self-worth.