Please join us to celebrate the Toronto book launch for Expecting Sunshine

by Alexis Marie Chute.

WHEN:

Saturday, June 24 @ 2pm

WHERE:

The store!

366 Bay St (South of Richmond)

Expecting Sunshine tells the story of a mother, Alexis Marie Chute, who set out to rediscover her identity – not only as a parent but as a woman and artist – after her son Zachary died in her arms at birth. The memoir’s clever structure mirrors the gestation of Alexis Marie’s subsequent pregnancy; the book beginning with conception followed by three sections, the three trimesters.

Through powerful flashbacks, readers learn of Alexis Marie’s pregnancy with Zachary and his few moments in the world, witnessing how grief touches every aspect of family life, though in different ways.

Expecting Sunshine chronicles the struggles and stresses of Alexis Marie’s next pregnancy. She is on a mission to find healing just in time to welcome her next child, yet even imagining giving birth to a baby that lives proves a major roadblock. Along the way, Alexis Marie grapples with her strained marriage, a silent faith, and medical decisions with huge ramifications.

Exploring this universal yet taboo type of loss, Chute’s memoir meets the need for personal narrative that addresses the most intimate vulnerabilities of grief and the agony and guilt any mother feels when she cannot fulfill her one most crucial role: to protect her child. Readers will cheer-on Alexis Marie in her clumsy yet noble search for healing, which will be a balm and encouragement for anyone struggling with loss.

Alexis Marie Chute is a leading expert in creativity and healing. After her son Zachary died at birth in 2010 she used her extensive background in visual art and writing to heal herself. Since then, she has become an advocate in supporting and educating others on how to process their grief in creative and authentic ways, promoting healing through the arts and sharing stories in community.

Alexis Marie has her Bachelor of Fine Art in visual art from the University of Alberta and her Masters of Fine Art in Creative Writing from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA, graduating as class valedictorian.

She has received over 30 noteworthy distinctions, such as The John Poole Award for promotion of the Arts (2015), and was named an “Emerging Canadian Photographer” by Photo Life Magazine and a “Top 40 Under 40” by Avenue Magazine.

Alexis Marie was featured in print and video as a mother-expert in the Miscarriage and Pregnancy Loss awareness campaign by Today’s Parent Magazine. The campaign won first place at the 38^thAnnual National Magazine Awards for Best Editorial Package on the Web.