A Sheffield author, who turned to writing as a form of therapy to recover from her own traumatic experiences, is celebrating after the book she contributed to has reached the top of the Amazon charts this week.
Words Of The Wise, a collection of stories and poems has been published by The Divine Collective, an organisation set up to help women who have experienced hardship throughout their lives.
They have all discovered comfort through writing, meditation and spiritualism on their road to recovery after experiencing difficulties such as substance misuse or suffering the loss of a loved one.
The launch on Thursday night celebrated women including Jenny Senior, 37, an ex-health and social support worker, of Arbourthorne, who has written a chapter and short poem for the newly-released spiritual healing book.
The mother-of-one said: “I can’t believe it, I’m just a normal lass from Arbourthorne.
“If someone told me 14 months ago that I’d be sitting talking about this book, I wouldn’t have believed them.”
Co-authored with 30 different contributors, the collection takes readers on a healing journey through the likes of poetry and meditation to encourage women to come forward and share their personal struggles.
The book has topped multiple Amazon charts and is a best-seller just days after its release.
The project founder and Together Women support worker, Siobhan Louise, 34, said: “The response so far has been overwhelming and we’ve had so much beautiful feedback from as far as India.
“This initiative has allowed our women to make great connections and sharing their stories has been so powerful.”
The voices in the book come from all over the UK, but particularly from across Sheffield, where the initiative which offers workshops and coaching sessions, is based.
The publisher of The Divine Collective, said: “Our mission is to empower self-expression and promote unity by publishing conscious messages to uplift and inspire.”
Ms Senior’s chapter, ‘How My Garden Grows’, uses the outdoors as a metaphor for healing and reminds readers that everyone has problems, so they shouldn’t feel ashamed.
She said: “You can walk past a garden that looks pretty and think that person has their life together while your garden- or life- is covered in weeds.
“But it doesn’t matter as nobody is perfect and your garden is your own – it’s a safe space.”
Ms Senior was first approached to write her chapter in the summer of 2022 by her friend Ms Louise, who she met through support groups run by Manor and Castle Development Trust (MCDT).
She went to MCDT after facing difficulties throughout her life including the devastating loss of her mum.
The author found herself turning to recreational drugs and alcohol to cope until she reconnected with the joys of writing and journaling from when she was at university.
Despite suffering from imposter syndrome during the writing process, Ms Senior said: “This book has been like therapy for me.
“It’s been that light at the end of the tunnel, and I hope it can show other women that life after trauma doesn’t always have to be in darkness.”
She hopes this work will be a platform for writing her own book in the future and has also written a script for a play named ‘Unstoppable’ for MCDT about a girl overcoming her troubles, which will be performed at the Arbourthorne Centre in December.
Ms Senior added: “I didn’t know if I was ready to share my experiences, but as women we are warriors and it’s important that our voices are heard.”
She still struggles with her mental health and said the book opened up old wounds for her including being unable to share this moment with her mum, but she hopes one day her young daughter will read it with pride.
At a time when mental health is at a low and discussion around women’s vulnerability has resurfaced following the pandemic and the start of the World Cup, services like this for women around Sheffield seem more important than ever before.
This message is echoed by YWCA, a Sheffield charity founded in the 1800s to help young women aged 16-25 and their families escape trauma and homelessness. They believe all women deserve spaces in South Yorkshire where they feel safe and supported.
Claire Harding, 42, Project Manager of YWCA, said: “Our services have a huge impact on women across South Yorkshire. They come to us in very dark places but we turn the lights on.
“Through services from one-to-one resilience therapy to cooking classes, organisations like YWCA can help women see what’s possible.”
Although those needing help from charities such as YWCA need a referral from Sheffield City Council, many women’s services across Sheffield offer informal sessions but those like Together Women use a self-referral system.
But both Ms Louise and Ms Harding believe services across Sheffield could go further.
“There are lots of quality services across Sheffield, but I always say that there needs to be more,’ said Ms Harding.
“We are always surviving on a shoestring so more donations are always needed.”
Ms Louise shares this sentiment and believes more organisations need to be dedicated specifically to mental health to make services more tailored to the women they support.
She said: “I work for Together Women and we can never have enough services.
“Women’s charities do what they can to support people but there are so many different issues that affect women that we can’t cover everything.”
The book was released on 21 November this year and is available to buy digitally for 99p or on paperback for £8.99. All profits will go back into the project so more women can publish their stories with plans to extend the opportunity to men struggling with mental health in the future.
To get involved in future projects contact the Divine Collective on Facebook or Instagram
Donations to YWCA Sheffield can be made through the GoFundMe link here
