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For books in PRINT editions, we urge you to support your local bookstores. You can support this writing and order your favourites in all editions at your local library for others to find and benefit.
Stephanie Dowrick’s books are widely available via ALL online sellers, including Booktopia.
For global sales, in addition to Amazon, the independent Melbourne bookstore Readings has a good selection of audio and print editions.
Penguin/Random House USA.
Beautifully written by one of the most authentic teachers of our time, no one has ever offered such a holistic, soulful book dealing with this complex topic – anxiety – based on personal experience, insights, research, deep wisdom, and compassion. Tao de Haas, Clinical psychotherapist and coach
Anxiety and stress are wildfire problems. Why is no secret. You live in a crazily stressful world. What you can do right now needs urgent addressing. With consummate insight and compassion, Stephanie Dowrick offers a new way to look at anxiety (and yourself) that is accessible, supportive and immediately effective. Drawing on decades of professional experience, her own story, plus the latest in mind-body-brain insights, she puts workable knowledge into your hands. Always inspiring, always practical, this book returns the life-changing power of choice and inner security to you—where they belong.
No. 1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER UPDATED IN 2021
‘This is a book that can save your emotional life. Finally, someone has deeply, compassionately explored the territory of intimate relationships that can bring such grief as well as joy. Throughout, it offers insights, transformation, and hope. It can surely inspire you to start again.’ Subhana Barzaghi, psychotherapist and Zen Roshi
The quality of your personal relationships has never mattered more. But how do you explore your needs in a world that can seem harsh, judgemental and increasingly isolating? Intimacy & Solitude starts with the most fundamental relationship of all: how you understand and care for your own self. In an age of extreme anxiety, a stable sense of self brings incalculable benefits, supporting all your relationships with others, including the most intimate.
In this book, as in all her others, Stephanie Dowrick enables you simultaneously to understand yourself AND others, putting you ‘in the clear’ when it comes to those strangely self-sabotaging behaviours we all have – until we better understand their origin, and what can take us forward far more positively.
The perennial, increasingly widespread anguish of loneliness is also addressed fully, and clear distinctions are drawn between loneliness – and solitude.
Stephanie Dowrick speaks to Shona Martyn of the Sydney Morning Herald
No. 1 Australian bestseller. Winner of the Nautilus Award (USA) ‘Better Books for a Better World’ —the Silver Award in the category of Psychology and Personal Growth.
This book is written in immediately accessible yet thoroughly illuminating ‘grabs’ that prompt and inspire you on the day-to-day choices that lead you towards a more generous, rewarding and far freer way of life and being. ‘Happiness’ is not simply positivity or even pleasure. It’s a capacity to appreciate yourself and others from the inside out, and to discover which of your responses are serving you well, and which are not. Suitable for all ages, this book demonstrates throughout that we can make choices that lift us: not just our ‘mood’ but our capacity to dive deeper into life with greater trust. And far more reliable enjoyment.
“Choosing Happiness is a companion for the happy and not-so-happy times in your life when you need inspiration and comfort and a reminder of the fundamental essentials required to make a difference in how we experience our lives and how we affect the lives of others – a remarkable book” Pink (UK)
“Every page offers incredible insights…. If you crave to live your life in a more powerful, proactive and positive way, this is the book is for you.” Health and Fitness (UK)
‘Part self-affirmation, part cognitive psychology and part meditation on the power of generosity, this is a thoughtful and sincere guide for those seeking to find happiness.’ Publishers Weekly (USA)
‘Written with lightness and elegance, a modern bible for the soul.’ The Age, Melbourne
‘Profound and practical [from] Australia’s foremost self-help author…A beautiful book that distils ways to change how you think about yourself and others to live a happy life.’ Sunday Telegraph (UK)
‘Seeking the Sacred is like a chalice of wisdom. It overflows with inspired and inspiring quotes and teachings…Through it all is Stephanie Dowrick’s distinct voice…her empathy for how hard the journey is shines alongside her belief that the sacred can illuminate the way home.… While Seeking the Sacred is about personal transformation, it is a political, even polemical work… a rallying cry that to save the planet we must shed our spiritual and cultural provincialism…’ Claire Scobie, Sydney Morning Herald
“[Dowrick] makes the point that a sacred life ultimately rests on how you behave, rather than the ideology you espouse. Seeking the Sacred is beautifully written and extraordinarily insightful. Stephanie Dowrick voices our doubts and questions, and skilfully outlines the truths that address them, providing invaluable guidance and inspiration for the reader. I think this is her best book so far.” Rosamund Burton, Good Reading (A “five star” review)
‘Dowrick furnishes new seekers as well as seasoned believers with a refreshing approach to contemporary spirituality.’ Publishers Weekly (USA)
Throughout time, our human family has sought meaning, connection and purpose, plus answers to the profound questions: ‘Why am I here?’ ‘What is life for?’ We have also responded to a need to honour, respect, feel awe and wonder – and a sense of belonging. Comprehending that life itself is sacred is transformative. Stephanie Dowrick suggests that it is also all that will keep us – and all species and our planet – safe. ‘What we care for and honour, we will protect,’ she writes.
The ’sacred’ does not ‘belong’ to any group, faith, culture, period of time. The sacred belongs to us all. This book charts that, not least through memoir as Stephanie shares her own fascinating, intimate story of seeking, searching – and belonging.
First prize COVR awards (USA) in ‘Self-Help’ category
This exceptionally writer-friendly, award-winning guide is for beginners and the most experienced journal writers. It includes highly creative ideas and exercises, skills in observation and mindfulness, the capacity to ‘vent’ effectively and an inspiring method to write freely with release and enjoyment. Throughout, it offers a fresh, positive way of looking at your life on and ‘through’ the page.
From readers (journal writers):
‘Dowrick has a beautiful way with words. She is very inspiring and encouraging, and for someone who is either new to the journaling experience or someone who has not journaled in a while, I recommend this book. I actually recommend this book for writers, as well, because her writing style will motivate you and give you many ideas.’ K Rae
‘Stephanie provides a restful quality to her approach with creative journal writing, one that is gentle, kind and insightful. She also includes a fabulous journal writing list of 125 prompts you can choose intuitively by number rather than topic. I love this approach since it’s a surprise each time you use it. I highly recommend this book for all journal writers, and especially those who may feel intimidated by the process.’ Dawn Herring
Winner of the Nautilus Award (USA) ‘Better Books for a Better World’—the Gold Award (Best Book of the Year) in the category of Religion/Spirituality: Other Traditions & Practices.
‘Prayer is a longing of the soul…and an instrument of action.’ Mahatma Gandhi
‘Stephanie Dowrick brings the eternal into time, the Divine to the human and, at the crossroads of this experience, has captured the original spirit of prayer. She is emphatic that the Divine is accessible to all and not a dogmatic prerogative of the few…she has woven a wondrous tapestry of inclusivity.’ Anthony Strano, author of Seeking Silence
‘Stephanie Dowrick emerges as a mystical poet with a radiance of her own in the company of those whose words she has chosen.’ Dr Maj Britt, Vice President of the Academic Governance Council Board of Unity Institute and Seminary (USA)
‘This is a book to use as a pathway into greater awareness, deeper connection, and a more profound sense of gratitude for the gift of life.’ Dr Mark S. Burrows, author and theologian
In times of celebration as well as sorrow, our human family has always turned to the sense of community and ritual that prayer offers. Prayer is also there for moments of intimate, quiet self-discovery. From the most ancient heartfelt prayers to those newly written by Stephanie Dowrick, Heaven on Earth meets your need for dignity, inspiration and sacredness.
No. 1 Bestseller
‘Through thoughtful observations and compelling stories, Dowrick models for the reader an effective way to consider the journey toward love of others and of self.’ Publishers Weekly (USA)
‘This is indeed a book which I would hold in my hands in a tine of trouble, just to let its wisdom and reassurance seep into my bones.’ Caroline Jones, Sydney Morning Herald
‘Reading Forgiveness is like listening to a wise older sister…Like the great sages, Dowrick is aware that the progress from denial to understanding is a lengthy one, and that true wisdom comes from experiencing all that life can bring and reflecting deeply upon it.’ Anne French, The Listener
In tough times, it’s your deepest inner resources you need. But where do you start? This book – Stephanie Dowrick’s own personal favourite – was written in a time of painful vulnerability that eventually led her to new levels of understanding and appreciation of life. She re-examines the great humane qualities: courage, fidelity, restraint, generosity, tolerance and forgiveness, and makes them relevant for her life. And for yours.
No. 1 Bestseller
‘A tour de force of matters of the heart’ Kindred Spirit (UK)
‘Every line in her books is well written…if the various wisdoms she writes about were applied not just to personal relationships but to society in general, then the world would be a better place for everyone.’ Cathrin Schaer, New Zealand Herald
A practical book about love? And the challenges of bringing out the best in yourself AND other people? YES! In a world where relationship ‘failures’ abound, and fears of not doing or being ‘enough’ dominate, this book is immediately the informed, practical companion we need. Stephanie Dowrick embraces a whole of life view, attentive always to our complexity, yet bravely inspiring. The writing is itself good humoured, forgiving, lit up by consummate storytelling.
‘Deeply attentive and acutely perceptive… infinitely compassionate and accepting’ Josephine Brouard, Women’s Health
‘Celebrates altruism and the precious everyday moments of human connection’ Diane Priestly, The Courier-Mail
‘Filled with ancient wisdom and modern common sense.’ Hephzibah Anderson, www.femail.co.uk
For those who ‘love poetry’ – and those who do not – here is a highly engaging, enjoyable study of one of literature’s most inspirational and unorthodox voices, Rainer Maria Rilke. The book tells many stories and includes more than 90 of Rilke’s most sublime poems, many translated by poet and scholar Mark S. Burrows. Dr Dowrick – a leading Rilke scholar among her other achievements – offers a fascinating psychological analysis of Rilke’s extraordinary life, and makes vivid why he remains so unusually relevant to 21st-century readers, ‘thinking beyond dogma and orthodoxy’.
‘Stephanie Dowrick’s gift is a capacity for sharing with readers her lifetime’s pleasure in poetry and the company of one of the greatest of poets.’ David Malouf, Poet and novelist
‘This book is lovely: serious, informed, honest, warm, delightful to read. Stephanie Dowrick has accomplished something wonderful, bringing us into the company of the most human of men and into the presence of his astonishingly beautiful poetry.’ John Armstrong, Philosopher and co-author with Alain de Botton of Art as Therapy
‘Stephanie Dowrick’s writing and career are characterised by motifs of renewal and re-imagining..Dowrick’s work is eclectically informed and pioneering… She vividly creates a sense of readerly receptivity to the mysteries of a poem.’ Felicity Plunkett, Sydney Morning Herald
Published in the US by Penguin/Random House; in ANZ by Allen & Unwin.
The Moon Shines Out of the Dark is a tender, touching story for 4-7 year-olds, focusing on an only child, a little boy called Harry. Harry learns through the course of the story that even when he cannot see the moon in the sky, it is there; even when Mum needs to be away for a while, she will return. Imaginative, sensitive (enchanting) boys are not often enough the centre of a child’s picture book. Harry is. And will win your heart. The book is exquisitely illustrated by award-winning artist and illustrator, Anne Spudvilas.
‘A great addition to any bookshelf and a moving story to be shared by families everywhere.’ Australian Bookseller and Publisher
‘Stephanie Dowrick is unashamed to make a stand for wonder and the incredible gift of living.’ Walter Mason, author of Destination Saigon
This exceptionally reader-friendly book offers short, wise and often very entertaining chapters on the great variety of experiences that we call ‘everyday life’. Adding kindness to the mix – or greater care, appreciation, good humour, understanding, and respect – life itself takes a turn for the better. We feel better. We are easier and more comfortable to be around. Stephanie Dowrick writes with surprising passion about food, moods and exercise: about feeling better from the inside out and the outside in. A parent herself, formerly a psychotherapy guide to many parents (and adult children), she offers insights that lift our thinking too about more relaxed parenting, relationships, self-confidence, personal power.
Many readers continue to miss Stephanie Dowrick’s ‘Inner Life’ column that ran for almost 10 years in the Good Weekend (Sydney Morning Herald and the Age). In Everyday Kindness you have similar short, highly focused, consistently encouraging words of wisdom from the writer described by author and ‘Five of My Life’ host Nigel Marsh as a ‘Godsend’, and by reviewer and writer Claire Scobie as ’empowering’.
Published in the US by Penguin/Random House; in ANZ by Allen & Unwin.
This book should really have been called, ‘How to be kind to the people you love best’.
It’s not age, sexuality, wealth, religion or culture that will determine the success of your relationship. It is your willingness to discover what love truly means.
With just a single idea per page – and using the word ‘marriage’ to include all kinds of committed, loving relationships – Dr Stephanie Dowrick distills some of her wisest thinking about kindness, interest, and respect. The emphasis throughout is on communication, appreciation, and personal responsibility. A small elegantly designed book – small enough to keep close by – each entry offers insight into how to live as our ‘best selves’, at the same time bringing out the best in others. (We think this one is perfect for that wonderful person who would ‘never read “self-help”‘ but could be intrigued, and inspired, by Stephanie Dowrick’s wit and wisdom.
‘Stephanie Dowrick voices our doubts and questions, and skilfully outlines the truths that address them, providing invaluable guidance and inspiration for the reader.’ Rosamund Burton, Good Reading
How ‘freely’ do you think about…well, pretty much everything?! These short, highly accessible ‘takes’ on the very real dilemmas of everyday living provide an excellent introduction to Stephanie Dowrick’s work – and writing territory. She shows that a serious, thoughtful writer can also be witty and self-mocking. In chapters short enough to enjoy in a single reading, Stephanie Dowrick offers her views on subjects as various as: how to worry less and praise more; what happiness is – and how to achieve it; ageing appreciatively; why and how to meditate; when and whether to marry; why doubt can be useful and how burnout can be avoided. She also speaks up persuasively for honesty, tolerance and peace in a world where those vital qualities can seem in short supply.
