Kirsten O'Connor
Kirsten O’Connor is a New Zealand writer and grief advocate, and the founder of This Is Grief. After the death of her daughter Kahlia, she began writing about grief, loss, and the realities often left unspoken, particularly following suicide.
Her work focuses on honest storytelling, death literacy, and the impact of grief on the body, identity, and everyday life. Through her writing, Kirsten seeks to challenge silence and stigma around grief, and to offer recognition and companionship to those navigating life after loss.
The Year After Kahlia is her debut memoir.
Genre:
- Non-Fiction
Skills:
- Workshops (adults)
Branch:
Wellington
Location:
Wellington
Publications:
The Year After Kahlia : Surviving, Loving and Writing My Way Through Loss
The Year After Kahlia is a raw, intimate memoir of the first year after loss - not a story of “moving on,” but of surviving, loving, and learning how to live in a world permanently changed.
Written across twelve months of acute grief, the book traces the physical, emotional, and psychological reality of life after child loss: the shock in the body, the isolation, the anger, the moments of unbearable tenderness, and the quiet ways love refuses to end.
Through journal entries, reflection, and honest storytelling, Kirsten O’Connor captures what is often left unsaid about grief; particularly following suicide. This is not a book about finding meaning in tragedy or offering easy answers. It is a book about telling the truth.
For those who have lost someone they love, and for those who want to understand grief beyond clichés, The Year After Kahlia offers recognition, companionship, and permission to grieve without apology.