After her son, Zachary, dies in her arms at birth, visual artist and author Alexis Marie Chute disappears into her -Year of Distraction.- She cannot paint or write or tap into the heart of who she used to be, mourning not only for Zachary, but also for the future they might have had together. It is only when Chute learns she is pregnant again that she sets out to find healing and rediscover her identity--just in time, she hopes, to welcome her next child. In the forty weeks of her pregnancy, Chute grapples with her strained marriage, shaken faith, and medical diagnosis, with profound results. Glowing with riveting and gorgeous prose, Expecting Sunshine chronicles the anticipation and anxiety of expecting a baby while still grieving for the child that came before--enveloping readers with insightful observations on grief and healing, life and death, and the incredible power of a mother's love.
Alexis Marie Chute is an award-winning artist, author, photographer, and filmmaker.Her debut memoir, Expecting Sunshine: A Journey of Grief, Healing and Pregnancy After Loss,was released by She Writes Press in 2017, accompanied by the feature documentary. Chute has been published in PhotoEd, WestWord, Mind Body Green, Savvy Mom, Today’s Parent, Vie, The Bellingham Review, Edmonton Woman, Flurt, Smart Healthy Woman, and the Three Minus One and the Women’s Art Museum Society of Canada anthologies.
Chute has received over 30 noteworthy distinctions for her visual and literary work, such as being named a “Canada Book Awards” winner for her memoir, Expecting Sunshine, and other recognitions such as The John Poole Award for promotion of the Arts, “Emerging Canadian Photographer” by Photo Life Magazine, and Avenue Magazine’s “Top 40 Under 40.” Chute was featured in print and video as mother-expert in the pregnancy loss awareness campaign by Today’s Parent Magazine, which won first place at the 38th Annual National Magazine Awards for Best Editorial Package on the Web. Chute’s blog for bereaved parents is called Wanted Chosen Planned.
Chute was the 2012/2013 Artist in Residence at Harcourt House Artist Run Centre, where she began her groundbreaking fine art photo series called “The Quiet Rebuild,” featuring volunteers from around the world. Her photography on the topic of resiliency has been exhibited internationally and her bright-bold abstract paintings are represented at the AR&S Gallery at the Art Gallery of Alberta. Chute also curates the annual InFocus Photography Exhibition & Award during Exposure Photography Festival.
Alexis Marie Chute received her Bachelors of Fine Art in Art and Design from the University of Alberta, Canada, and studied at Media Design school in Auckland, New Zealand. She graduated valedictorian with her Masters of Fine Art in Creative Writing from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA, USA.
Chute is a highly-regarded public speaker. She has presented on art, writing, bereavement, and the healing capacities of creativity through in courses and at conferences in Europe, New Zealand, the United States, and Canada. Contact the Author/Artist for bookings info@alexismariechute.com
When not in her art/photo studio or writing at her computer, Chute loves to spend quality time with her family, read both fiction and non-fiction, watch reality TV, paddleboard, and canoe. She is not a winter person but lives in the frosty city of Edmonton with her husband and their three living children.
Connect with Alexis Marie Chute on these social networks:
Twitter: @_Alexis_Marie
Facebook: Alexis Marie Chute, Art, Photograph and Creative Writing
Instagram: @alexismariechute
Pinterest: AlexisMarieArt
YouTube: AlexisMarieChute
LinkedIn: Alexis Marie Chute
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