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Ann Richardson
ALLi Author Member
Location: United Kingdom (the)
Genres: General Nonfiction, Memoir, Self-Help/Personal Development
Skills: Speaking Engagement/Lecture, Reading/Literary Event, Performance/Spoken Word
I have been a writer for many years. I am fascinated by other people’s thoughts, experiences and emotions and love to write books where they can express their views in their own words.
I write on different subjects that capture my interest for one reason or another. These include i) a book about young people living with AIDS or HIV at a time when there was no cure (Wise Before Their Time, Foreword by Sir Ian McKellen); ii) a book about people working in end-of-life care (Life in a Hospice, Foreword by Tony Benn) and iii) how it feels to be a grandmother (Celebrating Grandmothers).
In addition, I have recently published a book of short pieces exploring the joys and challenges of becoming old, with an emphasis on the joys – as I actually like this time of life (The Granny Who Stands on Her Head: Reflections on Growing Older). This is partly a memoir, including a number of stories from my life.
American by birth, I live in London, England, with my husband of 58 years.
Ann Richardson's books
Celebrating Grandmothers: Grandmothers Talk about their Lives
This book is about the views and experiences of grandmothers, as told by grandmothers themselves. Based on interviews with 27 grandmothers of different ages, nationalities and social circumstances, it enables them to explore how being a grandmother changes the texture of their lives, their role in their family and its impact on relationships and their own sense of themselves. The book is full of joy, wisdom and some sadness from those grandmothers with little access to their grandchildren due to distance or difficult relations within the family. Although not initially intended to offer advice, readers will take away many good ideas from what grandmothers have to say.
Life in a Hospice: Reflections on Caring for the Dying (Foreword by Tony Benn)
Dying, it’s an uncomfortable topic. None of us likes to think about what our last days will be like. But if we do think about them at all, we want them to be full of peace and tranquillity, with the chance to say proper goodbyes to those we love. Life in a Hospice takes you behind the scenes in end-of-life care, where you will see the enormous efforts of nurses, doctors, chaplains and others - even a thoughtful cook - to provide the calm that we all hope for.
Wise Before their Time: People with AIDS and HIV Talk about their Lives (Foreword by Sir Ian McKellan),
‘This collection of true stories is as powerful as any great classic of fiction’ Sir Ian McKellen
The Granny Who Stands on Her Head: Reflections on Growing Older
“Somewhere in the middle of my seventies, I realised that I liked being old.”