Blog
From Grief to Published Author: How Alexis Bonavitacola Turned Loss Into Two Books
by Writing Workshops Staff
3 weeks ago
When Alexis Bonavitacola's brother died suddenly, she did what many grievers do: she searched for a way to survive. What she found was writing. And what began as a lifeline eventually became two published books—a memoir and a poetry collection that stand as testaments to both her loss and her love.
Alexis came to WritingWorkshops.com with a PhD in education and over a decade of experience teaching art online to thousands of students. But writing about grief? That was different. That was personal. "Before taking the workshops, my writing life was tentative and private," she recalls, "but now I've learned to develop a writing style that is deeply rooted in heart as well as craft."
Her journey began with Paper, Memory, and Light: Writing Through Grief, taught by Mira Ptacin. In this workshop, Alexis discovered that clarity and grief could coexist on the page. Mira's teaching offered vivid examples of detailed, scene-based writing and created a safe, steady space for students to share their most vulnerable work. For Alexis, this combination was transformative—she learned to shape the raw material of loss into a structure that was both meaningful and true to its emotional truth.
She continued her studies with Writing from Grief & Grace, led by Aekta Khubchandani. This poetry-focused workshop allowed Alexis to study published poets and absorb the power of restraint, that sometimes less truly is more. The course reinforced both the craft and courage needed to write from what Alexis calls "the tender places."
But it wasn't just the instruction that changed her. It was the community.
"In both workshops, the breakthrough came simply through sharing my writing with members of a learning community all walking the same path together," Alexis explains. "Hearing how my words landed for them, how a single image or line could make someone feel seen, taught me that I didn't have to explain grief, only tell the truth of it. I still write with that same intention: to name what's real, without rushing it toward resolution."
That intention now lives in two published books. Holding On After Goodbye: A Memoir of Sibling Loss, Carrying Grief, and What Endures is the prose account of losing her brother—an intimate exploration of presence after loss and how love persists through story. Its companion, Grief: The Spoken Words, offers the same journey through poetry, giving readers two distinct doorways into the experience of grief. Both books grew directly from the practices Alexis developed in her workshops, transformed from private pages into published literature.
Today, Alexis maintains the daily writing ritual that carried her through her darkest days: two to three longhand pages in what she calls her "Mourning Pages" journal. This practice has become her anchor, allowing her to keep writing even when emotions feel overwhelming. It's also inspired her next project—a guided journal called The Mourning Pages: Writing in Grief for Non-Writers, designed for grievers who need a quiet, daily container to sit with their feelings without being pushed toward healing or "moving on."
For writers considering whether a workshop is right for them, Alexis offers this encouragement:
"If your goal is to be seen as a 'writer,' these workshops provide the opportunity to learn about craft, but just as importantly, you'll feel supported and welcomed into a learning community that feels both safe and takes your work seriously. I wouldn't have written these books without that combination of expertise and support."
Looking back on her experience, Alexis is grateful she found a space that treats grief writing as real literature—not as therapy, not as journaling, but as genuine creative work worthy of serious attention. The stunning loss of her brother has been shaped into something that stands on its own while offering others a way to find their own language for grief.
Alexis Bonavitacola's story reminds us that the hardest experiences can become the most powerful material—when we have the right guidance, the right community, and the courage to tell the truth on the page.
Your story is waiting to be written. Whether you're navigating grief, exploring memory, or simply ready to take your craft seriously, our online creative writing workshops offer expert instruction, supportive community, and a proven path from blank page to published work. Join writers like Alexis who've transformed their experiences into books—and discover what's possible when you invest in your writing life.
