Fragments is my first published book of essays. Written throughout 2016 and 2017, these essays are about identity, life, and thought.
The book weaves together five sections, each dealing with an overarching theme: Living in a Body, Matters of the Heart, Thinking and Dreaming, Writing and Creating, and finally, Society and Identity. The essays meditate on subjects as diverse as body positivity, being deaf, how to cope with anxiety, living with cats and an ode to the works of Jane Austen.
The thread holding these fragments together is a search for what it means to live in the world as it is now, for meaning, purpose, belonging, and strength. Fragments aims to inspire, console, inform, and empower the reader to live a wholehearted life.
An excerpt from the introduction:
‘Why did I decide to call this book ‘Fragments’? It’s because these essays are fragments that make up a part of a whole. They are broken glass, slips of thought and identity. Identity is a slippery thing—some things remain the same, but we are always changing with time and our experiences. Identity has fascinated me since I was a teenager—first, with all the things I collected around me as signifiers of ‘me’, and most recently with identity politics—what it means to be a woman, to be deaf, and in my generation, to live in a body. I am still only fragments, with pieces of myself appearing in different situations. In this way, writing is a way of looking for that core of self, of trying to recognise it—and yet learning that perhaps, I will never truly know. Identity is both something we can see, and something invisible.’
The Kindle edition of Fragments is currently available through Amazon – UK (United Kingdom), US (United States), DE (Germany), FR (France), ES (Spain), IT (Italy), NL (Netherlands), JP (Japan), BR (Brazil), CA (Canada), MX (Mexico), AU (Australia), and IN (India).
The paperback Amazon print on demand version is also available to buy on Amazon – in the UK, US, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and Japan. If you would like to purchase a paperback copy from me directly if you don’t live in the above countries, just get in touch via the contact form on the Contact page.
It is also now available to buy through Kobo as an ebook on all international channels – the UK version is here.
In the coming months Fragments may also be available through other distribution channels – watch this space and the blog for further updates. I may also be able to send people signed print copies through Paypal – again, keep an eye out for information on the blog and social media.
Publicity
Deaf Unity: An Interview with Lizzie Ward, author of ‘Fragments Essays and Philosophies.’
‘I wanted this book to be the kind of book that people turn to when they need to be empowered, consoled, or for when they need hope in times of darkness. With the current political climate, and anxiety and depression at an all-time high, my aim is for Fragments to be a small chink of light at an overwhelming time in human history.’
The Limping Chicken:Â Elizabeth Ward: Writing my first book, Fragments: Essays and Philosophies.
‘I wrote this book for people who may be struggling with aspects of the modern world, whether with mental health, stress, self-esteem or loneliness, but also for people who may sometimes feel like outsiders, or misunderstood. There is something in this book for everyone, at least that is my hope.’
A review on The Limping Chicken by Rebecca A. Withey:
‘By reading Fragments I found myself reassured that I am not alone in my worries about the political world and the impact it has on our lives. I also found myself encouraged that there are others out there trying to make a positive difference to our world.’
If you would like to contact me for interview, please get in touch via the contact form on the Contact page above.
Cats and Chocolate 