Author Talk: Journey Beyond Despair with Julie Howard Parker

Join us for a compelling conversation with author Julie Howard Parker as she shares her deeply personal and powerful memoir, Journey Beyond Despair. In this unforgettable true story, Parker recounts her decades-long struggle with mental illness, her enduring love for her husband Peter, and their shared journey to healing. With unflinching honesty and poetic insight, Parker explores the intersections of idealism, intimacy, and resilience—ultimately reframing mental illness as a mythic, heroic path of transformation.

A graduate of Middlebury College and La Sorbonne, Parker has worn many hats throughout her life, including those of journalist, educator, yoga teacher, and marriage and family therapist. Her lived experience, academic background, and lifelong spiritual exploration converge in Journey Beyond Despair, a narrative as brave as it is inspiring.

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear directly from the author about the writing process, the real-life events behind the book, and her belief in the healing power of story.

You may also like the following events from Manchester Community Library:

• This Monday, 11th August, 10:00 am, Southern Vermont Musikgarten: Animal Friends in Manchester
• This Monday, 11th August, 05:00 pm, Adapting Shakespeare for Modern Audiences in Manchester
• This Wednesday, 13th August, 09:00 am, Fourth Annual Manchester Mah Jongg Tournament in Manchester

Also check out other Arts events in Manchester, Literary Art events in Manchester, Health & Wellness events in Manchester.