Valerie Mason-John (born 22 November 1962) is an English academic and the co-founder of ''Eight Step Recovery – Using The Buddha's Teaching to Overcome Addiction'', an alternative to the 12-step programmes for addiction.

Thesis

Since the publication of the book by Windhorse Publications in 2013, it has been the recipient of a Best USA Book Award 2014 and Best International Book Award 2015 in the self-motivational and self-help category. Eight Step Meetings now take place in the UK, USA, Canada, India and Finland. Mason-John is also the co-creator of

Mindfulness Mindfulness is the practice of purposely bringing one's attention to the present-moment experience without evaluation, a skill one develops through meditation or other training. Mindfulness derives from ''sati'', a significant element of Hind ...

Based Addiction Recovery (MBAR), which was inspired by '' Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression'' by John D. Teasdale, Mark Williams, and Zindal Seagal. Mason-John uses they/them

pronouns In linguistics and grammar, a pronoun (list of glossing abbreviations, abbreviated ) is a word or a group of words that one may substitute for a noun or noun phrase. Pronouns have traditionally been regarded as one of the part of speech, parts o ...

and is a member of the LGBT community. They are the author of eight books and work as a public speaker in Mindfulness for Addiction and Emotional Well Being, and are a trainer in anti-bullying and conflict resolution. Valerie is ordained in the Triratna Buddhist Community, where they received their spiritual name, Vimalasara. They are also the chairperson of Triratna Vancouver Buddhist Centre. Their Buddhist name is Vimalasara, which means "she whose essence is stainless and pure". They used to be a freelance feature writer for ''The Voice'' newspaper and were also a performer and spoken-word poet using the

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

"Queenie".

Black British Black British people are a multi-ethnic group of British citizens of either African or Afro-Caribbean descent.Gadsby, Meredith (2006), ''Sucking Salt: Caribbean Women Writers, Migration, and Survival'', University of Missouri Press, pp. 76–7 ...

by birth, they have now become a Canadian.

Biography

Born in Cambridge, England, to Sierra Leone Creole parents, Mason-John spent their childhood "in care" — in foster homes and childcare facilities, including the Barnardo's Orphanages in Britain, with the exception of a short time spent living with their mother in their early teens. Mason-John dropped out before receiving their undergraduate degree in the 1980s, but continued to pursue post-graduate education and training until the present. Since the early 1990s, they have worked as a writer, performing artist and lecturer. They received a teaching certificate from London South Bank University, and currently conduct seminars in anger management and conflict resolution. After 18 months of studying philosophy and politics at Leeds University during the 1980s, Mason-John studied post-graduate journalism, earned an MFA in creative writing and diploma in theatrical performance at

Sussex University , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil , ...

and The Desmond Jones School. By 2003, their interest in counseling and their ordination into the

Western Buddhist Order The Triratna Buddhist Community (formerly the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order (FWBO)) is an international fellowship of Buddhists and others who aspire to its path of mindfulness. It was founded by Sangharakshita (born Dennis Philip Edwar ...

led them to writing and performing, and training themselves and others in anger management and conflict resolution. In December 2007, Mason-John was named Honorary Doctor of Letters by the University of East London. Mason-John continues to write, work as a self-awareness trainer; they perform and lecture internationally.

Publication, broadcasting, and academic work

Mason-John's work has appeared in UK and international journalistic and scholarly publications such as '' The Guardian'', '' The Voice'', ''Curve Magazine'', '' The Morning Star'', ''Pink Paper'', ''Girl Friend Magazine'' and '' Wasafiri''. They have also contributed to ''Half the Earth: Women's Experience of Travel Worldwide'' (second edition, Pandora Rough Guide, 1990), ''Frauen Zimmerim Haus Europa'' (Papyrosa, 1991), ''Assaults on Convention'' (Cassell, 1995), ''Words from Word Up Café'' (Centerprise Publications, 1993), and ''Tell Tales'' (Tell Tales/Flipped Eye Publications, 2005). Mason-John was the editor of ''Feminist Arts News'' from 1992 to 1997. Additionally, they were the artistic director of the London Mardi Gras from 1997 to 2000, and spent four years as the director of the Pride Arts Festival. Their television credits include freelance work for the BBC, Channel 4 and Vis International TV; they have also been featured on British radio broadcasts for the BBC World Service and the regional programmes '' Midweek'', '' Woman's Hour'' and ''The Shelagh Rogers Show Next Chapter'' on CBC Radio. In addition to their work in broadcasting and journalism, Mason-John embarked on a career in theatre. Having studied at the Desmond Jones School of Mime and Physical Theatre, they began performing and writing for the stage by 1998. Focusing on one-woman plays, they developed a body of work, including ''Sin Dykes, Brown Girl in the Ring'', ''The Adventures of Snow Black and Rose Red'' and ''You Got Me'', among other plays. Their first novel ''Borrowed Body'' (2005), which was later relaunched as ''The Banana Kid'' (2007), received the Mind Book of the Year Award. Since, Mason-John has authored six books including their spiritual non-fiction ''Detox Your Heart'' (2006), which was slated for revision in 2017.

''The Great Black North''

In 2012, Mason-John alongside spoken-word artist Kevan Anthony Cameron co-edited the anthology ''The Great Black North: Contemporary African Canadian Poetry'', published by Frontenac House, featuring more than 90 poets. ''The Great Black North'' was one of the first complete poetry collections of contemporary Black Canadian poets. Notable poets in the anthology include George Elliott Clarke, M. Nourbese Philip,

Wayde Compton Wayde Compton (born 1972) is a Canadian writer. He was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. Compton has published books of poetry, essays, and fiction, and he edited the first comprehensive anthology of black writing from British Columbia. He co ...

Sylvia Hamilton Sylvia D. Hamilton is a Canadian filmmaker, writer, poet, and artist. Based in Nova Scotia, her work explores the lives and experiences of people of African descent. Her special focus is on African Nova Scotians, and especially women. In particu ...

Olive Senior Olive Marjorie Senior (born 23 December 1941) is a Jamaican poet, novelist, short story and non-fiction writer based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She was awarded the Musgrave Gold Medal in 2005 by the Institute of Jamaica for her contributions ...

, Fredrick Ward and d'bi Young. The anthology is unique in the way it categorizes "page" and "stage" poetry, as a means to honour both the written and oral traditions of poets from the African Diaspora.

Published works

* 1992–97: Editor of ''Feminist Arts News'' * 1992: ''Black Art and Culture on the Mainland of Europe: France, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Spain'' (editor), Arts Council of England * 1993: ''Lesbians Talk: Making Black Waves'' (co-author with Ann Khambatta) Scarlet Press, * 1993: ''Words from the Women's Cafe: Lesbian Poetry from Word Up'' (contributor; eds Bernadette Halpin and Dorothea Smartt), Centerprise Publications, * 1994: ''Talking Black: Lesbians of African and Asian Descent Speak Out Anthology'' (editor), Cassell, * 1995: ''Assaults on Convention'' (contributor), Cassell, * 1999: ''Brown Girl in the Ring: Plays, Prose and Poems'', Get A Grip * 2005: ''Borrowed Body'', Serpent's Tail, * 2005: ''Tell Tales'' (contributor), Tell Tales/Flipped Eye Publication, * 2006: ''Detox Your Heart'', Windhorse Publications, * 2007: ''Black British Aesthetic'', edited by Victoria Arana – contributor, * 2008: ''Broken Voices Ex Untouchable Women Speak Out'', * 2012: ''The Great Black North - Contemporary African Canadian Poetry'' (edited with Kevan Anthony Cameron), * 2013: New edition of ''Borrowed Body'', Demeter Press Canada, * 2014: ''Eight Step Recovery - Using The Buddha's Teachings to Overcome Addiction'' – co author, * 2017: New revised expanded edition of ''Detox Your Heart - Meditations for Emotional Trauma'', * 2020: ''I Am Still Your Negro: An Homage to James Baldwin''. Canada: University of Alberta Press, ''I Am Still Your Negro: An Homage to James Baldwin''
Google Books.

Prizes and awards

* 2000:

Windrush Windrush may refer to: Places in England * Windrush Square, precinct in south London * River Windrush, a river in Gloucestershire * Windrush, Gloucestershire, a village in Gloucestershire ** RAF Windrush, a Royal Air Force station in World War II ...

Achievement Award Arts and Community Pioneer * 2001: Winner of the Black, Asian and Chinese Shoreline/Cultureword First Chapter Award * 2005: Young Minds Book Award (shortlist) (for ''Borrowed Body'') * 2006/7: Grant For The Arts – Arts Council England * 2006: Winner Mind Book of The Year Award (for ''Borrowed Body'') * 2007: Black LGBT Community Award * 2007: Honorary Doctorate for Life time Achievements - Doctor of Letters * 2014: Alberta's Book Awards Best Educational Book (for ''The Great Black North'') * 2014: The Best USA Book Award (for ''Eight Step Recovery'') * 2014: The Robert Kroetsch Poetry Award (for ''The Great Black North'') * 2015: The Best International Book Award (for ''Eight Step Recovery'')

References

External links

*
"Eight Step Recovery: Using the Buddha's Teachings to Overcome Addictions"
The Buddhist Centre.
Let's Talk About BullyingUsing the Buddha's Teachings to Overcome Addiction
a Dharma Talk for '' Tricycle: The Buddhist Review''. April 2016.
"Valerie Mason-John"
Contemporary writers , British Council.
"Valerie Mason-John inspires graduates - awarded Honorary Doctorate of the University of East London"
University of East London, 2006.

Interview by Biswadip Mitra, ''Insight'', 28 February 2008.
"Entertainment : Books : Interviews , Valerie Mason-John"
GaydarNation, 3 July 2005. *Rochita Loenen-Ruiz
"Inside the Writing Mind - An Interview with Valerie Mason-John"
''The Sword Review'', 2005. *Linda Jordan
"'Detox Your Heart' by Valerie Mason-John"
Wildmind, 18 April 2007.
"Valerie Mason-John (Vimalasara)"
Windhorse Publications {{DEFAULTSORT:Mason-John, Valerie Living people 1962 births 20th-century British women writers 21st-century British LGBT people 21st-century British women writers 21st-century Canadian LGBT people Alumni of the University of Leeds Alumni of the University of Sussex Anthologists Black British women writers Black Canadian women writers Black Canadian writers British lesbian writers British self-help writers Canadian lesbian writers English Buddhists Black British LGBT people People from Cambridge People of Sierra Leone Creole descent Sierra Leone Creole people