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I was born and grew up in Trinidad and Tobago. My 20s were fun-filled and experimental: I was awarded a dance scholarship in 1992 to study dance in Guadeloupe and within a year of being there, received another scholarship to attend the Alvin Ailey American Dance Centre in New York. I was beginning to feel the life of the starving artist was highly overrated and so I left for London in 1996. I wanted my life to make more bold social statements and so I completed an Undergraduate Degree in Development Studies and a Masters Degree in Social Policy from the London School of Economics. In order to pay my tuition, I worked as a nursing assistant in a psychiatric hospital for 4 years and was humbled by the fragility of the human mind and body. In London I also discovered the joy of my African self while study African martial arts and thoroughly enjoyed the multiculturalism of my South London home.
In 2002, I moved to South Africa and have since worked as a researcher in the field of gender and women’s rights and a consultant for UNAIDS. As a freelance writer I have written for magazines such as ‘O’, The Oprah Magazine South Africa, Elle South Africa Psychologies South Africa, SHE Caribbean, local newspapers and peer-reviewed journals such as Agenda Feminist Journal. Although most of my success as a writer has been in the genre of non-fiction, I am very interested in the art of fiction. In May 2008 I was one of ten finalists for the Women & Home magazine short story competition held in South Africa. I was proud of that achievement because I was the first short story I ever penned. In November 2008 I was selected as a winner in the “Highly Commended” category of the Commonwealth Short Story competition of that year. I have recently committed myself to writing full time. I currently live in Johannesburg with my two beautiful children.
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I have also been voted as one of the winners in the Highly Commended story,
in the Commonwealth Short Story 2008 competion. click here to read more...
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| Some of the articles that I've written include: |
Take a Risk to get a Life
(Published in August issue of "O", the Oprah Magazine) |
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INTRO: Ever wonder if you’re living the life you were meant to? Lisa-Anne Julien talks to five women who could no longer evade this burning question and decided to take action; women who felt the fear, smiled boldly and did it anyway.
While I haven’t fully won the right to be placed in the category of women who took a chance to live their passion, spending time with five extraordinary women who have, makes me feel that much closer to taking the first step. I discovered no secret formulas or magic recipes that will awaken the audacious spirit, just a quiet realisation that the time had come to make an imprint in this world. To ignore the signs any longer would be a fate worse than death. These women, in the twilight years of life when just about everything is said and done, will have fewer regrets than most. In the final analysis, our eventual nostalgia for our youth should be headlined by “I did well.” And if not? Well, how about, “At least I tried.”
To read more of this article, contact Lisa at
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HEADLINE - Help
(Published in 'O', the Oprah Magazine March 2008)
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INTRO - Friends and family are great sounding boards but to achieve true emotional well-being we need objectivity as well as unconditional support. Enter therapy. Literally! LISA-ANNE JULIEN talks to 3 women who tell of a safe space where someone listen with their ears as well as their hearts
For almost four years I worked as a nursing assistant in a London psychiatric hospital. If there was ever a place to witness the fragility of the human mind, it was there. I grew to see patients as people simply trying to get through a rough period in life. Their cocktails of medication would be complimented with pscyotherapy and in between that, it would be up to people like me to spend time with them. I wasn't a qualified therapist but I was a pretty good listener. After they were discharged we would bump into each other at the local supermarket or bookshop, sometimes exchanging a gentle look that was privy with an intimate knowledge of a difficult time. Normal 0 false false false EN-ZA X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4
To read more of this article, contact Lisa at
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Paediatric Gastroenteritis
(Published in Your Baby Magazine December 2008)
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This common condition is one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in young children worldwide, with South Africa being no exception. Know the facts about early detection, treatment and prevention.
A few months ago I left my GP’s office with a sense of unease. My 11-month old baby boy was diagnosed with gastroenteritis and prescribed anti-diarrhoeal medication, probiotics (non-harmful bacteria or yeast) and oral rehydration solution (ORS). I was also instructed to withhold food and drink for 24 hours. I don’t have a medical degree but my parental instincts coupled with new information I’d read on gastroenteritis told me this was all pretty heavy for a baby. Confused but also fearful about not heeding my doctor’s advice, I ended up administering the treatment as prescribed. Thankfully my baby got better but my instincts were also on point; gastroenteritis is self-limiting and treatment for it has changed significantly over the last few years.
To read more of this article, contact Lisa at
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I gave birth in a foreign land
(Published in Your Pregnancy Magazine November 2008) |
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In this global village we call the world, where borders are dissolving and technology is making everyone feel closer, pregnant women are getting out of their comfort zones, literally. Four women share their experiences of giving birth in a country outside their own
Natalia Molebatsi
Natalia Molebatsi always imagined the birth of her first child would be accompanied by the Setswana tradition of “go bewa setswetse”. This is when women in the family give advice to the new Mom, assist her to bath, rub her body down with oils, and help look after the newborn. It’s a ritual that Natalia, a poet by profession, still yearns for nine months after giving birth to daughter Atisa in Italy. “I cried for my Mom who wasn’t able to be there and really missed having that reassurance of the women in my family back home,” she says. “This is why having my husband’s grandmother at the birth was so consoling; I learned that giving birth is an experience that is guided and enriched by as much feminine energy as possible.”
To read more of this article, contact Lisa at
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When Mom and Dad parent differently
(Published in Your Child Magazine Jan/Feb 2009)
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The notion of "divide and conquer" has been around for last century and if our kids have their way, will be around for the next. But children respnod best to parents who present a consistent, united front. Parents who recognised this provide their childrend with clear boundaries and a sense of security.
My 5 year old daughter wants to be a lawyer when she grows up; she just doesn’t know it yet. Astute at identifying gaps and contradictions in domestic policy her opening argument usually begins with “but Daddy lets me do it”. She rarely accepts defeat and instead would take her flagging case to a higher power: the other parent. Usually all appeals are denied. My husband and I have realised that we’re less likely to be conquered as a united front, even against such a formidable opponent.
To read more of this article, contact Lisa at
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Feel free to contact Lisa for any of your writing
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