Lorraine Ash, 46, author of Life Touches Life: A Mother's Story of Stillbirth and Healing, has been a full-time journalist since 1982, the year she earned her master's degree at Fordham University in the Bronx.

A native New Jerseyan, she began her newspaper career in her home state and has remained there, currently writing for the Daily Record in Parsippany, New Jersey. Her feature articles and series, particularly on women's issues as well as physical and mental health, have won national, state, and regional awards and appeared in daily newspapers across the country.

Lorraine, a member of The International Women's Writing Guild, also has explored other writing genres. A published essayist and playwright, she has written on topics that range from the historical—a close look at the lives and characters of some American presidents, to the personal—identity and intimacy.

"Writers often find the stories that are truly theirs to tell in the midst of suffering and struggle," she said. "Certainly it was that way for me after the stillbirth of my daughter, Victoria. My pen helped me change my view of life, justice, God and myself. The act of writing brings meaning."

As a workshop leader, she helps others shape the raw stuff of their lives—experiences, emotions and thoughts—into compelling prose that transforms, moves and inspires.

"Pain is not just to be felt," she said. "It can be used to better the world, and literature is a perfect way for the transmutation to take place. There is great healing in telling our stories well and listening to those of others."

As a peer grief contact, Lorraine works one-on-one with stillbirth mothers. She also is an advisor to the Public Awareness Committee of the International Stillbirth Alliance.

Lorraine lives in Allendale, New Jersey, with her husband, Bill, a jazz trumpeter. Her passions include Hindu philosophy, bookstores and libraries, good food, fitness, and the state of Maine. Currently she is working on a book about spiritual healing.