Provoked by Pain

What do you do when, in a moment, the future you had imagined for yourself comes crashing down?

After earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts, Grabinsky was intent on beginning a new life as a professional artist when she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic and crippling disease. Living and working in extraordinary pain, every day became a struggle to accomplish the simplest of tasks. It's no surprise then, that her dream of earning a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting and drawing was shattered.

Her psychologist encouraged her to record her feelings of frustration and loss. That same day she found herself sitting in a café , rain streaming down the windows, penning her first poem, "Who Were You?" on a napkin. From there, this gorgeous, moving collection of poems was born. In it, Grabinsky examines the loss of her future, questions how to live with chronic pain, struggles to redefine herself in the face of a life-altering event, and ultimately, discovers innate courage and hope.

Thoughtful, candid, and deeply moving, Provoked by Pain speaks to the way our lives might be forever changed in an instant-and the way that we might find ourselves and our courage in the aftermath.