Authors

Jessica Shannon is the author of The Sum of Grief: A Daughter's Memoir (Sūtra House, 2026). A board-certified chaplain and writer from Houston, TX, Jessica now resides in Magnolia, one of Houston's suburbs. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from Sweet Briar College and her Master of Divinity from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Jessica is passionate about grief education, family-centered bereavement support, and spiritual play. She has written articles for condolence sites and equestrian magazines, and has a chapter in an upcoming anthology of pediatric chaplaincy case studies in which she demonstrates the use of bibliotherapy in caring for terminally ill childhood cancer patients. Jessica believes that her calling in chaplaincy and writing is to find hope in a mess, whatever that mess may be. She finds hope in exploring with her Boston Terrier, Stewie, seeing life between the ears of her thoroughbred, Gunner, and supporting Arsenal FC.

Stephen Hayes is a lifelong storyteller whose work bridges writing and visual art. A graduate of UCLA, he began his creative career as a professional illustrator and later taught art and history at the Pacific Northwest College of Art. His conceptual illustrations have appeared in publications across four continents, and his work has earned an International Association of Business Communicators Award of Excellence.

Founder & Managing Editor, Sūtra House + Inflection