Vimalasara, MA

Poet, author, and public speaker Valerie Mason-John (Vimalasara) is the award-winning author/editor of nine books. Her debut novel, Borrowed Body, won the 2006 Mind Book of the Year Award. They co-authored the award-winning book Eight Step Recovery: Using the Buddha’s Teachings to Overcome Addiction. And authored Detox Your Heart Meditations for Emotional Trauma.

Their most recent book, published in 2020, I Am Still Your Negro: An Homage to James Baldwin has won critical acclaim. They began writing as an international correspondent covering Aboriginal deaths in custody and land rights in Australia. They are a senior teacher in the Triratna Buddhist Community and one of the leading African descent voices in the field of mindfulness for addiction. In July their new book an edited anthology Afrikan Wisdom, Black Liberation, Buddhism and Beyond will be published. They live on the Sunshine Coast, British Columbia, and can be found online at valeriemason-john.com