Earla Dawn Legault

Long version:
Earla Dawn Legault is an artist and writer advocating self-expression through creativity, grief buddies, and peer groups to support adult siblings who are grieving.

In December 2013, her sister Leigh-Ann died from pancreatic cancer at the age of fifty-one and a half years old. Shortly after, Earla retired early from public library service and began connecting her love of visual storytelling with processing her grief.

During COVID-19, Earla joined The Compassionate Friends (TCF) online for peer support. For 10 months, Earla shared creative ways for siblings to express their grief each week. Also, during the pandemic, she facilitated a Drawing Together session with the Graphic Medicine Global Collective.

After the pandemic, she developed and co-facilitated a sibling peer grief support ‘Connecting through Creativity’ workshop through the local hospice in Chilliwack, BC. The workshop and its subsequent creative weekly sessions are believed to be the first in Canada.

Earla co-wrote and illustrated Living With Sibling Grief: Imagining a Way Forward with her sibling grief buddy, Monica Murphy. Earla is a Baba to five fabulous grandchildren, enjoys growing herbs and loves to watercolour sketch while travelling. Earla lives with her husband, Michel, in Harrison Hot Springs, BC, where she takes painting lessons, makes zines, and nurtures her indoor lemon tree.

Earla trained as a hospice and vigil volunteer with Chilliwack Hospice and The Compassionate Friends (TCF) Canada, as a peer support facilitator, and as a Trauma Loss facilitator through BC Bereavement. Currently, Earla co-hosts the monthly online Canada Sibling Sharing Circle.

Affiliated with TCF USA, Earla received the Karen Snapp Outstanding Sibling Award for volunteering with TCF to advocate for sibling programming during the TCF National Conference in New Orleans this past summer.

She has been a guest blogger and cartoonist with griefmatters.ca, a Canadian organization working to support a better understand of grief literacy through creative, community-based activities.

As an advocate for adult sibling grier support, Earla is grateful to share the concept of grief literacy through social media initiatives such as Instagram, her and Monica’s book Living with Sibling Grief, and by spreading the love for visual storytelling using zines.

Short version:
Earla Dawn Legault is a writer and artist advocating creativity to process grief. She has presented various workshops, seminars and presentations regarding the topic of creative literary arts and nature while tying in ways to support ourselves and others while grieving.

As a 'sibling grief buddy' Earla is grateful to share the concept of grief literacy through social media initiatives such as Instagram, her and Monica’s book Living with Sibling Grief, and by spreading the love for visual storytelling using zines.

Publications:
Living With Adult Sibling Grief; Imagining a Way Forward - co-written with illustrations - Amazon (July 2024)
Appointments: An Exploration of Intentional Grief - Zine (2022) https://www.calameo.com/books/0074338452dcfdd817928
Herbs in a Healthy Home: Tips, Tricks and Recipes - Kindle Ebook (2017)