Catherine Shields

Catherine (Cathy) Shields writes about parenting, disabilities, and self-discovery. She is a retired educator with an M.S. Ed in Exceptional Education. In her debut memoir, THE SHAPE OF NORMAL, Cathy explores the truths and lies parents tell themselves, illustrating how she effectively used denial to protect herself from the stark reality of her child’s diagnosis. She provides readers with a map of how to navigate, accept, and plan for the challenge of raising a child with a cognitive disability and details the process of achieving reluctant acceptance throughout her story. THE SHAPE OF NORMAL was a category winner in the 2023 American Writing Awards. Her essays have twice been nominated for the Pushcart. Her work has appeared in NBC Today. Newsweek, Bacopa Literary Review, Grown and Flown, Brevity Blog, Mother Magazine, U Revolution, and Write City Magazine. Cathy resides in Miami, Florida with her husband. They enjoy taking long bike rides and kayaking.

Follow her on Instagram @cathyshieldswriter.