Palingenesis: Reflections on Surviving Infertility

A memoir in essays by a psychosexual therapist about her experiences undergoing fertility treatment and finding solace in writing, art, and the world around her.

In this poignant collection, psychologist and therapist Sue Hann exposes the heartbreak of infertility through a series of reflective essays. Despite her background, she finds little solace in clinical literature, so she turns instead to writing, art, and nature to make sense of her experience.

Finding strength and meaning everywhere from Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings to Sri Lanka’s rainforests, in Palingenesis, Sue Hann navigates the struggles and heartache of unsuccessful fertility treatment through the transformative power of art and nature.

Su Yin Yap is a mixed-race Irish-Chinese psychologist and writer based in London. She has previously written journal articles and popular psychology pieces, before the experience of undergoing fertility treatment led her to creative writing. Her debut book, Palingenisis (which means ’rebirth’), is a memoir told through essays. Prior to publication, one of her essays won the Diana Woods Memorial Award in Summer/Fall 2020, and another was longlisted for the Spread the Word Life Writing Magazine Prize in 2020. Sun Yin is fascinated by the stories we tell about ourselves, where in a clinic room or on the pages of a book.