Waking Spirit: Prose & Poems the Spirit Sings, the fourth book written by blind and physically disabled award-winning author Shirley Cheng, has received The Avatar Award for spiritual excellence, the fourth award for this book. The Avatar Award is an award given to spiritual resources of exceptional quality and clarity. It is given to those writers, authors, musicians, editors, etc. who have displayed excellence, clarity, and a non-compromising stance when assisting in humanity's spiritual awakening. The award is presented by Avatar Publications, in association with "ALL THINGS THAT MATTER," a blog devoted to exploring issues that confront today's society. The selection committee is comprised of experts in the field of spirituality and spiritual awakening including authors, publishers, and academic professionals.
"I am greatly humbled, absolutely honored and delighted to win The Avatar Award," says Cheng. "I've made it one of my life's missions to touch as many people as I possibly can to bring humor, hope, and healing. To be recognized for what you love to do, well, that's a huge cherry on top of an ice-cream sundae!"
To receive The Avatar Award, books must be well written and they must convey a clear spiritual message and content. Books that promote a specific religious ideology are not considered. Books must be informative, easy to understand, documented (non-fiction), enjoyable and uplifting. They must point the way towards a new direction for human spiritual evolution and/or present a spiritual concept or message with new clarity and a deep sense of understanding.
Waking Spirit (ISBN: 9780615136806), with foreword by New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Brian, is a heartfelt collection of inspirational short prose and poetry, including 102 beautifully written haiku of nature wonders and delightful animals, to empower readers to embrace the sky. Waking Spirit is an award-winning finalist in the Indie Excellence 2007 Book Awards in the New Age Non-Fiction category, and Honorable Mention in the Poetry category in both the 2007 New York Book Festival and the 2007 DIY Book Festival.
The 141-page book is available through Ingram, from Amazon.com and BN.com, and autographed copies from Cheng's website www.shirleycheng.com
"Although I'm blind, I can see far and wide; even though I'm disabled, I can climb high mountains. Let the ropes of hope haul you high!" —Shirley Cheng
Shirley Cheng (b. 1983), a blind and physically disabled award-winning author, motivational speaker, self-empowerment expert, poet, author of seven books, contributing author of eleven books, and a parental rights advocate, has had severe juvenile rheumatoid arthritis since infancy. Owing to years of hospitalization, she received no education until age eleven. However, after only about 180 days of special education in elementary school, she mastered grade level in all areas and entered a regular sixth grade class in middle school. Unfortunately, Cheng lost her eyesight at the age of seventeen. After a successful eye surgery, she hopes to earn multiple science doctorates from Harvard University.
Cheng is also the author of Embrace Ultra-Ability! Wisdom, Insight & Motivation from the Blind Who Sees Far and Wide (ISBN: 9780615155227); Daring Quests of Mystics, a soothing read to relax the mind, body, and spirit (ISBN: 9781411656642); an empowering 700-page autobiography, The Revelation of a Star's Endless Shine: A Young Woman's Autobiography of 20-Year Victories over Victimization (ISBN: 9780615150444); and Dance with Your Heart: Tales and Poems That the Heart Tells, a collection of inspirational and fantasy short stories (fairy tales, fables, and myths) and poems for the heart from the heart (ISBN: 9781411618589).
With highly acclaimed experts like Dr. Wayne Dyer, Tony Robbins, and Brian Tracy, Cheng co-authored Wake Up...Live the Life You Love: Finding Life's Passion, the latest installment in the bestselling Wake Up...Live the Life You Love series; she is also the co-author of 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2, along with leading experts Jack Canfield, John Gray, Richard Carlson, Alan Cohen, Bob Proctor, et al.
Cheng is also an advocate of parental rights in children's medical care, and aide/caregiver monitoring and screening for students with special needs and disabled people. As a parental rights advocate, she wants to help today's loving parents protect and keep custody of their children. "When doctors ask yes or no, parents should have the right to say no," says Cheng, who is the survivor of the five-month 1990 internationally broadcast mother Juliet Cheng's custody battle with a Connecticut doctor. Juliet was on CBS This Morning show with host Paula Zahn.
Cheng promotes aide advocacy for the disabled because she was mistreated and abused by one-on-one aides when she attended school. "The trouble with the uncaring aides actually lies with the authorities," she says. "If they listened to my complaints and kept a close watch on the aides, I wouldn't have gone through all the suffering."
Cheng was published twice before her writing career. One of her short stories, Mary Miller, the Elusive Lady, received Honorable Mention and was published by the Poughkeepsie Journal in 1997, and a poem, The Colors of the Rainbow, earned merit status and was published in Celebrate! New York Young Poets Speak Out in 1999.
In 2006, Cheng tied for 1st place in the national writing contest for Be the Star You Are! founded by New York Times bestselling author, TV/radio personality Cynthia Brian, garnering her a third appearance on Cynthia's live radio show. Cheng's winning entry, titled The Jewel from Heavenly Father, is dedicated to her beloved mother Juliet Cheng. In 2007, Cheng received Honorable Mention in the same contest for her essay, I Hold the Power, her personal story of overcoming blindness at the age of seventeen. In 2008, Cheng was yet again one of the honorees, this time winning Honorable Mention for her essay, My Mother: A Fighter, a Victor, a Lover, which applauds her stellar mother for being such a courageous and loving fighter to protect her life at all costs.
Cheng is available for interviews, speaking engagements, book signings, and inspirational events. She has been on over twenty radio shows, including Be the Star You Are! for three times, The Donna Seebo Show, and Stu Taylor on Business. She was featured in World Journal, the largest Chinese national newspaper in North America, in July of 2004. Contact her via her site at http://www.shirleycheng.com
