"A must read for anyone who has ever suffered abuse at the hands of someone they love–or loved someone who has."
Julie CantrellNew York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Perennials

"A brave, moving, and compelling work."
Richard C. MoraisInternational Bestselling Author, The Hundred Foot Journey
"An elegantly written and harrowing remembrance of the long-lasting impact of childhood trauma."
KIRKUS Reviews
"Underwater Daughter is a poem, an anthem, a polished crystal, and one of the most profound books I’ve ever read."
Debra Landwehr EngleBestselling Author, The Only Little Prayer You Need
“Underwater Daughter breaks poetically through the surface, like sunlight dancing on turbulent water."
Rebecca BloomFounder, Communications Bloom & Coauthor, The Anti-Cookbook

"A brave, moving, and compelling work."
Richard C. MoraisInternational Bestselling Author, The Hundred Foot Journey
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Subscribe for the latest news and events from Antonia Deignan.

Antonia Deignan is a mother of five children by choice, a dancer by calling, and a writer by necessity. She was born on the east coast, but lived primarily in the Midwest, where she danced with multiple dance companies and raised her children. She opened her own dance studio and directed a pre-professional dance company before a bike accident wish-boned her path, and her identity. She has multiple publications in magazine and online formats. Her memoir, Underwater Daughter, will be published in May 2023.

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essays.

Your books are here

“Your books are here,” my husband said from the dining room, his second office by way of Covid. I thought, ok, from the kitchen where I was working on whatever I was working on (writing, emails, promoting, thinking). I buy...

read more

Worthy

Stay the course. She is ready. The field of runners is wide, is competitive. She is calm.  Runners approach the course, like predators, alert, silent and stealthy, informed, trained. What they are about to do, all of them, rotate...

read more

pay attention

pay attention be astonished. tell about it. -mary oliver I have a delicate, black on black on black, layered, lace and lace-y, tulle and silk and satin cocktail dress. There is an overlay of trimmed triangular lacing. It flares...

read more

Dr. No

I hadn’t noticed it a month ago, the dramatic turn of habit in between her thumb and index finger. She seemed to have no control over what her hands were doing, they were in perpetual motion. Sitting beside my...

read more
"Underwater Daughter is pure magic. From her first line to her last, Antonia Deignan takes us on a wild ride, from her perilous childhood through many hardships to the resilient woman she became."
Linda SchreyerScreenwriter & Coauthor of Tears and Tequila
"Artful, inspiring, and redemptive, Underwater Daughter is a book I will turn to again, laced as it is with love, wisdom, art, culture, and the kind of transformational forgiveness and nurturing that is the best of humanity."
Rebecca BloomFounder, Communications Bloom & Coauthor, The Anti-Cookbook
"Prepare your senses to move fluidly through Deignan's stunning observations in which she masterfully captures the burden of trauma at a cellular level."
Pamela WeissWriter, Producer, Founder, Hold This While IP Productions
"Antonia Deignan writes of family, dysfunction and forgiveness beyond our human experience, revealing the exquisite beauty of life in all its pain and joy. Her voice is like the wind: Fierce, restorative, and new."
Debra Landwehr EngleBestselling Author, The Only Little Prayer You Need
"Like the author’s dancing, this memoir seems to have some nameless tune in its core. Deignan gently paints a picture of even the most difficult moments in her life. She has decided to live her life lovingly, and by doing so, gives us all a path forward."
Harriet RossHarriet Ross, Co-founder, Dance for Life & retired General Manager, Joffrey Ballet
PRE-ORDER NOW

stay in touch.

Subscribe for the latest news and events from Antonia Deignan.

"A must read for anyone who has ever suffered abuse at the hands of someone they love–or loved someone who has."
Julie CantrellNew York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Perennials

"An elegantly written and harrowing remembrance of the long-lasting impact of childhood trauma."
KIRKUS Reviews
"Underwater Daughter is a poem, an anthem, a polished crystal, and one of the most profound books I’ve ever read."
Debra Landwehr EngleBestselling Author, The Only Little Prayer You Need
“Underwater Daughter breaks poetically through the surface, like sunlight dancing on turbulent water."
Rebecca BloomFounder, Communications Bloom & Coauthor, The Anti-Cookbook


"A brave, moving, and compelling work."
Richard C. MoraisInternational Bestselling Author, The Hundred Foot Journey
GET THE BOOK
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stay in touch.

Subscribe for the latest news and events from Antonia Deignan.

Antonia Deignan is a mother of five children by choice, a dancer by calling, and a writer by necessity. She was born on the east coast, but lived primarily in the Midwest, where she danced with multiple dance companies and raised her children. She opened her own dance studio and directed a pre-professional dance company before a bike accident wish-boned her path, and her identity. She has multiple publications in magazine and online formats. Her memoir, Underwater Daughter, will be published in May 2023.

LEARN MORE

essays.

Your books are here

“Your books are here,” my husband said from the dining room, his second office by way of Covid. I thought, ok, from the kitchen where I was working on whatever I was working on (writing, emails, promoting, thinking). I buy...

read more

Worthy

Stay the course. She is ready. The field of runners is wide, is competitive. She is calm.  Runners approach the course, like predators, alert, silent and stealthy, informed, trained. What they are about to do, all of them, rotate...

read more

pay attention

pay attention be astonished. tell about it. -mary oliver I have a delicate, black on black on black, layered, lace and lace-y, tulle and silk and satin cocktail dress. There is an overlay of trimmed triangular lacing. It flares...

read more

Dr. No

I hadn’t noticed it a month ago, the dramatic turn of habit in between her thumb and index finger. She seemed to have no control over what her hands were doing, they were in perpetual motion. Sitting beside my...

read more
"Underwater Daughter is pure magic. From her first line to her last, Antonia Deignan takes us on a wild ride, from her perilous childhood through many hardships to the resilient woman she became."
Linda SchreyerScreenwriter & Coauthor of Tears and Tequila
"Artful, inspiring, and redemptive, Underwater Daughter is a book I will turn to again, laced as it is with love, wisdom, art, culture, and the kind of transformational forgiveness and nurturing that is the best of humanity."
Rebecca BloomFounder, Communications Bloom & Coauthor, The Anti-Cookbook

"Prepare your senses to move fluidly through Deignan's stunning observations in which she masterfully captures the burden of trauma at a cellular level."
Pamela WeissWriter, Producer, Founder, Hold This While IP Productions
"Antonia Deignan writes of family, dysfunction and forgiveness beyond our human experience, revealing the exquisite beauty of life in all its pain and joy. Her voice is like the wind: Fierce, restorative, and new."
Debra Landwehr EngleAuthor, The Only Little Prayer You Need
"Like the author’s dancing, this memoir seems to have some nameless tune in its core. Deignan gently paints a picture of even the most difficult moments in her life. She has decided to live her life lovingly, and by doing so, gives us all a path forward."
Harriet RossHarriet Ross, Co-founder, Dance for Life & retired General Manager, Joffrey Ballet
PRE-ORDER NOW

stay in touch.

Subscribe for the latest news and events from Antonia Deignan.