About the book
When Tara Bane’s husband, Michael, was killed on September 11, 2001, her world shattered.
Tracing her journey from a close-knit New York childhood to a deeply loving marriage and into the disorienting aftermath of unimaginable loss, Evolution of a Heart is an intimate memoir of love, grief, and a self remade. With unflinching honesty, Tara captures the reality of traumatic grief— the sleepless nights, the shattered routines, the world that kept moving even as hers stood still. But this is not a story of moving on. It is a story of moving through.
As an art therapist, Tara spent years helping others process their heartbreak and reflects on her own journey of returning to herself. Through art, yoga, rooting herself in community, acts of kindness, and helping create the Garden of Reflection, a 9/11 memorial, she learned to live alongside grief rather than be consumed by it. More than a reflection on tragedy, Evolution of a Heart serves as a guide to finding light during the darkest moments. Tara offers readers tools to begin healing their own hearts—reminding us that even after profound loss, hope endures and life can still be fully and joyfully embraced.
About the author
Tara Bane was raised in North Flushing, New York, and attended Saint Mel’s School and Saint Francis Preparatory High School in Queens. She then studied at Stony Brook University, earning a bachelor’s in psychology with a minor in art, where she also met her late husband, Michael Bane. She later earned a master’s in creative art therapy from Hofstra University.
Currently, Tara lives in Washington Crossing, Bucks County, PA, with her beautiful son, Cole, and her spicy dog, Wasabi. She shares her life with her partner, Kevin. She continues to practice and teach yoga and breathwork and makes time to create and sell her own artwork. As a practicing art therapist, she runs a successful private practice, Blue Sky Therapy Center, where she helps clients cope with grief and emotional challenges.
