When it comes to poetry, I always seem to have enough for a decently sized collection. I decided to finally combine all of my more recent work into it’s own book about all the love I’d been experiencing over the past year and a half. While 2020 was a rough year and lead to the publication of Late Bloomer, 2021-2022 was filled with such happiness it overflowed into my writing. So, in anticipation for this newest publication I wanted to dedicated a blog post to it!
As mentioned in Works In Progress this collection is going to be illustrated! A close friend of mine is currently working on the last few illustrations. Until then, publication is on halt. However, she has sent me a few pictures of the finished pieces that I just cannot wait to share.
Why I settled on ‘Perennial’
When it comes to love in most forms, it can seem out of reach. Sometimes finding a reason to love yourself is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Maybe, finding healthy romantic love hasn’t happened for you yet and your friends seem distant. I choose Perennial because love, in and of itself, is infinite! While it may seem scarce for a while, I wanted to remind everyone that it’s reoccurring. Love never dies. Your pets, family (blood or chosen), and friends will always hold love for you. You can find love in everything around you if you know just where to look.
The title is also a reminder that, like flowers, love can wither under the right conditions. Never fear because next year blooms grow and you’ll attract the right love. Bigger and better than the year before. I just wanted to showcase what a lack of love in my chapters also looked like, because love can and will always be a balance.
My very talented friend/painter had free reign on all the illustrations for the book. I let her follow her heart after sending her the rough draft of the collection. I was pleasantly surprised when she sent me the above image of the cover art. How fitting is it that she picked bleeding heart flowers? These perennials bloom in spring and grow quickly, like most forms of love! Not only are they pretty but they’re representative of what it feels like for me to share my poetry. A piece of my heart is in every one of the poems contained, I feel like my heart is on display. It’s daunting but the results are gorgeous, much like these blooms.
Chapters
This collection is broken into four chapters: Self, Platonic, Romantic and Somewhere in the Middle. The poetry contained within these sections will reflect the struggles, triumphs and successes of love in these areas. The biggest thing to remember is that without self love it’s going to be hard to see honest healthy love reflected back in the other categories. Self love will always be the most important which is why we start off with that! Next would be Platonic love. Your friendships will show you the types of love you’ll accept and those that you won’t. This love is the foundation for what you think you deserve; your friendships should be reflective of your goals/ideals. Romantic love and somewhere in the middle are last due to the complications that can arise in both forms. These two require slightly more nuanced approached than the first and finding balance can seem impossible.
What I love most about this collection is that all of these chapters are my favorite. The poetry in each of them holds a special place in my heart. Wonderfully enough that means each of these categories can stand alone and still make you think of how loves expressed in the other forms! If I’m being honest, placing some of these poems was difficult; they could have fit in more than one section with ease.
One Last Thing (or Two)
Here’s a fun little tidbit: One of the poems in my ‘Self’ section was selected as a finalist in a national poetry competition and will be included in an anthology collection sponsored by Eber & Wein Publishing and can be purchased here.
As of right now the publication date is still a tentative January/February 2023 due to illustrations! I’m excited to release and share this next collection!
