A memoir written in verse, a depression story awash with magical realism, a love letter to women of colour everywhere, lullabies for warriors is here to sit with its readers in their time of darkness and their time of healing. Written in three parts (“the storm”, “the sea” and “the winter”), this book's poetry is evidence of a young woman's internal battle.

In this collection we find poems about depression, loneliness, addiction, love, heartache, trauma, and healing. Accompanying these are poems about a journey: through seasons, islands, storms, and oceans. As the poems alternate between reality and fantasy, the narrator moves through mental illness, illustrating that the path to recovery is often not a straightforward or ordinary one.

harleen bhogal’s debut poetry collection is honest, raw, and uncensored — proof that no storm is more powerful than the human spirit, in all its complicated brilliance.

About the Author:

harleen bhogal is a Montreal-based spoken word performer, writer, artist, educator, youth worker, and community organizer. harleen's poetry, performance, and community work often tackle issues such as mental health, gender-based violence, and identity. She was born to two Indian parents, and often goes by her artist name har leen, a tribute to the Sanskrit words that make up her name and to the grandmother who named her.