“This book may make you cringe or feel dread in the pit of your stomach. But, as [Michelle’s] shown us, that’s where the juice is … Her book is a conversation about all of it – the joy, the pain, and all of the messy, uncomfortable bits in between. Especially those bits! … this book will shine a light on all those parts that we never want anyone else to see, never want to talk about, never want to admit – since she’s here brazenly shouting to the world about them all … No more battling who you are. Let’s own all of it - the beauty and the beast – without shame.” Katey Roberts, author of What Love Tells Me and The Fearful Nature of Happiness. 2020. The year it all began. I somehow feel that historians of the future may look back on this year as the one that changed everything. Whether they’ll be looking through a utopian or dystopian lens remains to be seen; as it currently stands, the balance could tip either way.
It would seem, though, that 2020 has been one of lifting the veil. As more light is cast on the shadows of abuse, violence, greed, control and destruction that have shaped our world, the more separate and divisive we have become. The world has become more binary - us versus them, right versus wrong, love versus hate - even though life, itself, can never be binary.
While social media has become a battleground for right and left-wing politics, and we attack (and defend) differences, not to mention real wars rooted in corruption, dominance and greed happening without the glare of media attention, it has become more apparent to me that the biggest battle is the one we all face: the one we have with ourselves.
This collection of poetry is a deep and personal exploration into our wounds, beliefs, and the biases that we hold, using them as a portal into the relationship we have with ourselves. A lot of what’s inside these pages isn’t pretty. It’s honest, realer than real, and uncomfortable AF! Yet, it’s necessary. For inside these pages you will feel a sense of solidarity. You will feel less alone. You will feel more deeply connected to this beautiful yet painfully complex human experience that we all share, even when our lived experience is very different.
Michelle was born in Peterborough, UK. After moving to Essex, South London, and then spending time travelling the world, she has now settled in Amersham where she lives with her husband, two children, and a mischievous cockapoo!
Michelle has always been a free-spirit, deep thinker, and an avid bookworm! She understands the transformational power of the written word so spends her time crafting poetry, writing her first in-progress fiction novel, and bringing other indie authors together to create compilations that challenge the status quo! Her imprint - InsideOut publishing - was set up to give others a platform to share their voice and message with the world.
Michelle is obsessed with psychology (and is currently undertaking a degree in social psychology – just for fun!), watching psychological thrillers that challenge ones own morality, and hopes to share her warped mind via fiction very soon! She also loves campervans, avocados, and THAT smell after the rain!