Somehow
the mirror has broken
fragmenting
my image,
the image
I have of myself,
the one I like to project.
Was it the sunlight that cracked it,
the exposure to brightness,
an explosion of light
or was it already a distortion
ready to be destroyed
by a different audience
looking over my shoulder.
Or was it self destruction
which splintered my image
to reveal the darker side
lurking behind
only seen
when looking
through the glass.
Photo by Klim Musalimov on Unsplash
Lynn White lives in north Wales. Her poetry is influenced by issues of social justice and events, places and people she has known or imagined. She is especially interested in exploring the boundaries of dream, fantasy and reality. She has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net and a Rhysling Award. Find Lynn at: Poetry – Lynn White and on Facebook
through the looking glass
there exists a woman
who is not in pain
she runs without restraint
no manacle or disorder to her name
people wait on a bridge for her to cross
they are all those who have loved her
calling from the other side
that part of her heart cast in loneliness
feels a needle of pain to imagine
once she had a family
through the looking glass
there exists a woman
who is not in pain
she might only be a reflection
a shadow seen with the lights out
as I turn from the mirror
thinking myself unobserved in empty room
but occasionally I long to reach for her
tell her how much I need
to run alongside her and find
the end to this mighty ache.
Born in Europe, Candice Louisa Daquin is of Sephardi French/ Egyptian descent. Daquin was the Publishing Director at the U.S. Embassy (London) before becoming a Psychotherapist. Daquin is Senior Editor at Indie Blu(e) Publishing, a feminist micro-press and Editorial Partner with Raw Earth Ink. She’s also Writer-in-Residence for Borderless Journal, Editor of Poetry & Art for The Pine Cone Review and Poetry Editor for Parcham Literary Magazine. Daquin’s own poetic work takes its form from the confessional women poets of the 20th century as well as queer authors writing from the 1950’s onward. Her career(s) teaching critical thinking and practicing as a psychotherapist have heavily influenced her writing. As a queer woman of mixed ethnicity and passionate feminist beliefs concerning equality, Daquin’s poetry is her body of evidence.
In honor of its 5th anniversary, Indie Blu(e) Publishing and Brave & Reckless are teaming up this November to sponsor a series of 30 daily creativity prompts, comprised of the titles of our 25 published books and four upcoming titles, along with a couple fun phrases to round it out. We think our book titles are pretty damn cool and we hope they spark your creativity. You are welcome to respond to as many that inspire you.
There is only one rule to the prompt challenge: the book title or phrase should serve as the title of your piece OR all the words in the title should be integrated into your piece somehow.
Note: Some of IB books have fabulous subtitles. Want an extra challenge? Try integrating the subtitle into your response
It is our honor and pleasure to publish your prompt responses on Indie Blu(e) Publishing and Brave & Reckless . We welcome poetry, prose, flash fiction, creative nonfiction, essays, and high-res original art inspired by the prompts.
Writing can be submitted in the body of the email or as a separate Word document or PDF
If you are submitting writing, please include a suggested image to accompany your work. Unsplash and Pixabay are two of our favorite sites for royalty-free images.
Your email should include your name EXACTLY as you want it to appear on Indie Blu(e) Publishing and Brave & Reckless, a short biography, and any links you want shared.
Join 158 writers and artists from across the globe as they journey Through the Looking Glass to unveil the truth about life with mental illness. Diverse, raw, and urgent, the poetry, prose, and artwork in this anthology dig deep into the experience of living with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and other conditions, as well as the challenges of loving someone who struggles with such an illness.
Full of hope and despair, acceptance and rebellion, the creativity contained within these pages reflects the reality that we cannot walk around or behind the looking glass, but must walk through it unflinchingly to educate, foster compassion, and reduce the stigma so often associated with mental illness.
“Perhaps one of Indie Blu(e)’s most vulnerable anthologies, much like We Will Not Be Silenced, this latest anthology opens our eyes and hearts to the struggles of mental illness, without judgement… This is another reason to admire the work achieved by this indie publisher. The individual is cradled in an anthology but their truth and their story are never stifled. And so, it is a pleasure to read and enjoy Through the Looking Glass; to lend your eyes and ears to a myriad of talent all reminding us we are far from alone and that there is hope.”
Kristiana Reed, author of Between the Trees and Flowers on the Wall.
“Many editors of anthologies might balk at publishing such raw material, but the commitment of Indie Blu(e) is to give voice to what is so often silenced, sanitized, hidden, and there is in this enterprise something that gives us all hope. For by speaking out our deepest experiences of trauma, abuse and unhappiness there comes a sense of freedom, a sense of the possibility of recognition, connection, acceptance. And thus healing. We are not alone. Others are battling similar enemies. We are lovable. Our feelings are valid. We belong to the human race. We deserve to live.
. . . Many readers will nevertheless see the book as providing a bleak picture of the state of mental health and the paucity of effective support across the world. Indie Blu(e) Publishing, in describing itself as a progressive force, might hope that this collection becomes a resource in the path to social reform. Or perhaps they are more ambitious than that – honoring these voices from chaos and pain demands nothing less than a revolution.”
Rhoda Thomas taught psychology, sociology and counselling for nearly 40 years. She is co-founder of Live Poets Society, a socialist poetry group in Wales, UK. Imago is her most recent poetry collection.
To purchase Through The Looking Glass: Reflecting on Madness and Chaos Within, click here.
In honor of its 5th anniversary, Indie Blu(e) Publishing and Brave & Reckless are teaming up this November to sponsor a series of 30 daily creativity prompts, comprised of the titles of our 25 published books and four upcoming titles, along with a couple fun phrases to round it out. We think our book titles are pretty damn cool and we hope they spark your creativity. You are welcome to respond to as many that inspire you.
There is only one rule to the prompt challenge: the book title or phrase should serve as the title of your piece OR all the words in the title should be integrated into your piece somehow.
Note: Some of IB books have fabulous subtitles. Want an extra challenge? Try integrating the subtitle into your response
It is our honor and pleasure to publish your prompt responses on Indie Blu(e) Publishing and Brave & Reckless . We welcome poetry, prose, flash fiction, creative nonfiction, essays, and high-res original art inspired by the prompts.
Writing can be submitted in the body of the email or as a separate Word document or PDF
If you are submitting writing, please include a suggested image to accompany your work. Unsplash and Pixabay are two of our favorite sites for royalty-free images.
Your email should include your name EXACTLY as you want it to appear on Indie Blu(e) Publishing and Brave & Reckless, a short biography, and any links you want shared.
Kali represents the perfect metaphor of the great dissenter desperately needed in today’s times, to rise above subjugate society. Kali, a goddess of strength and destruction, represents energy in its purest and feral form. Goddess Kali is an embodiment of the unfettered, and uncontrolled energy, who like nature, can create and destroy with equal ease. She is the perfect feminist icon the world needs today.
“The Kali Project draws in the voices of women as women – teachers, mental health workers, writers, doctors, lawyers, bankers, social workers – adding a sharper understanding of the inner realities that patriarchal structures seek to silence, sanctified by society, religion, community, and class. With entries from children and teenagers, to poems by internationally well-known writers, the gamut of experiences is vast and reiterates the idea that art and poetry are the essential vehicles which carry the hurt and, in the process, also healing within them.”
-Charanjeet Kaur, Former Chief Editor and Features Editor of Muse India, currently Contributory Editor for Indian writing in English of MI. Consultant Editor of SPARROW (Sound & Picture Archives for Research On Women) Newsletter.
“The Kali Project is a unique piece of art. It stands testimony, bridging the gap between India and the rest of the world, informing the ignorant and aware alike, of the power and enduring talent of Indian women.
. . . I suspect all women can tap into Kali’s positive energies and relate to the value of her fierce, unrepentant feminine energy. I appreciated this the most, reading The Kali Project; the convergence of women pulling together, creating, birthing, speaking without repression. . . We are all Kali.”
Dr. Belinda Román, Economist/Researcher/Historian
To purchase The Kali Project: Invoking the Goddess Within / Indian Women’s Voices, click here.
My girlhood is but myths of empty memories of a lost imp that
Learned hiding is better than to be seen.
She was a sun, a ray of joy; but cruel words had her run away and
I lost her, only to be met in the flashes of life’s tapestry of my youth.
And while I carry unsurmountable grief of not knowing, and all the loss;
I can but only imagine her as part of me.
(Maybe we’ll find each other in a magical dream one day.)
Hanlie Robbertse is a South African born writer that uses her writing to give voice to topics such as mental health, depression, anxiety, grief, self-love, and other inspirational/spiritual themes. She is passionate about telling stories in creative form that can help bring change to the world and also to elevate those difficult things that are often not talked about openly or even shut down in our hurting world. You can find her at:https://www.facebook.com/IamHanlie
Indie Blu(e) Publishing 