Indie Blu(e) Publishing Announces the Release of We Will Not Be Silenced

We Will Not Be Silenced: The Lived Experience of Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault Told Powerfully Through Poetry, Prose, Essay, and Art is the brainchild of Kindra M. Austin, Candice Louisa Daquin, Rachel Finch, and Christine E. Ray. The four indie writers and survivors felt compelled to do something after the strongly triggering Kavanaugh Confirmation Hearings. Ultimately, they decided to advocate, educate, and resist through art.

They opened submissions for only two weeks to women and men around the world. The response from writers and artists was overwhelming: the final anthology includes 166 pieces of writing and art from 95 contributors around the globe.

The editors decided early on that this was a project of passion and compassion, not profit. 70% of the royalties raised above the publishing and promotion costs will be donated to organizations that provide services to sexual harassment and sexual assault survivors. The editors have prioritized making the book accessible to as many individuals and organizations that could benefit from it. The retail price is only a few dollars above the publishing cost to keep the 300-page plus Anthology as affordable as possible. They have also created a Wish List so that individuals and organizations such as rape crisis centers, gender studies departments, and public libraries who might not otherwise be able to afford copies might be able to receive one.

The truth matters, our stories matter, and you can help.

We Will Not Be Silenced is available in print and Kindle editions.

To help provide copies to others who might not otherwise be able to afford them, please visit our Go Fund Me page.

To be placed on the Wish List for a copy, please email the editors at indieblucollective@gmail.com

WWNBS Back Cover 11-28-2018

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Review of A Sparrow Stirs its Wings, Rachel Finch by Kristiana Reed

From the moment Sudden Denouement Publishing announced the publication of Rachel Finch’s debut poetry collection, I could not wait to read it. Finch made a brave and bold entrance onto Blood into Ink, with ignition pieces like Girls are not for Beating (pg.35). I was hooked by her ability to sing fire with a bloody mouth.

A Sparrow Stirs its Wings houses this spirit of fight and flight. Flight not from fear but from the space she has shaped to soar. The structure of the collection reminds me of Alfa’s Silent Squall except Finch begins with the girl crossing her heart and hoping to die, walking on eggshells (pg.19), and ends as a woman who recognises strength and hope in her reflection:

I did not notice the growth, until I had grown,
I had not seen myself changing, becoming,
until the woman I forged reflected my gaze
and held my stare with no shame.’

  • Hold the Stare

    • In fact, I would even say Finch’s sparrow does more than stir its wings – it unfurls them in the morning sun and defies the laws of gravity. This debut collection is more than just honest, beautifully brutal storytelling. Finch has created a collection the reader will feel compelled to return to, time and time again. Moon Breathing makes me fall in love, Heal is the advice I need imprinted on my palm and Still Smouldering never fails to provoke a visceral reaction:

    ‘I was reborn a dragon feasting on the fire in my belly, lit with milk teeth in my mouth’

    Finch’s voice has found a home, in these pages and in my chest. She touches her readers. She tells the truth and explores hers. She leaves you with the following words:

    ‘You are the smell of rain before it hits the soil.’

    And you can’t help but believe them.

    Image courtesy of Alfa

    You can read more of Kristiana’s writing at My Screaming Twenties

     

     

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    The Innocence Is Haunting: Excerpt from Rachel Finch’s A Sparrow Stirs its Wings

    We were timid girls,
    that hadn’t known it until
    we weren’t anymore.
    Taught how to keep our lips closed
    and our legs open,
    too small to know why until the first
    hit,
    too small to know how to stop the next.
    We were a little nest of sparrows,
    huddling to keep warm when the dark drew near,
    too weak to sing, too fragile to fly.
    She said to me, “how can you fear the wolf
    if you’ve never seen his teeth bared?” and I
    thought back to the days I would
    reach out my hand, with no knowledge of the bite.

    A Sparrow Stirs its Wings is available at Amazon.com

    front cover

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    Indie Blu(e) Welcomes Rachel Finch

    Rachel is a UK based writer that originally started using poetry as a way to accurately express herself after a number of traumatic experiences in her young life. She is the founder of the online community Bruised But Not Broken which was started with the purpose to raise awareness of abuse and trauma and to provide a place of comfort and support throughout the healing process. She firmly believes that it was with the support of this community that she was able to recover from sexual abuse. Rachel is mother to four young children and dedicates her time to her family and to guiding others on their own healing journey. 

    You can find Rachel on Facebook and WordPress at  Bruised But Not Broken. She is also a Regular Contributor at Blood Into Ink.

    front cover

    Sudden Denouement Publishing is honored to publish Rachel Finch’s book of poetry ‘A Sparrow Stirs its Wings.” Finch is the powerhouse behind the Bruised But Not Broken community on Facebook, which provides support and healing for trauma survivors. She is a symbol of hope and light throughout the world.

    “Every now and then, when the world seems to be rocked in chaos and people are screaming without listening – vile words and cries for help climbing on top of and over each other – a single voice stands out, and that voice is pure in its truth and stunning in its wisdom.

    Rachel Finch, and her debut book, A Sparrow Stirs its Wings, is that voice right now. Turning her heartbreaking abuse into heart-wrenching prose, Finch writes her truth and gives her strength to every unnamed victim turned survivor.”
    Nicole Lyons, I Am A World Of Uncertainties Disguised As A Girl

    “A mark of a great poet is the ability to make emotional connection with their audience, and Rachel Finch does exactly that.”
    Faye Brown, Black Orchid Poetry

    Paperback, 148 pages/Published June 28, 2018 by Sudden Denouement Publishing

    Available at Amazon.com, Amazon Europe (Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.it, and Amazon.es), and Book Depository.

    REVIEWS OF A SPARROW STIRS ITS WINGS:

    Nicole Lyons Reviews Rachel Finch’s A Sparrow Stirs its Wings

    Faye K. Brown Reviews Rachel Finch’s A Sparrow Stirs its Wings

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