Essays

PERSONAL ESSAYS

When You Get Tired Of You Own Nonsense

I distinctly remember the moment I knew I wanted to become a teacher—and also when I realised it wasn’t for me. It all began on my first day of school at six years old, soon to turn seven. When our teacher asked what we aspired to be when we grew up. I confidently declared I wanted to be a teacher. Two reasons shaped my response: first, nearly half of my classmates had already voiced the same aspiration, and second, it was a rare occasion when an adult seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say.

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Learning To Be Rigorous With Compassion

When a troll is someone you know, it’s very difficult to understand the motive behind. Is the person trying to be funny, crave attention, or just being mean? I can’t always tell. What I know is that my little public act of mourning my best friend’s passing, as I announced my break from social media, was quickly shot down by someone I regard as a good acquaintance. The behaviour was both confusing and hurtful.  READ MORE @Lit eZine

I. Am. Beautiful

(3rd winner for the 2022 Body-Positivity Essay Contest) Hosted by Navigating the Change & The Real PeriMo)

I am a plump child afflicted with a skin disease, which doctors cannot diagnose. Only their repetitive advice, “Stay out of the sun!” brings me temporary relief. Regardless, I am beautiful. But I don’t hear much about my beauty from my parents, instead from relatives and strangers. In fact, my beauty often compels strangers to plant kisses on my cheeks without my parents’ permission. As young as I am, I can see a twinkle of pride in my father’s eyes and a hidden smile dancing on my mother’s lips.

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REVIEWS

A big book both in terms of volume and ideas, which exists to disrupt the conventional order of poetry. — We Are Poetry: Lessons I Didn’t Learn in a Textbook by Kym Gordon Moore

Kym Gordon Moore is here to remind us that poetry is still alive, vibrant, wondrous, and inventive, in capturing joys, despairs and all the things that make us human, as it’s been doing for centuries. We Are Poetry: Lessons I Didn’t Learn in a Textbook (Independently Published, 2022) is a big book both in terms of volume and ideas. I’ll fall short of capturing the author’s vision and mission for this book.

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A heartbreaking, heroic and enlightening story — KE Garland’s debut memoir, In Search of a Salve: Memoir of a Sex Addict

KE Garlands’ book In Search of a Salve: Memoir of a Sex Addict is a deeply personal and emotional journey about the secretive yet reckless world of a sex addict. It confronts the reader with the ugly truth of living a double life as the author weaves a story that is both raw and tender. In examining the protagonist’s life, topics such as abandonment, trauma, grief, anxiety, and all things that lead to her sex-addiction as a maladaptive coping mechanism are explored.

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The Shadows and Serenity of a Compassionate Presence — In The Shadow of Rainbows: A Collection of Songs of Presence by Selma Martin

Selma Martin’s debut poetry collection, In The Shadow of Rainbows: A Collection of Songs of Presence, features approximately sixty-three poems. Blending dark and light, the collection mirrors the complexities of life, finding beauty amidst struggle. The introductory poem beautifully captures the union of darkness and light, mirroring the way sunlight interacts with water droplets to produce a rainbow.

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A brief but affecting exploration of human emotions, social interactions, and behaviour — Tremaine Loadholt’s Serial Tales & Flash Fiction Collection, Séduire

The book title Séduire—meaning “to seduce” in French—has an alluring ambiguity that could play out in several intriguing ways. When mulling over the title, three interpretations came to mind. First, the art of seduction where characters use charm and persuasion, sometimes edging into manipulation to achieve their goals. Another aspect is the case of the “forbidden,” enticing readers to explore risky or morally ambiguous choices made by characters. Then the intrigue of the mind examining how people, beliefs, or environments steer characters towards obsession, inspiration, or change.

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A poignant, passionate, and thought-provoking tale of love and ambition — A review of Michele Lee Sefton’s novella, Honeysuckle Heat

Honeysuckle Heat, a novella by Michele Lee Sefton, explores the intensity and fragility of human relationships, revealing how the most passionate connections can often be the most unstable. This heady but delicate story unfolds across eight chapters. It’s a story that skilfully weaves together themes of love and ambition, evoking potent emotions and deep reflections. The story centres on Matthew, a novelist seeking refuge in a small coastal town to focus on his writing, and Jacqueline, an ambitious broadcast journalist whose career ambitions overshadow her personal relationships.

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