Behind The Book

When I began envisioning what this book would look and feel like, I knew that I wanted it to be special.

That will come as no surprise to those who know me, because I am nothing if not “extra”—But I knew that if this were something worth doing, that it was worth doing well, and going that extra mile.

The Illustrations

I knew early on in the process of writing that I wanted this book to be illustrated… As an artist, I know that stories are told with more than just words, and that paired with other mediums, you have the ability to curate an immersive experience for your reader.

The illustrations served a secondary purpose for me as the author, however, and I quickly discovered that they were a tool I could use in the process of writing. They took me back to those places, so that I could make sense of—and parse out—my thoughts and experiences and emotions. They allowed me to pick apart and piece back together my life in a way that (I hope) carries through to you, as the reader.

The Transitional Pieces

Throughout the book, we placed scrap pieces of paper with powerful lines and phrases that I’ve been collecting. Each one of them is a line or phrase I’ve written into my notes app or onto receipt paper while on the bus, or into the margins of my journals. Originally, I’d intended to include these in larger pieces, but they didn’t necessarily fit into any of them.

Instead of omitting them entirely, I instead re-wrote them onto pieces of scrap paper and included them strategically to strengthen and support my writing, but also serve as a transition between poems for a better reading experience.

The Snippets

Finally, the snippets—which were made to appear as though they’ve been torn straight out of the pages of my journal.

While the words have always been included in my poems, the visual component of these were a somewhat-last-minute decision; and boy, were they a labour of love.

Each line was written by hand, carefully torn, photographed, and then imported into the book.

Could I have done them digitally and saved myself a whole lot of time? Sure! But they wouldn’t have felt the same. Each of these little pieces of paper represent something akin to a flashback, intrusive thought, or sentiment left unsaid. It was important to me that they feel intimate and vulnerable in the way one might feel if they were peering into my journal.