I can't believe it has almost been a year since I released my first poetry collection, Vicissitudes! I released Vicissitudes on 1/23/23 because I release everything I write on the 23rd (best day ever) and I thought what better way to start 2023 than to step out of my comfort zone and share some of my personal life with the world. In honor of Vicissitudes turning 1 I'm going to share some things you might not know!
I never considered another name for this poetry collection. Vicissitudes was the only name I picked out! I remember looking for a word that matched exactly how I felt during that time in my life and once I read the many meanings of "vicissitudes" it was game over.
"it's you" was originally meant for The Trichster Diaries but was scrapped. I fell in love with writing poetry when I started writing The Trichster Diaries in 2018. I remember loving "it's you" but feeling like it didn't fit as perfectly as the other poems. I had no idea that I would eventually release a poetry collection and use it nearly five years later.
The order of the poems is meant to make you feel intense ups and downs. Although Vicissitudes is about my life, it is not in chronological order. It was important to me to mimic the intense ups and downs that I was feeling during that time in my life. Healing from heartbreak is hard and confusing. I wanted readers to experience me in love only to turn the page and find me at my lowest.
"ego boost" was written in one sitting. Without a doubt "ego boost" is the longest poem in Vicissitudes and it all came pouring out of me seemingly out of the blue. I remember sitting down, starting to type, and when I felt finished I had a poem with nine stanzas. I've had other, shorter, poems that I had to revisit but not this one!
The eye in the artwork for "your eyes" is actually Dan's eye. I told Jessica, the artist for Vicissitudes, that I wanted the internal artwork to be a surprise. One day we end up talking about eye colors and I send her a picture of mine and Dan's. Turns out it was all part of her master plan! I love her thoughtfulness and the special details she added throughout the artwork.
Love and heartbreak is something we all go through and I'm grateful to be able to share my experience with you. Thank you to everyone who has read and supported Vicissitudes! It means the absolute world to me.
Photographs by Lena Mei Photography