Poems and Stories
Poetry, Women
Date Published: Jan 31, 2024
Publisher: Bookbaby
How do you stitch yourself back together after trauma, loss, grief, heartbreak? By inviting what is broken to become what is breathtaking. THE BODY is a collection of poems and short stories written in lyrical prose during the hardest moments of the author's life. This collection explores themes of love, loss, grief, seduction, creativity, consciousness, female empowerment, post- traumatic expansion, and the collective human experience. Because when words are not enough, art is the container that holds what the body cannot. And as the heart breaks open, the soul can be set free.
Can you tell us a little about the process of getting this book published? How did you come up with the idea and how did you start?
On January 1st, 2023, following the traumatic death of my partner Evan, I read through 8 years of journals and pulled out poems and stories from pivotal moments, and said to myself “I think there’s a book here.” I reached out to my friend Liz Bennett, a fellow musician and poet, and asked her to help me narrow down the selections. At the time, I was recovering from PTSD and talked about “stitching myself back together” through art. My childhood friend Erin Russell is a talented tattoo artist and she came up with the concept for the line drawn art seen in the book–red threads pulling through different parts of the human anatomy. I began curating the project for each chapter to represent a body part, and that’s how THE BODY was born.
THE BODY is a collection of poetic alchemy and stories, written during the hardest moments of my life. The book explores themes of love, loss, post-traumatic expansion, finding a home in your own skin, and discovering that the greatest love story is the one you are writing with yourself. Because these poems come straight from my journals, readingthem is like time travel, back to the moments that broke me open. But when the heart breaks open, so much more can come through: the wisdom of a deeper authentic self, and the whispers of inspiration, a path to healing and wholeness.
What surprised you most about getting your book published?
How challenging the formatting process was! Because it’s a poetry book, any changes in the line breaks will change the shape and cadence of the poem. I had to send over a dozen edits to the publisher to make sure the poems fit properly on the pages in both print and digital form, so that they didn’t lose their meaning. I’m sure I drove them up the wall with all my nitpicking but it was worth it in the end.
Tell us a little about what you do when you aren’t writing
I’m a singer/songwriter, novelist, and playwright residing in Los Angeles, CA. I’m an active member of the theatre community in Hollywood, producing and performing in my own projects, as well as my dear friends who inspire me greatly. I’m an avid boxer, yogi, runner, and mental health advocate, and I release music on all streaming platforms under the artist name HOLLY HOLLOWS.
As a published author, what would you say was the most pivotal point of your writing life?
When I was a child, I struggled with social anxiety. Even though I was comfortable onstage as a performer, I was quite introverted in real life, so books were my closest friends. The long stretches of time I spent alone growing up planted the seeds for a wild imagination to bloom. Writing was my sanctuary to confide my deepest desires and fears. The combination of intimate friendship with my creativity, and the delightful indulgence of fantasy and surrealism, gave birth to the lyrical prose I love to read and write today.
Where do you get your best ideas and why do you think that is?
I’ve always had a fascination with the hero’s journey in literature and psychology, especially Carl Jung’s process of individuation–traveling into the unconscious to find the self, and to integrate the lightest and darkest parts of your being into wholeness. I was always afraid of my
shadow–my childhood in a fundamentalist church caused me to reject and suppress parts of myself I thought were broken. My writing became a safe space to rebel, embrace vulnerability, and find a way to self-acceptance. The best ideas come from the questions and topics that are unanswerable, the ones that continue to seduce my imagination, inviting me to dance and wrestle with them. This book asks the question "how do we stitch ourselves back together after trauma, grief, loss, and heartbreak?"
What is the toughest criticism given to you as an author?
It’s too pretty, haha. My writing style is lyrical prose, similar to an author and poet I love named Ocean Vuong who wrote “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous.” As a trained musician and hypnotist, my writing process combines self-hypnosis with the rhythm and musicality of language, each word carefully chosen as a colorful stroke in the reader’s emotional soundscape. If you’re not compelled by the beauty and music of language, you probably won’t be attracted to my writing. If you’re not a seeker at heart, it’s not for you Boo.
What has been your best accomplishment as a writer?
Since publishing THE BODY, I quit my corporate job to focus full time on my writing. So far this year, I’ve written a new musical, released an album, and finished editing my first novel. My best accomplishment is to devote myself to the work, and to continue to learn and grow through the process.
How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
I wrote two non-fiction books prior to publishing this one and destroyed them both, because the person who started them wasn’t the person who finished them. I’ve written a children’s book about recovering from PTSD which remains unillustrated and unpublished as of yet. I recently finished editing my sexy, dystopian, spirituality novel THEA AND THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE that takes place in the not-too-distant future of former Baja, Mexico, and have ideas for a sequel and a screenplay version of the novel, which will start to actualize soon, here’s hoping.
About the Author
Artist. Two-time TEDx talker. Singer-Songwriter. Entrepreneur. Novelist-Playwright. Ghostwriter. Mental Health Advocate. A no-holds barred journey of transformation and recovery from PTSD, Holly's story is a raw and honest testament to the power of creative resilience. Forged from the heartache of personal trauma, she's spun her pain into a wealth of creative prowess, shattering societal norms, and challenging the idea of 'spiritual bypassing.'
Holly's lyrical prose combines self-hypnosis with carefully crafted wordsmithing to ignite the senses and the soul through their musical cadence. Holly wrote, produced, and starred in her debut musical BLOOD SUPPLY: A ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE LOVE STORY premiering in Los Angeles January 2023 to stellar reviews. She releases music under the artist name HOLLY HOLLOWS and resides in Los Angeles, CA.
Contact Links
Instagram: @hollyanne_mitchell
Youtube: @hollyannemitchell
Tiktok @hollyanne.mitchell
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