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Howdy {name}, thanks for opening this to have a read.
If you follow me online anywhere, you'll have been seeing something about a book titled Liminal Woman, which I'm plastering everywhere. This is the title of my newest book, which is a poetry collection.
Poetry seemed like a weird thing for me, until I began to interrogate why it started to emerge. See, like many writers, poetry is where I started. That may be because, as Pooh once said, 'you can't really think poetry'.
As I worked through the re-emergence of my inner artist, poetry just... exploded. Somehow, when you're deeply connected to the Muse, she sings.
Reading back through my own pieces as I (re)prepared the manuscript for release, some of them took my breath away. I shared a few. One person told me that one poem reminded him of the first time he held his first son in his hands. That feeling of infinite expansion; a love that knows of no boundaries. It's truly infinite, almost indescribable.
Liminal Woman is about the journey from Maiden to Mother. Some argue that the entire idea of maiden-to-mother is too linear. I disagree with them. It seems linear, true. But only if you have never had the experience.
My experience of the transformational nature of matrescence was one of stumbling blind down a path I couldn't see, in a dark forest I'd never before visited, encountering things that other women knew about but had never discussed. I went through most of the stages of grief during the process. It makes sense: One life is dying as the other emerges, and it doesn't matter how much support you have! Only you can weather that storm.
This is why I'm firmly of the belief that birthing a child isn't just birthing one person. It's a process of birthing two. You are one of them. You change so dramatically in the process of becoming a mother; and that process can last for a couple of years. It's so much more than priorities changing. It's like you have new eyes, a new heart, a new soul.
Re-reading the poetry inside the book also yielded unexpected gifts. I recalled Beren's first walks in the world on his own feet. I recalled him climbing on me and kissing me awake in the middle of the night. I recalled the sheer turmoil of all of my relationships as I became this different person. Truly, I stared down divorce during the process. It was utterly shattering, and I often wonder if it would have been easier at 20 rather than 40.
This edition of The Letter is really about Liminal Woman. It's about creativity, art, artistry, motherhood.
And it's about Launch Week!
Liminal Woman releases in all formats (except audio; that's yet to come) on 1 September 2023.
You can get the book for free if you wait to get the discount code from me on launch day. Otherwise, the launch promo price is $4.99. Call it a gift from me to say thanks for staying the course with me. That discount coupon will come in a separate email. :)
So, what's next?
In terms of art, I'm putting together a second work of poetry provisionally titled Ocean Elements. But I suspect that, like Liminal Woman, its eventual name won't be the one with which it's born.
I'm also creating a self-directed program that brings together the best of my business, art recovery, state-of-mind, and coaching experience. I am ridiculously excited about it - but more on that later.
Oh. And check out the recipe this month. It combines chicken, cornflakes, and an Airfryer. It'll change your life.
xx Leticia |
