Tender Rebellion

Today I’d like to share the foreword from my upcoming poetry and essay collection with you. Waking Up To Thrutopia will be available from Amazon for Kindle and in print soon!

Thrutopia is a word coined by British philosopher Rupert Read in an article published on the British Huffington Post website in November of 2017. What Thrutopia means can’t be explained by a simple definition, but it’s a contraction of the words “through” and “utopia”.

Inspired by a story by American author Ursula K. Le Guin, Read realised that to strive for a utopia can only ever be that. Utopia cannot exist; all we can do is to try to get there and that is actually where utopia resides. In other words, we need to get through the difficult and hard times to get to some place that’s better.

I’ve been struggling with a chronic illness for almost 20 years, and to get to a better place, I’ve had to deal with my past. I’ve had to reveal behaviours and thought patterns that I was oblivious to. That’s what this collection of poems and essays is about.

This is a very personal collection of some of my favourite writings from the last three years, with new material added. In the process of writing, I realised that I had become stuck in a state of victimhood. I don’t think that there’s anything wrong with writing about pain and dark moments. I know that this kind of writing can resonate with people who are similarly struggling, and it makes them feel validated and less alone. But for my own physical and mental wellbeing, it has become increasingly important to me to frame my own dis-ease in the wider context of the ills of our societies. That’s why this book is divided into three parts which represent a sort of journey.

The first part takes you through a personal world shaped by trauma and loss, exploring how the past affects the present.

In part two I attempt to elucidate the healing process. I ask hard questions as my tender rebellion against the status quo begins to take shape.

The final part foreshadows, warns, hopes, plans. I’m saying that it’s easy to get things wrong, but we must try to change our destiny by coming to terms with our true nature.

I hope that you’ll find something that resonates with you in this journey.

I hope that this introduction clarified a few things for you, about why I’m publishing this book and how I’ve put it together. I hope to have the manuscript in good shape soon. It’s the first time I’m going through the self-publishing process, and it’s a learning curve for sure! Making the front cover of the book has actually been much easier for me than formatting the manuscript itself. But I’ll be back soon with more news!