My love for poetry springs not only from a creative background (my father was an artist) but also I believe, from repeated trauma followed by mental illness.

Namely : Abuse in early childhood, my father's death at twelve, sexual assault in my late teens and early twenties. I have been mentally ill for what feels like most of my life. I felt and still often feel excluded from life. I was a ghost, an unwritten story. Filled with rage, a drop out. Impulsive, empathetic to the extreme, hyper sensitive, agoraphobic and many other symptoms.

In 2016, at forty three years old, I was finally diagnosed with BPD, borderline personality disorder, also known as EUPD, emotionally unstable personality disorder. It blew the lid off years of confusion and turmoil. Up until that point I had been writing on and off but not sharing my work.

In Jan 2018, I returned to Twitter, @happimess73. I was met with interest, positive feedback and genuine support. This has prompted me to pursue my dream to publish a book of poems about mental illness, love, sex, drugs, alcohol, family, friends and the world's fragility through the eyes of a poet with borderline.

Of course I don't expect everyone to donate but reading this and sharing the just giving link would be really helpful. Should you decide to donate, I guarantee your name will appear in the book as a personal dedication in appreciation.

Thank you.

Anne Marie