For self-published authors, reviews on platforms like Goodreads and Amazon make a big positive impact on book sales. They increase the visibility of the book and they give credibility to the book, something that self-published books often are lacking in. My friend Alyssa Gonzalez was nice enough to write this beautiful and extensive review of “Pet: the Journey from Abuse to Recovery,” my recently released book of poetry. Here is an excerpt from her review: “Poetry …Read More
Tag: emotional abuse
Why Leaving an Abusive Friendship is So Hard
Partner violence is often centered in conversations about emotional abuse, when truthfully, leaving an abusive friendship can be just as hard
Watch our Poetry Reading on Youtube
I have good news! If you weren’t able to make our poetry reading the weekend before last, you don’t have to miss out. There is a video of the reading available to watch on Youtube! I hadn’t originally planned on recording the reading but I learned after it was completed that because the reading was held both on zoom and facebook live, facebook automatically saved a recording (of the speakers on screen only). So now …Read More
Poetry & Trauma: It Is Hard to Write with a Broken Heart
This week my debut poetry book, “Pet: the Journey from Abuse to Recovery” comes out. The poetry sequence takes you through my experiences in an abusive relationship, my attempts to heal, my retrospective reflections on the relationship, and the larger-scale insights that came with long-term healing. To introduce it, I wanted to share with you this piece about what it took to write that book in the first place. CN: extensive and detailed discussion of …Read More
Remote Poetry Reading: The Story of “Pet: the Journey from Abuse to Recovery”
To celebrate the release of Kella Hanna-Waynes’s debut book of poetry, a piece of work that took more than 10 years to complete, we’re hosting a remote event that will be much more than just a poetry reading! Event Details: When: November 6th, 3:00PM-4:30PM (PST) Where: Remotely over zoom and live on facebook Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86085348114?pwd=b3lwd3NVMnRkS2phcUx6UkVwdlJ0Zz09 Pass Code: pet How Much: Free! Who: Anyone and everyone is welcome. Please keep in mind that the subject …Read More
Patreon Bonus Content: The Story Behind the Poem “Blades”
Today I wanted to share another full poem with you from the book and give you the backstory on this poem. Many of the poems tell specific parts of the story or…[Read More on Patreon]
I Was My Boyfriend’s Servant: The Nightmare of Financial Abuse
CN: extensive and detailed discussion of emotional & financial abuse; discussion of domestic violence; mention of suicide and sexual abuse; overall disturbing content. “When I say, “Good girl,” I want you to say, “Thank you, sir.” “Yes, sir.” “Good girl.” “Thank you, sir.” I handed him the yellow check. When the bank clerk originally asked me what color I wanted my checks in, I picked gold, but it turned out that gold just meant a …Read More
Buy Our Debut Book of Poetry: “Pet: the Journey from Abuse to Recovery”
“Pet” is a poem sequence that navigates the reader through the traumatic & transformative journey of domestic abuse and its aftermath.
Why Understanding Abuse & Trauma is Necessary for Social Justice Work
CN: disturbing statistics regarding intimate partner violence, extensive discussion of the impact of abuse, trauma, marginalization and the intersection of all three; brief discussion of trauma-based mental illnesses, and oppression as a result of race, LGBT status, socio-economic background, and/or physical/mental ability. The focus of Yopp has always been to discuss all things related to social justice and civil rights. But another important topic that emerged fairly early on was issues related to abuse and …Read More
Patreon Bonus Content: Formatting the Book Part 1
At the end of this post, you’ll see a preview of the inside of our poetry book as well as a free poem! (Read more on Patreon.)