I was released from an in-patient mental health ward in early March 2006. A trophy pictured in the preface of this book displays the date July 23, 2006, as the initial USA competition poetry award. That date marks the deadline of the period required for a poem to be created, entered, and judged. All that was left for application after my 20 years of post grad training, was creative writing. My hidden hope was to offer in a real way, an apology via deed to all those who encountered me when I was unwell. There is something strange regarding that period’s legal progress, since society so easily ignores this as “dealing with madness.” My elderly mother watched as my life appeared to unravel, but always offered support. In 2009, as she lay upon her deathbed in hospital, she held the first volume for which she was my sounding board. She smiled and said, “Well, at least you have a little hope appearing now.” These works you hold are the collated works of this period of hurtful outpour, and are continuous from early 2006 until late 2014.

In the magical time between night and day, when both the sun and the moon are in the sky, a child is born in a little blue house on a hill. And Miu Lan is not just any child, but one who can change into any shape they can imagine. The only problem is they can't decide what to be: A boy or a girl? A bird or a fish? A flower or a shooting star? At school, though, they must endure inquisitive looks and difficult questions from the other children, and they have trouble finding friends who will accept them for who they are. But they find comfort in the loving arms of their mother, who always offers them the same loving refrain: "whatever you dream of / i believe you can be / from the stars in the sky to the fish in the sea." In this captivating, beautifully imagined picture book about gender, identity, and the acceptance of the differences between us, Miu Lan faces many questions about who they are and who they may be. But one thing's for sure: no matter what this child becomes, their mother will love them just the same. Kai Cheng Thom is a writer, performance artist, and psychotherapist in Toronto. Her first poetry book, a Place Called No Homeland, was published in 2017. Kai Yun Ching is a community-based organizer, educator, and illustrator in Montreal. Wai-Yant Li is a ceramics artist and illustrator in Montreal.

This fully illustrated book explores how both art and poetry reflect the writer and the reader. Despite great obstacles, this book was made in the hopes of achieving a dream of reaching others through art in all of its various forms. A dollar of every book sold will be donated to the RSDS foundation in honor of all the support I found there when I was struggling and battling RSD/CRPS.

This is a story of love. Love, which is the same no matter the soul's shell. No one should have to be ashamed of the people they love as we are all human. I love you. Who would have ever thought the words which caused me such dread in the past could ever come to sound so beautiful and feel so very wonderful? Returning to Japan after the loss of his mother, Hitori hopes to start anew. He enters school and longs to make new friends. Quickly, he realizes that friendship will not be the only thing he finds. Befriending a quiet classmate, Hitori finds himself falling hopelessly in love. Akaya is a shy, quiet boy who finds himself stumbling through life, afraid of many things. At first, he is bothered by the outrageous look of the new student. Before long, however, he comes to enjoy the company of the blue haired man and wonders how he made it so long without a friend like Hitori. As their friendship blossoms then turns to love, the boys have to learn to ignore harsh words from school, society and family alike. Despite this, their love grows and soon they realize soul mates really do exist. The sun shines brighter than ever before and the nights aren't nearly as cold as they once were. Love has finally warmed the two distraught souls and created an illusion of serenity. As seasons change, the boys continue to defy society and become something magical. But upon receiving horrible news from his mother, everything in Akaya's life changes. When a time limit is placed on their love, the boys fight to make their remaining time together something meaningful. Love becomes their whole life as they realize they may not get the fairytale ending to their relationship. Without him I am like a book ripped in half. Without the beginning, you would surely be confused and without the end you will never be fulfilled. What could tear these two apart? After fighting past societal norms, school bullying, and angry parents, what could finally break them apart?

Note to the Reader This is just a quick note to the reader. Obviously if you bought my book then you enjoy poetry. When I began writing poetry I was a 13 year old eighth grader. I had never ever attempted writing a poem before that. I guess the way that I started with poetry was bottling everything inside me that I had to let it out somehow. So I ended up writing about it. I didn't notice that it had taken the form of a poem until halfway through it. To me it sounded so much like a poem. I showed it to my friend and she asked me when I took poetry lessons. Funny thing is that I never took poetry lessons. It just came out of me. I got encouraged so I began to write down everything that came to my mind. Unfortunately I was young, so most of my poems were about love and pain. I knew I could use my poem skills to write inspirational and better poems than just love, but I never took that into consideration. It was only until this year that I started to wise up. I began writing about inspirational topics. I got so happy when I wrote my first uplifting poem. It was like lifting a burden off my shoulders. Everything that is written in this book is meant with all good means. Some people say it's a talent, some people say that it's a gift. Well whatever it is, I want to share it with you. I'm a 14 year old tenth grader (sophomore) now and I know I'm young. I'm sure you'll like my poetry, and if you don't just keep in mind that I'm still very young. I respect your opinion. I'm still trying to get better. I'm not perfect. I really hope you enjoy the book!