Pause for Poetry: You Are Not Alone

‘You Are Not Alone’ is Shauna’s second poetry collection. Each poem is on the theme of mental health and well-being, making it a powerful, thought-provoking treasure trove for individuals, classrooms and families to share, explore and express their feelings.

The book is divided into five sections- Sometimes like a Wild Horse and Sometimes Like Disco Lights’, ‘What if I’m Not the Shape of the Boxes on Offer?’, ‘I Asked the Edge, the Edge Said Yes’, ‘The Crate of Air That Will Change Everything’ and ‘Happiness is a Hummingbird.’ - and cover a huge variety of feelings and experiences. Readers are sure to find those which speak directly to them, those which make them pause for thought, those which make them empathise and those which make them cry.

I was caught by the pace and imagery of ‘I’m Juggling a Hundred Full Stops’. ‘Suvi’ reminded me of children I have taught and made me cry. I was fascinated by ‘If We Have More Words for Good Things, Do We Feel Better?’. There are so many poems here to comment on- and which I will return to regularly.

The collection offers a rich source of material with which to support and develop understanding of emotions, encouraging empathy and self-awareness, a recognition that others may have similar experiences and an outlet for pent up worries and fears.

The addition of notes about the poems at the end of the book makes for fascinating reading and can be used as a starting point for further reading. An excellent collection which should not be missed!

You Are Not Alone Shauna Darling Robertson

Troika ISBN: 978-1912745173

You can read my review of ‘Saturdays at the Imaginarium’ here.