”We like to read because it puts our feelings into words.”
The opening poem in Jane Marie’s debut book “Mental Breakthrough” encapsulates the collection’s main theme and purpose: to express what we often feel but don’t often say.
The Lewis-Palmer High School junior has always enjoyed reading and writing, but she never saw herself as a poet, an author or a publisher.
That all changed in recent months, though, when she decided to write, and eventually publish, a collection of poems that captures the recent experiences in her life.
Through a series of brief, emphatic and often untitled poems, these range from her personal relationships to mental health struggles.
Marie’s poetry ranges from single, direct verses to metaphorical stanzas that express one idea or feeling.
She said her intention was to emphasize them in a way that is quick to read, but not always quick to fully grasp.
“I like writing short statements that can mean a lot of different things,” she said.
Marie said the inspiration for the book came from a recent period in her life that found herself struggling with her own mental health and isolating from friends, families and hobbies and coping in various unhealthy ways.
Cover art for the poetry book “Mental Breakthrough” by Jane Marie.
She had written original, unfinished stories throughout her life, but was largely unfamiliar with reading and writing poetry. It wasn’t until she discovered books like Courtney Peppernell’s “Pillow Thoughts” during a recent trip to Chicago that she felt she could not only compose a complete body of her own work, but also express what she struggled to express before.
Shortly after she began writing to help herself, Marie saw its potential to help others who may be experiencing similar challenges.
“This is what I wanted to do. This is what I needed to do,” she said. “And if some people can benefit from this like I have, that’s ultimately what I want.”
Shortly after writing over 100 poems over the course of three weeks, Marie explored options to publish and release the collection herself. Through various online tools and programs, she completely designed the cover and layout for the book before reaching a publishing agreement through Amazon in March.
Monument author and Lewis-Palmer High School junior Jane Marie poses with her self-published book of poetry “Mental Breakthrough.”
Marie says the response she’s received to date has been positive, with her family and friends praising her writing and prose and others resonating with the book’s subject matter.
What she didn’t expect was the response she’s received from older generations.
“This is obviously a teen book because it’s about my experiences and what I’ve felt, but I thought it was interesting how many people from different age groups came up to me to tell me, ‘Wow, I felt that,’”
Rather than jumpstarting a career as an author, Marie’s primary focus remains on graduating high school before either travelling or exploring her university options.
That said, she still plans to continue writing and releasing poetry going forward. She plans on future collections of poems centering around a single topic or theme.
“This is definitely something I want to keep doing,” she said. “I’ve got a lot more words to write.”
“Mental Breakthrough” is currently available for purchase on Amazon in paperback and on Kindle.
