WHY I WROTE IT

I very nearly didn’t publish this piece.

For a long time, I considered keeping it to myself. It felt too personal.

But the essays that have stayed with me most throughout my life have always been the ones where someone was willing to tell the truth before they had neatly turned it into a lesson.

I often think about the pieces that have moved me most — the ones that are intimate, uncomfortable, or quietly revealing. If no one were willing to write those stories, what would we have that truly made us feel seen?

So I wrote this partly because I felt compelled to, partly because I hope it creates connection and helps even one other person feel less alone during a difficult season, and mostly because I realised I was allowed to.

Writing this essay became an act of giving myself permission: to speak, to be witnessed, and to take up space.

ABOUT ANTHOLOGIA

Anthologia brings together essays, memoir, poetry and fiction by women writing with honesty, tenderness and courage. It explores identity, memory, family, loss, joy, creativity and the many ways we are changed by our lives.

At its heart, it celebrates the idea that every woman has a story worth telling.

Thank you to Natasha and The Kind Press for the extraordinary love, care and dedication poured into bringing this collection to life. The third edition! This book has given so many women the courage and space to share their stories, and I’m forever grateful to be one of them.

You can learn more about The Kind Press and Anthologia below.