Necessary Rebirths: A Collection of Poems + Prose for Awakening (PB) (2019)

In "Necessary Rebirths: A Collection of Poems and Prose for Awakening," poet and writer Nicole M. Long explores her journey through depression, anxiety, and all of life's in-between stages. Sometimes dark and mostly self-affirming, these poems about life and the resiliency of self-love gives readers a glimpse into a life unraveling in perfect synchronicity.

"One day, I woke up, and I didn't recognize my life," the author remarked when discussing the book during a private reading. "I had all these things to show for a life well-lived, but I wasn't happy...I couldn't help but think, 'Wow, is this all there is to life?'"

The author describes this book as a coming of age, one where an objective view produced the launching pad for making peace with the past and commanding a brighter future. Written over three years, this collection of 122 poems and prose circumvents convention and aims for honesty and authenticity.

Through shorter pieces like "i belong to no one," and "one source," Nicole laments at the assumed responsibility that comes with taking part in an interdependent family and the notion that we all originate from the same God-like energy. While longer pieces like "intimacy and me," and "keeper of self" shows the author's growth in accepting accountability for herself and the chaos she brought into the lives of others.

Nicole concludes "Rebirths" ends on a lighter note to remind us that pure magic unfolds when we slow down and silence the noise of our minds.