Southdown: Poems of Recovery

This is a first collection of poems by Erin Stover-Blogg. She was born in Seattle, Washington, USA, in 1972, and attended school and college there. In 1999 she moved to the UK where her father was born and raised. She lived in London and Eastbourne, East Sussex. Some of these poems are about the author's struggle with mental health issues and drug use and may be of interest to those who are dealing with similar problems in their lives. Most of these poems were written after the author's recovery. These are raw and honest poems, rich in imagery. Some are fantasy poems about dreams and majick ─ fairy tales to intrigue and delight the reader. This book also contains a couple of early poems written before her teenage years in Seattle in the 1980s. These poems are lyrical and unapologetic and full of original expression and candid observation of both her inner and external worlds. Southdown is the name of the inpatient, dual-diagnosis rehab center in Eastbourne in the South Downs area of E. Sussex, where the author successfully completed a 12-step treatment program in 2004-5. The overall tone of this book of poems is positive and uplifting.