Wrapping up Mental Health Awareness Week for 2023: Rāmere / Friday's theme: Keep Learning. We are sharing the sweet title poem from Loic Ekinga's collection, How To Wake a Butterfly.
"Evidence suggests that learning or trying new things creates a sense of achievement, competence and stimulates engagement with the world around us. There are lots of ways that you can Keep Learning today and every day." This quote from the MHAW week website feels fitting for our final share.
Odyssey Books is currently run by two women, Michelle originally from Australia and Cerid from New Zealand. Loic's collection, from a male, Congolese perspective is very different from our own. Reading his collection not only touched us deeply, but gave us an opportunity to experience a new perspective, to understand ways in which trauma can impact men and the struggles men can face learning to translate vulnerability into empowerment. We both learnt a great deal from the emotive experiences Loic shared in his debut collection. Also fitting the closing theme because he wrote this collection during Covid Lockdown, when he was re-learning himself. His second forthcoming collection, delves even deeper into the male perspective of vulnerability. Loic’s work is often raw, but always beautiful and challenges many mainstream perceptions about masculinity.
We hope you have enjoyed our video series promoting mental health awareness and encouraging diversity in literature. We hope it has connected with you and provided you with insight. We hope you consider supporting these amazing authors and buying one of their books.
MHAW may be over, but raising awareness about mental health doesnt have an end date. Let’s continue to empower each other and continue to support each other’s wellbeing.
#MHAWNZ #mentalhealth #MensHealthMatters #supportmen #itsokaytobesenstive #senstivityismasculine #menswellbeing #poetry #butterflys #congolese #africanpoetry #vulnerabilityisstrength #talkinghelps #trauma #hea
It's mental health awareness week here in New Zealand and to honour the message, we are sharing a collection of video's that highlight some of our authors work.
Today is Rāpare / Thursday and the theme is Connect.
From the MHAW website:
"Connect refers to making social connections, or whakawhanaungatanga. A sense of feeling connected, loved or belonging with others is strongly associated with better wellbeing and other health outcomes by providing a sense of meaning, safety, support and purpose."
Kylie's collection of poetry is a journey of learning how to re-connect with herself and others, after being abandoned by her mother. It's a raw and powerful collection by a young poet.
We hope this poem allows anyone else struggling with self-love to feel supported by feeling seen, to know they are not alone and that there is always hope. If you feel affected by the themes in this book, please reach out to your local support services, there is always someone to listen a text or phone call away.
With aroha/love, from the team at Odyssey Books.
visit the MHAW website for more tools to support wellbeing: mhaw.nz
#mhaw #nz #mentalhealthawarenessweek #itsokaynottobeokay #talkinghelps #creativeoutlets #feelingseen #diversity #youngpoets #anxiety #abandonment #selflove #thereisalwayshope
It's mental health awareness week here in Aotearoa, and todays post in honor of the movement is very special because author, J Victoria Michael, is NZ born (now living in Melbourne) and has just completed her GriffinSong Trilogy.
In this video we introduce to you her main character, Irenya.
Rātū / Tuesday theme is Give:
From the MHWA website:
"Take a moment to stop and kōrero {talk} with your neighbour, bus driver or the checkout assistant at the supermarket. Ask ‘how are you/kei te pēhea koe?’ and really listen. It might make all the difference to their day."
Irenya battles with Anxiety and PTSD, throughout the books she encounters many characters who she is able to connect with in profoundly impactful ways. By sharing her experiences with others, she is able to gain insights to herself and they are often able to understand more about themselves too. Connecting with people is a powerful tool towards well being.
We hope you can give some of your time today to meet Irenya and celebrate diverse representation in fiction that simultaneously invites us to gain insights about our own world, broadening our perspectives and empowering others to feel seen.
Remember to give yourself and other time and compassion.
You are never alone,
With aroha (love) from the Odyssey Books team.
check out the mental health awareness week website for more tools to promote wellbeing: https://mhaw.nz/
#mhaw #nz #mentalhealthmatters #awareness #itsokaynottobeokay #talkinghelps #anxiety #ptsd #diversityinfiction #neurodiversity #motherhood #wellbeing #give #newzealandauthor
It's Mental Health Awareness Week here in NZ and in honour of the movement, we have put together a series of video's highlighting some of our author's whose work promotes well-being.
Today is Monday/Rāhina and the focus is:
Take Notice.
The MHAW website says:
"Developing the ability to be fully present and conscious without being overly reactive or overwhelmed is no easy feat, it takes practice to achieve the delicate balance of awareness. When we take notice or practice mindfulness, we’re creating space for ourselves—space to think, space to breathe, space between ourselves and our reactions."
Linathi Makanda's poems we are sharing with you today are a great example of poetry that encourages taking time to be in your present moment, with acceptance, love and empowering vulnerability. Throughout both her collections, Linathi invites the reader to take pause, take a moment to breathe and sit with their own feelings as they are invited to journey through the healing process and reclaiming of self.
We invite you to take pause and watch the video, pausing when you need more time to read, breathe out with self compassion and kindness for others.
Remember, you are never alone
Aroha/love from the Odyssey Books team.
Check out https://mhaw.nz for more information about supporting mental health and wellbeing.
#MHAW #MHAWNZ #istokaynottobeokay #neveralone #wellbeing #mentalhealthmatters #anxiety #empowerment #mindfulness #honouringdiversity
It's ChoooseDay...
It's the prrrrrfect day to say...
Happy Release Day!
How To Survive Your Magical Family
by Clare Rhoden is out NOW!
A YA magical adventure filled with mystery, courage, thrill and of course... CATS!
Available in ebook and paperback!
https://www.odysseybooks.com.au/titles/9781922311436/
The magic world and the flat world are more connected than we think, because we can’t see the minute intersections of natural forces. Intuition, feelings, talents, skills, gifts - or plain natural magic?
Sixteen-year-old Toby has no magic, apart from communicating with cats. A flat kid in a magic family, he’s determined to be the best flat he can be. When Toby and his sister rescue some cats from a street accident, they find a long-lost arch-cat. They suspect something is about to go very wrong, because arch-cats only appear in times of need.
And things do go wrong.
Ten years ago, Toby’s mum disappeared after giving evidence in a court case against a corrupt developer.
Now the criminal is out of jail and out for revenge.
A boy without magic born into a magical family...
A street accident...
Some rescued cats and a long-lost arch-cat...
something is about to go very wrong...
Join Toby, a 16-year-old boy who can talk to cats, as he and his magical sister embark on an adventure that unravels a dangerous mystery...
How To Survive Your Magical Family
COMING SOON!
Here in Aotearoa, its national poetry day!
At Odyssey Books, we love poetry! So, throughout the day we are sharing readings from some of our poets who participated in the first virtual Poetry Pose we hosted back in April for poetry month.
And, we'd like to invite you to share too!
If you have any poems about/in/from/for Aotearoa/New Zealand, please drop them in the comments or tag us in a story/post on any social media platform!
Here in Aotearoa, its national poetry day!
At Odyssey Books, we love poetry! So, throughout the day we are sharing readings from some of our poets who participated in the first virtual Poetry Pose we hosted back in April for poetry month.
And, we'd like to invite you to share too!
If you have any poems about/in/from/for Aotearoa/New Zealand, please drop them in the comments or tag us in a story/post on any social media platform!
Here in Aotearoa, its national poetry day!
At Odyssey Books, we love poetry! So, throughout the day we are sharing readings from some of our poets who participated in the first virtual Poetry Pose we hosted back in April for poetry month.
And, we'd like to invite you to share too!
If you have any poems about/in/from/for Aotearoa/New Zealand, please drop them in the comments or tag us in a story/post on any social media platform!
Hear Linathi speak about her new collect, I Say These Things To My Self, when we announced its release, LIVE at the virtual Oddies Poetry Posse event last month.
Order your copy today at www.odysseybooks.com.au
#booklaunch #poetryrelease #strongwomanpoets #poetrylive #odybks
Linathi Makanda is a powerful contemporary voice who boldly celebrates vulnerability and what it means to embrace yourself.
Read her first collection, When No One is Watching, available to purchase now and pre-order her upcoming new release, I Say These Things To Myself on our website.
