Trusting Soul: Collected Stories & Drawings

by Brian Andreas

"Trusting Soul" is Volume 6 in the StoryPeople collection of books. This book is packed full of gifts for the future. Gifts of laughter & silliness. Of questions that quite possibly have no answer. Of moments that tie together in a net that will always catch you, whether you believe it or not. There is no greater joy than an unexpected gift to a trusting soul.

Genres: Poetry, Art, Nonfiction

72 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2000

About the author

Brian Andreas is the pen name of Kai Skye, the internationally recognized American writer and artist known for his simple short stories of 50 to 100 words.

He's published 13 books incorporating his signature work of pen and ink drawings, and gouache watercolors with original hand-written stories.

His latest writing & art is available exclusively at Flying Edna. He also has a substack for longer pieces of his writing. That's at flyingedna.substack.com

He continues to use the pen name Brian Andreas in his published work.

Reviews

[Um mar de fogueirinhas]

Just so adorable 💜

[Lindsay]

my heart broke, and i found this book. comforting and beautifu. simple and deep

[Kerrie]

I picked this up at a tea shop that sold used books cheap. I was drawn in by the title and then, opening to a random page, I found a poem and drawing that was jumbled and startling and exactly what I wasn't expecting to need.

So I bought it. and I loved it. The stories are simultaneously connected, interweaving, and standalone - about all the different selves that make us and all the days we're okay with it and all the lives we live.

highly recommended.

[Kate]

this may very well be the best book of poems/random thoughts out there. entirely available to a universal audience because he speaks in love, and not the corny version. the truest and mostest version.

[Tony]

This book stopped me in my tracks when I first read it. I couldn't put it down. If you are like me... it will help you reflect on the things that are special in your life. It also challenges you to look at things just a little differently.

[Susan Reyna]

Loved this eye-opening, thought-provoking, often hilarious book of snippets of conversation accented with doodles. Each page could inspire a novel from the characters you imagine acting out these parts. Will cherish my copy for years to come!

[Jackie]

Trust me--this book will be good for your soul.

[Mary Difino]

Refreshingly quirky, eccentric, and insightful. A brilliant mind.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin]

A whimsical collection of musings about life and one human’s take on it. Quirky artwork.

Favorite Passages:
“When I first met her I knew in a moment I would have to spend the next few days re-arranging my mind so there’d be room for her to stay.”

“I try & walk a line between terror & ecstasy, she said & then shook her head. You’d be amazed at the people who avoid me for no good reason, other than that.”

[Arden Mckenna]

If I could give this book 6 stars I would. I love love love this style of poetry. It’s so playful and relatable. It’s genuinely one of those books that elevates my mood. Makes me feel optimistic and whimsical again. It also feels very intimate in the way that the audience is given multiple layers of what feels like the authors subconscious. We’re allowed to freely swim within his mind. It’s awesome and I’m a fan.

[Angie]

I do love these little “stories”

I asked her what she planned
to do with her life & she said
She was beyond that
point already. I’m just happy
I remember to be there when
it happens, she said.

The copy I have is a soft-cover and isn’t printed in color. I thought I’d miss the color, but I didn’t.

[Catherine]

I’m not sure where I got this little book of thoughts, but it would make a addition to a classroom. So many of the tiny stories in this book would make great starters - a good way to wake up the brain.

[Marianne Mullen]

Just one of my favorite artists and poets. A very simple work of Andreas's drawings and poems from Story People. Just love the way the words come together n new ways. Not much to the book but for me, it's a win since I have a number of his art pieces.

[Eleanor]

I think it was a bit too random for me. There were some wonderful snippets, but I got lost...as if too much was on each page and my brain could not grasp the connection.

[Sharon]

I don't know how to really process this book. It is different and unique, but I wasn't sure I should read the bold then the nonbold writing or read it as a complete page. It is different

[kaitlyn]

the artwork in here is so unique it’s amazing

[Victoria Grusing]

/tried to add paperback edition. It would not take it.

[C]

Very charming. This felt like a happy, gift-able book.

[Vicki Scullion]

“I finally got to exactly where I wanted to be, she said, so why won’t all these growth experiences go away and leave me alone?” I so get that.
Interesting book.

[Jam]

This is a cover to cover thought-provoking book that teaches the reader to see the small moments in their life. Each of these little stories depicted with its own little drawing are amusing and emotionally touching. You could read this over and over again without getting sick of the context.

This book will make you smile.

[Debbie]

I love his stuff...the artwork is so silly and nonsensical, and his thoughts are original, and at the same time, I often find myself thinking "I would've said that if I was quick witted and clever!" Some are odd, but many made me laugh out loud. I originally bought his books as inspiration for art journaling.

[elizabeth kimmel]

poems that speak to my soul...especially the woman on the tightrope. this is the book that sits next to my mom's toilet on the main level. i really feel at home within the realms of the binding of the pages of his perspective. a love affair with western nebraska.

[Dena]

What can I say? This book is one of my most cherished possessions because it touches me so deeply... and because it was a gift from my most cherished people. ;)

[Angie (Bussen) Siedell]

"Most people she doesn't tell about the tightrope, because she doesn't want to listen to their helpful comments from the ground." Tightrope - Brian Andraes

[Regina]

i heart him.

[Hannah Jane]

Trusting Soul has my favorite Andreas quote:

"I've always liked the time before dawn because there's no one around to remind me who I'm supposed to be so it's easier to remember who I am."

[Cherie]

Amazingly good for the heart book.

[Deborah]

perfect

[Jody Holford]

I love his words and the random chaos of his illustrations

[LB Lee]

I like Brian Andreas's works on a bad day. His tiny story/poems are short enough that I'm able to concentrate and digest them even when I'm very unwell, and both they and the art are simple and calming to me. I feel like Andreas is one of those guys whose work is what you bring to it.

I'm not sure this is my favorite of his books that I've read, but I still enjoyed it!