SURVIVING: Visual Poetry Anthology

by Madison Cowles Serna

Internationally exhibited fine artist Madison Cowles Serna brings you SURVIVING, an anthology of 9 visual poems created from the author's own experiences as a survivor of sexual assault. Each story is accompanied by emotive abstract imagery and arranged to encourage the reader to spend time with each passage. SURVIVING is created from moments of heartbreak, fear, and cruelty dealt from multiple perpetrators against backdrops of grainy risograph reproductions. You can feel Cowles Serna's battle with confusion, guilt, and finally, understanding her trauma. She uses her journey to help others.

Genres: Poetry

115 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 16, 2021

Reviews

[Melissa (Nissa_the.bookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartbreaking but full of passion

I won a free Kindle copy of this via a Goodreads Giveaway.

Wow. What a heartbreaking record of assault. Full of passion by a talented artist, the words really resonated with me. As someone who isn’t fully sure if they suffered from sexual assault (I think so, but I haven’t spoken to anyone about it), this book meant a lot to me. I’m so so sorry to the author/artist who had to experience these awful acts from despicable so called “men.” I hope that your art continues to help heal you. Thank you for being a voice for others. And thank you for the free copy of your book. ❤️

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

A visual and descriptive journey of rape. I will never be able to forget this awakening of the thoughts of victims, I realize I may have actually been a victim once, not the slut asking for it as I viewed myself for years.

[Itzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very emotional, thought-provoking visual anthology. I appreciated the author's explanations for each work, it made them all the more poignant. Included at the end was advice for becoming an ally, for survivors, and for help in these situations.

[Ashley Rominski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoah! Really interesting use of visual backgrounds in this book which sets it apart from other poetry books I have read. One-of-a-kind, painful, and very beautiful. I also enjoyed the short work Circles that goes well with this book thematically. These works resonate a lot with other survivors.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful poetry about sexual assault with visuals. Bringing light on an important subject.

[Kerry-Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW. Short but powerful words. The artwork is interesting but powerful in their own right.