Nefissa Bedri, an international UOttawa student and artist from Ethiopia, recently published her first book at the age of 19 years old, a book relating to mental health.
Their Abstract Thoughtsis Bedri’s way of reaching out to those who feel the need to be heard, the voice for those who cannot speak and a source of comfort for all who seek it. The book contains a compilation of 21 poems, covering themes such as depression, love, hope, anxiety, eating disorders, heartbreak, expectations, society, and self discovery, many topics that could affect one’s mental health.
In her country, Nefissa Bedri states that mental health is considered taboo as a topic of discussion. “We have so many issues that we turn a blind eye on and I believe that, that’s not okay,” says Bedri.
Each poem is specifically seen through different perspectives, such as, a guy’s perspective, a girls perspective and non binary perspectives, which allows a variety of readers to relate to each poem in their own way, for any situation.
One of many Bedri’s favorite poem from the book is “Solis”, ‘she admired the sun, when everyone wrote poetry about the moon and the stars, she admired the sun.’ This poem in particular represents women who are strong and bold, the women who demand to be heard and those who light up a room when they walk in. They represent the fiery spirit of the sun and they burn with passion. “This piece is close to me because most of the poems in the book are about pain, struggle and overcoming challenges but this piece stands out because it holds a raw power to it,” explains Bedri.
Bedri has been reading for as long as she can remember and began writing at a young age in hopes of one day having an impact on someone’s life the way other books impacted her. Bedri’s goal is for this book to be relatable and somehow help anybody in diverse ways.
The book’s hard copy and E-book is available for purchase on Amazon.
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