Ever not had the words to say to someone and wished somebody could write them for you?
Well, Isabella Dorta’s book ‘the letters I will never send’ does just that.
Taking a different format to normal poetry books, Dorta’s chapters are poems addressed to different people or things within her life. These include letters to ‘my ex’, ‘my body’, ‘other poets’, ‘past me’, ‘future me’ and ‘my therapist’.
Not only is she a poet, she is also a TikTok star with 1.1 million followers. This has given her an amazing platform to share her work and is where many people discover her.
With lines like ‘your victimhood is no one’s but your own’, she doesn’t shy away from covering difficult topics including mental health, sexual assault and the LGBTQ+ community. And with a vast variation of poem lengths – from as few as nine words up to a couple of pages – you never feel bored.
Up till now, all her letters are unsent: the idea is that when you read a poem that relates to you or moves you, you should do something with those words, with those feelings. Let the person know by giving it to them. Alternatively you could burn the poem or just pass the book on to somebody else. What you do with the poems is up to you, as long as you do something. That’s the aim.
This book will spark your creativity, and with pages at the back to write your own letters it encourages you to switch the keyboard for a pen and paper.
It’s Dorta’s fourth book: she has previously published ‘how sunflowers bloom under moonlight’, ‘how to be mentally well’ and ‘how to be heartbroken’ – with hopefully many more to come.
She has an upcoming UK tour this summer, including a Manchester show on 31 August at Black Sheep Coffee & Cocktails. This includes an open mic, a book signing and a meet and greet. This is a great opportunity for people to see and hear the woman behind the words.
To see her on tour, there are tickets available via the link in her Instagram and TikTok bios.
