ily

"ily" is a raw, cinematic, and unflinching poetry collection by actress and model Eugenia Kuzmina. Moving from the freezing food lines of Soviet Moscow to the high-stakes "glass ceiling" of Hollywood, these poems serve as a "Hero's Journey" toward the self.

A Journey Through the Storms of Becoming Kuzmina strips away the "dissociating mirrors of glamor" to reveal the girl behind the magazine covers. With "heart over head," she explores the "imperfection of life" through themes of:

• Inherited Trauma: From a father who was a nuclear scientist and Chernobyl first responder to the "marshmallow hammer" of expectations.
• Survival: Navigating the predatory "vulture world" of the modeling industry and the "boulevard of dreams" where innocence is often a commodity.
• Metamorphosis: A reflective meditation on midlife, motherhood, and the "44 transformations" of a soul seeking its own truth.

A Fusion of Word and Vision Accompanying the text are evocative illustrations by CX, designed to distill each poem's emotional frequency into visual form. Together, they create a "tuning fork for the soul," resonating with anyone who has ever felt objectified, silenced, or lost in the "labyrinth of deconstructed glimpses".

For every woman "sculpted by storms" and every dreamer who finds their way by moonlight, ily is a testament to the "resilience of the human spirit" and the "unbelievable courage to fight for the truth".

"Writing to save my life." - Eugenia Kuzmina