I recently realised that I never made a post about all 3 of my poetry and art books together, as a trilogy. Each one of these books was born out of a period of emotional exploration and thought. My work is often about identity and belonging as seen through the lens of migration, mental health and motherhood.
Unseen Veins, 2023 is the result of a lifelong struggle with my own identity and belonging as a Zambian of Indian heritage married to a French Lebanese man living in Thailand. In a world where borders, passports and visas are increasingly important, my hope for my children is that instead, they can choose where they belong or be entirely free of the need altogether.
one touch of the rope, 2024 was born out a period of loneliness and emptiness where Lumphini park in Bangkok became a container, she held me, hugged me like a mother might. The words and visuals express a journey through the park both literally, and through my mind. The rope has many meanings, one being that it is a tether to reality, to the earth.
Tears and Grape Seeds, 2025 delves into displacement and mental illness—my own bipolar disorder, and what it takes to maintain balance. I’m in good company, with Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Plath, Beirut…That said, the extreme polarities we are seeing across the world today are deeply disturbing and harmful.
All three books are available in Bangkok and Lusaka. They have been translated into Thai. The original versions are on Amazon as ebooks as well as paperback.
You can also order them directly from me.
Natasha Devalia 