The Personal Diary of Mr. Heartsleeve is finally here! And with it a labored tapestry of verses which thread together awakenings in love, mental health, and spirituality. Really it’s like buying three books for one as Author mokradi, it’s creator, says:
“The first hundred pages are dedicated to mental health with deepest regards to social anxiety, substance abuse, and self-loathing. The second half deals with finding love, and the third is The Landing of Mr. Heartsleeve, which leads readers down a new path of spiritual inquiry.”
mokradi leaves behind a cosmic part of his soul with over 250 pages in his debut collection.
“I realize it is a bit much for a poetry book,” mokradi responds, “but I want to be genuine and include as much as I can. You never know someone years from now might find refuge in an obscure verse they relate to, a verse I might have removed trying to trim it.”
A BIPOC writer and artist, mokradi draws on his University days to inspire the poetry of Mr. Heartsleeve as he reconciles first-hand observations in academic stress, heart-break and financial hardships with the inspired encounters of Mr. Heartsleeve:
“I barely knew what mental health was growing up in India or how we contribute to gendered patterns of power perpetuating toxic masculinity. These were foreign concepts that I started to learn in Canada while in University, and they have helped me understand my own pitfalls.”
mokradi further elevates his work by drawing on his literary training and displaying a genuine command over craft, not just followers!
“Although I was pursuing a BSc,” mokradi recalls, “I decided to take courses in writing and poetry. Looking back, I am beyond grateful for the tools I acquired in technique and structuring of my poetry using rhyme, rhythm, and metric to make the pieces come alive.”
May is also Mental Health Awareness month. The color for May is green, much like the breathtaking cover for mokradi’s debut book. A coincidence? Perhaps not, as mokradi reveals the behind-the-scenes process,
“We had planned to launch this in April, but given the subject topics, we realized May was a much better time to use our platform to promote Mental Health alongside the launch.”
In fact, mokradi had planned to donate 100% of all May sales to local mental health initiatives until something more urgent came up:
India is currently facing a devastating COVID-19 outbreak – the surge in cases (which saw 392,488 new daily cases reported this past week) has overwhelmed hospitals and led to shortages of key medical supplies, including oxygen.
“ So instead, we have decided to donate 100% of all our sales in May to India’s COVID-19 relief efforts, with the goal of acquiring more oxygen tanks. You can follow our page @mokradi_ for more updates on this project!”
Looking ahead, mokradi is already deep into his next poetry book, which is rooted in themes of migration:
“Each year millions of people begin an astounding journey to leave their homeland, in search of a new country to call home,” mokradi shares, “whether, by choice or force, these travelers endure great adversities that they must overcome. My next book will highlight these endeavors, as I too draw on my personal migration story.”
If, like us, you too can’t wait for the release of this next project, do make sure to follow @mokradi_ on Instagram for the drop! Meanwhile, when are you meeting Mr. Heartsleeve?
The Personal Diary of Mr. Heartsleeve is now available across all major Amazon platforms!
You can order your official paperback across Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon. it, Amazon.es or Amazon.co.jp.