Twelve-year-old Leila Phoenix Alexander from Mitchells Plain rubbed shoulders with renowned authors and community figures during the much-anticipated launch of her book of poems which hopes will inspire and uplift.
Leila who is in Grade 7, authored the book, titled: “Young mind unspoken thoughts: A collection of poems”, which has already captured the attention of author, Yusuf Daniels of Living Lekka and her ward councillor, Ashley Potts.
The launch took place on Monday, January 30 at the Westridge Library.
The book was published by Tshienda Publications and in December, her family shared their excitement at the completion of the book with the Weekend Argus.
Her book of 25 poems tackles a range of topics from depression to death, the unspoken truths that adults often keep from children to the meaning of life, and even a mother’s love.
In her speech at the book launch, Leila said she knew that many could not understand how a 12-year-old could write about such serious issues.
“I wrote this book, or should I rather say my first poem to my grandmother (Ouma), I missed her so much and could not express how I felt so I wrote about it.
“I never thought my poem would lead to a book; like I said I only wrote the poem because I missed my ouma a lot.
“I do cover various subjects in my book, things people don’t always want to talk frankly about, things kids hide from their parents, things that bring shame when there should not be. I speak of depression and bullying, and loneliness.
“I wrote about this because at one stage that was me and you probably thought you were only 12, what do I know about depression?
“Depression and loneliness doesn’t ask for an age, it just needs a host.
“Kids can be mean, and I had “friends” that were.
“This made me very depressed. Not knowing what I did to them that made them treat me this way.
“I was also at a young age at previous schools and this happening again wasn’t good for me.
“I felt lonely, sad and like I didn’t belong.
Leila said she felt, “so insecure I didn’t want to speak to my mother about this at first, but I did, and she fixed it.”
Leila said she hoped to inspire children who were going through depression or were being bullied. through her poems and experiences: “That’s one thing I want to encourage everyone to do, tell someone”.
“I know you are scared but don’t be, you shouldn’t be. There is someone that will help.
“You cannot fix a problem if no one is aware there is a problem. This is a big lesson in my book. Bullying is like a virus but there is a cure.
“ And if my book can help anyone speak out or stop one person from mistreating the next then it’s a win.”
Leila said she owed her achievement to her parents and family.
“They are great and supportive. I hope my book reaches as many people as possible, I also hope it helps.”
Daniels took to his Facebook page, “Living Lekka”, where he shared how impressed he was with the young girl’s talent.
“A 12-year-old should not be able to express themselves like this. You guys need to get this poetry book and have your young kids read it. I felt every word this child read.”
Ward councillor Potts also took to social media via Facebook and shared his thoughts: “What a brilliant mind this young lady has.
“A bright future ahead of her indeed.”
If you want to find out more about the book, please email Karen Alexander on KLAHaddon@gmail.com