I have the great pleasure of bringing you the debut poetry collection of Shannan Mitchener. From the back and forth between us she comes across as a wonderful young lady and I am very glad that we connected!

 Shannan Mitchener’s debut poetry collection, ‘Meaningless Destruction’, is a bittersweet journey told through intricate metaphor and beautiful imagery. Through the eyes of her narrator, she explores painfully relatable themes such as love, loss, mental health, abuse, empowerment, and the endless pursuit for happiness. Reading her intense observations on what it means to be human will leave you heartbroken but comforted that you are not alone in your experiences.

Before I get into discussing the writing I want to make it clear that there are triggers in this collection of poetry. Mental/physical/domestic abuse, abortion, mental illness, self-harm. All of these are very serious issues and if you are someone who needs to talk to someone there are many charities out there willing to listen along with your G.P. If you feel that you need help in any shape or form reach out to friends and/or family or others who you know have been through the same or similar situations. If you suspect that someone you know is going through anything then reach out to them, sometimes the best thing you can do is being the person to listen. I will include numbers and websites at the end of this post.

Reading this collection is like reading someone’s diary, seeing inside their soul. There were times that my skin was crawling, times my heart was racing and times I was holding back tears due to anger. As someone who has been in a mentally and physically abusive relationship along with suffering from mental illness this really hit home for me. Maybe I haven’t been through the exact same as the narrator but I could sympathise deeply. You don’t have to have experienced the subjects in this collection to feel the pain she is discussing. If you aren’t into poetry this is something that should be read even if it is just to understand what others go through or maybe you just need to know that you are not alone.

Shannan Mitchener is a 23-year-old student from a tiny village called Edlesborough in England. She is currently living in Leicester, where she studies English Language and Creative Writing at De Montfort University. Her favourite band is Panic! At The Disco, and her favourite movie is unfortunately Titanic (she is also very proud of the frankly frightening amount of trivia she can recite about it, much to her friends’ annoyance). She has several tattoos – most notably one of Winnie The Pooh – and her star sign is Scorpio. When she’s not writing depressing poetry, she acts, obsesses over musicals, encourages her friends to spend irresponsible amounts of money, binges Netflix shows, and sleeps for around thirty two hours a day.

If you or anyone you know needs help here are some numbers and websites

Agencies which provide support and information

• SupportLine Telephone Helpline: 01708 765200, email info@supportline.org.uk or write to SupportLine at PO Box 2860, Romford, Essex RM7 1JA – Provides emotional support and details of support groups, helplines, agencies and counsellors throughout the UK
• Calm: 0800 585858, www.thecalmzone.net – Campaign Against Living Miserably Help and support for young men aged 15-35 on issues which include depression and suicide.
• HopeLine UK – 0800 068 4141 – for practical advice on suicide prevention www.papyrus-uk.org
• Lifeline (N.Ireland)
  0808 808 8000
  www.lifelinehelpline.info
  For anyone in N.Ireland who is in distress or despair. Immediate help on phone 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Face to face counselling can be arranged, also befriending, mentoring. Issues dealt with include suicide prevention, self harm, abuse, trauma, depression, anxiety.
  Run by Contact N.Ireland www.contactni.com independent counselling service employing professional qualified counselors who have extensive experience of working with people facing a wide range of problems, free to all users.
• Premier Lifeline
  0300 111 0101 
  www.premier.org.uk/lifeline
  Helpline providing a listening service, information, emotional and spiritual support from a Christian perspective
• Samaritans:
  Helpline: 116 123 (free of charge from a landline or mobile)
  Email jo@samaritans.org
  www.samaritans.org
  24 hr helpline offering emotional support for people who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those which may lead to suicide

Useful websites

• www.cwmt.org
  In memory of Charlie Waller – awareness, information and resources for those who are depressed
• http://www.healthtalk.org/
  Others who have been bereaved by suicide share their experiences

• www.olagola.org
  Day to day support service and crisis support to help reduce suicide, depression and other stress related illnesses to service users who are in need of emotional support and encouragement. Instant online support for any person who may be experiencing something in their life which they may be finding difficult to cope with. Also peer to peer support facilitated and monitored through facebook by trained admins where service users support each other through discussion, topics and open forums  https://www.facebook.com/olagola
• www.metanoia.org/suicide
• www.stampoutsuicide.org.uk – Points of contact for those feeling down, depressed and/or suicidal
• www.theblackdog.net – Supportive site for men who suffer from depression and/or suicidal thoughts

*Source* http://www.supportline.org.uk