“I have never been anything but a paper girl. Something to tear into pieces. Something to burn.”
We’ve all been paper before. We’ve all been fragile. Leaflike and gently blowing, enough to create stories or build fires. We go through life like that. We come across things that tear us into pieces, and we keep going. We keep fighting, because we must. We look for ways to be whole. To be the person we dream ourselves to be.
Fragile by nature but tough by circumstance, paper girls are shaped by their love and loss. This collection of poetry and prose describes the journey of learning to live fully through the messiness of life and tenuousness of mental health.
Ari B. Cofer, a lifelong writer, has always felt like a paper girl. She has dedicated her life to sharing her story and the stories of others, breaking the stigma of mental health through her poetry. Her inspiration for this book came from her experiences with the people she’s met along her mental health journey, through treatment, therapy, and more. Ari currently lives in Seattle, WA with her partner, Gerald; her dog, Emma; and her cat, Cloud.
“Ari B. Cofer’s paper girl and the knives that made her doesn’t play out in a romanticized ‘mirror, mirror on the wall’ way, but in a cloudy-mirror way, complete with toothpaste splatter and raw honesty. At a time when everyone is traumatized on some level, this book beautifully depicts a young person’s mental health journey. ” – Alicia Cook, author of Sorry I Haven’t Texted You Back
“Ari B. Cofer’s paper girl and the knives that made her is a beautifully written ode to survival in all its forms. Cofer puts on a masterclass in tackling some incredibly heavy topics while never losing sight of that glimmer of hope, no matter how hopeless things may seem.” — Parker Lee, author of coffee days whiskey nights
“paper girl and the knives that made her is one of the most honest, compelling, and fierce poetry collections i’ve read. this is a side of cofer’s writing that hasn’t been seen, but one that the world needs. it will give you the strength to take back your power and your voice. and as it walks you through the many hardships of life, it will remind you how beautiful it is to be alive.” — Shelby Leigh, author of changing with the tides
“paper girl and the knives that made her drags you through the darkness and then brings you back into the sunlight. Through vivid, poignant, and timeless writing, Ari B. Cofer explores themes of mental health and recovery with a voice that’s both necessary and haunting.” – Caitlin Conlon, author of The Surrender Theory
