Maladaptive

"There is a magical quality and energy to when Elle performs. It’s just so captivating, entertaining and engaging. How she’s managed to replicate and expand on that on the page is an immense talent and one that’s a joy to behold. The writing in this is so well crafted and so well done on every level without losing any of the charm she exudes on the stage."
Tyrone Lewis

MALADAPTIVE is about identity, wintering, womanhood, love, and home. Exploring the loss of self, and homesickness for that which is no longer there, grief for those gone, and the rebuilding of hope and finding the light in the dark.

Whilst being a hugely honest, personal, and vulnerable collection, MALADAPTIVE is accessible, relatable and comforting.

"Elle is a witch, the best kind of witch, casting spells that reach deep into the souls of her readers and audiences, and pull out kindness and hope.
Elle’s poetry is tender and timeless, speaking from a place of raw honesty that is so beautiful it often seems like magic.”
Kayla Martel Feldman

A raw exploration of mental health, with a necessary, playful dose of finding comedy in unexpected places, a mindfulness in the natural world drawing on Elle's growing up by the seaside and feeling a strong drawing to the water, and sourcing the bonds that connect us all as much more than monoliths, that which make us feel as though we belong.

"Elle has a powerful grasp of language, deploying words with an often startling force - though there is gentleness here, too. There's a visceral connection to experience, with the everyday nestling up against the political and passionate. Breathtaking. "
Dan Simpson

MALADAPTIVE is Elle Dillon-Reams' debut poetry collection.

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