Shades of the Soul, by Jasmine Dade

Poetry, chapbook, 28 pages, from Bottlecap Features. Amid the mind’s chaos also exists the inner mechanisms of the heart and because of their inherent duality, they give birth to a million and one emotions. Shades of the Soul is a collection of poetry meant to highlight the vast spectrum of experiences that people with depression often struggle with. In a society where mental health is often overlooked or thought of as a burden, this chapbook explores highs and lows of struggling with an invisible illness. Often times, depression is referred to as simply being sad however in Shades of the Soul as you flip from one page to the next, the colorful anatomy of the brain and heart will unravel itself. Each chapter corresponds to a color which, in turn, represents a different state of mental wellbeing. These poems tackle heavy topics and do not shy away from taboo subjects. Overall, this collection is meant to illustrate that all emotions are valid, and the human experience simply means to feel deeply no matter what color may manifest itself. Jasmine Dade is an author based in northern Virginia. She began writing in elementary school and her genres of choice are romance and poetry. She recently published her debut novel Aftershock in 2024 and it is currently available for purchase on Amazon. Jasmine aspires to allow others to experience diverse emotions without going through the heartbreak of real life. She hopes to continue creating vivid stories so that people may relate to them and live vicariously through them. When she is not writing, Jasmine enjoys cuddling up with a good book or watching a thrilling movie.