Her words scratch at my cold bones as I ride the Toronto subway on a frigid night, reading her rhyme and prose. They etch into my heart, the lyrics to a song I once knew and once knew to sing. She speaks to me with words I never knew how to spell and stories I had buried in the depths of me.

Clementine Morrigan pours her heart of survival into ink in her collection of poetry, prose and artwork, Rupture, to be officially released on International Women’s Day, March 8th 2013. And what empowering stories she shares.

Clementine Morrigan garnered an impressive following a few years back with her political work based on a blog on which she writes her thoughts, ideas and shares her journey through life as a survivor of violence and sexual abuse. Now in 2013, her book has been translated into German and Spanish and shared across the globe. Known for her trademark bright red hair and unshaven armpits, Clementine is an outspoken slut and feminist who sometimes sports only shorts as she rides her bike in downtown Toronto. She is a woman of experience, humility and profound intelligence.

Rupture is filled with years of stories, poems, poetry and frustration. Clementine has the guts to get gritty with her experiences of violence, misogyny, addiction, recovery and most importantly, healing. Clementine’s words are a litany of rejuvenation that promises the strength of the woman’s spirit, and its ability to adapt, survive and thrive.

But of course, Clementine maintains a sense of humility, and sees her book as the telling of her stories rather than a source of strength and survival for many women who read her work.

When asked what she hopes women will take from her book, Clementine says “Silence is the perfect condition for violence to flourish. Shame feeds silence. Telling our stories is a powerful act of resistance and love. So speak. What you have to say is important.”

Through and through, Clementine shows us that in order to create, we must destroy and in order to destroy, we must create. And life goes on.

Join me at the book launch for Rupture in room 201 at the 519 Church Street Community Centre on Friday March 8th, 2013 (International Women’s Day) from 7pm – 10pm.
Hot/cold hors d’oeuvres served
$5 entrance OR free with the purchase of any book

Check out the event on facebook.

Read more of Clementine’s work at clementinemorrigan.com

Follow my twitter for a live feed of the event, @primafeminista