An award winning Howell author is sharing her public, yet very personal work.

Isabella J. Mansfield is the author of two self-published chapbooks - which are small collections of poetry, generally no more than 40 pages, that often centers on a specific theme. Mansfield writes mostly free-verse poetry about lust, anxiety and the human condition. Many pieces detail the daily struggles, everyday stress and anxieties of being a wife and mother while also injecting humor. Her most recent book, The Hollows of Bone, was released in January by Finishing Line Press. In 2018, Mansfield was named a finalist in the Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest and was awarded the first Mark Ritzenhein New Author Award. She also does spoken-word performances. Mansfield’s work can be very intense and she said you don’t always know what to expect when sharing such personal material with the world.

Mansfield told WHMI sharing her work can be terrifying and she does sometimes question how people will react. By that same token though, she also realizes that she doesn’t care because it’s how she feels and what she writes - maybe people will get something out of it or maybe they won’t but it’s who she is.

Mansfield is currently working on her first full length book. She will be a guest on WHMI’s Viewpoint program this Sunday morning at 8:30.

Photos: Beren Jones & LMD Photography (JM)