second juvenilia

second juvenilia is a collection of poems from about the first 5 years of my adult life, between moving away from home and moving away again with my partner - a period which overlaps fairly neatly with the term 'early transition', and everything that implies. second juvenilia is a pun on juvenilia (what an author wrote in childhood) and second puberty. some of the poems are funny, some are sweet, some are sad, some are scary, and hopefully there's at least a couple that are several of those things. there's 43 poems over 60-odd pages, organised into 4 loosely-themed sections:

• there is absolutely nothing strange going on, which covers pre-transition and denial.
• auto-cartography, which charts early transition, dysphoria, and the body.
• field medics in the culture war, mapping a destructive relationship, mental health crisis burnout, and community breakdown.
• the world's oldest young adult, which is about recovery, and a much better relationship.

and it's free! if you want. or £1, or £10, or however much you fancy. i recommend a fiver, which is one pound per year it took me to write these poems, which i think is more than fair to you - but mostly i would like them to be read, and if having to pay for poetry in a cost of living crisis is going to preclude you from doing so, do not feel bad about reading it for free.

lastly, if you enjoyed your time with these poems, then please - let me know! and anyone else who'll listen, frankly. you can do that by commenting here, sharing the link on social media, or telling me personally if you have the good fortune of my acquaintance.

lydia xx