{"id":8480,"date":"2025-09-07T20:15:07","date_gmt":"2025-09-07T20:15:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/8480\/"},"modified":"2025-09-07T20:15:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-07T20:15:07","slug":"author-kelsey-green-reflects-on-i-was-born-sick-healing-journeys-and-whats-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/8480\/","title":{"rendered":"Author Kelsey Green Reflects On “I Was Born Sick,” Healing Journeys, And What’s Next"},"content":{"rendered":"

We spoke with the East Coast writer about life since the success of her first self-published book,\u00a0the most important step in a person\u2019s healing journey, how young queer writers can find their voice, and what\u2019s coming next\u2026<\/p>\n

Kelsey Green is a 20-year-old self-published lesbian author who has won wide acclaim since the release of her first poetry book \u201cI Was Born Sick<\/a>.\u201d Written at 17 for queer youth and allies, \u201cI Was Born Sick\u201d features five distinct chapters of moving poetry about romance, homophobia, heartbreak, self-love and acceptance, activism, and other struggles that many queer youths face.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Green, who resides in Newfoundland and Labrador, is currently in University studying Psychology at Grenfell Campus at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN), and is finishing up her second book \u201cConvalescence,\u201d which is set to expand on the original story from \u201cI Was Born Sick.\u201d This second upcoming installment of poetry focuses on themes like romance, homophobia, heartbreak, mental health struggles, divorce, and intimate partner violence, both physical and emotional. It\u2019s a powerful story of healing from the past, a story that Green hopes will help bring awareness to these issues within the queer community and remind others that they aren\u2019t alone.<\/p>\n

We sat down with Green shortly after Lab West Pride this summer and talked about her life since the success of her first self-published book,\u00a0the most important step in a person\u2019s healing journey, how young queer writers can find their voice, what\u2019s coming next, and much more.<\/p>\n

What sparked the inspiration for \u201cI Was Born Sick\u201d?
\u201cI Was Born Sick\u201d was inspired by life experiences. When I was in high school, I experienced a traumatic breakup due to an ex-girlfriend\u2019s homophobic parents. This situation really affected me on so many levels, so I began writing as a way to cope. I can\u2019t remember when exactly, but at some point it clicked that I\u2019m not the only person to experience a situation like this. So I began working on \u201cI Was Born Sick\u201d to remind others that they aren\u2019t alone. It was also a way to raise awareness about the very real existence of homophobia, and the impacts it has on LGBTQ+ people, but youth and teenagers more specifically. When I first published it, I honestly didn\u2019t think many people would read it, but I remember telling myself that if one person read it and it helped them, I\u2019ve done my job.<\/p>\n

\"AuthorABOVE: Green\u2019s book of poetry \u201cI Was Born Sick\u201d<\/p>\n

The book is structured into distinct sections. Can you talk about the significance of these sections and how they contribute to the overall narrative arc of your collection?
The chapters in \u201cI Was Born Sick\u201d are Young and in Love, Helpless and Heartbroken, Encourage and Empower, You are Enough, and I Was Born Sick. Each of these chapters are interpretations of lived experiences, and they take the reader through intense emotions. In Young and in Love, I talk about the journey of finding yourself and being in love, and then in Helpless and Heartbroken, I talk about the pain of having that love ripped away in an instant. Then, in Encourage and Empower, I focus on bringing important issues to the forefront and how we can use our stories and our voices to make change, even if just on a small scale. In You are Enough, I reflect on my experiences of loving who I am, and throughout this chapter, I encourage others to do the same. The final chapter, I Was Born Sick, reflects on a few experiences that are relevant to homophobia, especially in more rural communities. Some are my own, and some are things I\u2019ve read about online. I added this at the end to remind the reader of the real issue at hand \u2014 the persistence of homophobia.<\/p>\n

Your second book \u201cConvalescence\u201d is on the way\u2026 Can you tell us how it expands on the original story from \u201cI Was Born Sick\u201d?
\u201cConvalescence\u201d expands on the original story from \u201cI Was Born Sick\u201d by giving the reader a more in-depth account of the events that were inspired by lived experiences. At one of the schools I presented in, I had a teacher tell me that I should expand on \u201cI Was Born Sick,\u201d so that\u2019s what originally sparked the idea. \u201cConvalescence\u201d focuses on other aspects of my life, too, from before and after the events of \u201cI Was Born Sick.\u201d The chapters in \u201cConvalescence\u201d are Long Ago, Infinity, Denial, Anger, Grief, Acceptance, Infinity II, and Growth. The themes focused on are: divorce during childhood, abuse (emotional and sexual), romance, homophobia, heartbreak, depression, personal growth and healing, finding yourself, and breaking unhealthy cycles.<\/p>\n

When will \u201cConvalescence\u201d be released?
\u201cConvalescence\u201d will be released very soon! I don\u2019t have an exact date yet, but you can connect with me on\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0to pre-order a signed copy!<\/p>\n

\"AuthorABOVE: A look at Green\u2019s upcoming book of poetry \u201cConvalescence\u201d<\/p>\n

What is the most important step in a person\u2019s healing journey?
I think one of the most important steps is realizing you have healing to do in the first place. If a person doesn\u2019t recognize that they need to grow, growth isn\u2019t possible. But when you recognize an opportunity for growth, then you have a choice \u2014 to do the hard work, or to abandon the best and healthiest version of yourself. There is still a lot of stigma that exists around seeing a mental health professional, and even just the topic of mental health and mental illness. As someone who has been in therapy a lot ever since I was a young child, I can say that it definitely helps, but it is a long process \u2014 you don\u2019t see changes overnight. Oftentimes, people see a counsellor and they don\u2019t have a good experience, or they just don\u2019t connect well, so they stop going and give up all hope. Unfortunately, finding a therapist that works for you is a trial and error process. I have seen many during my short 20 years of life \u2014 some didn\u2019t work out, but others did and have helped me immensely. It\u2019s truly a journey \u2014 not an easy one, but most definitely a necessary one. I think reducing the stigma around therapy is important, and I think we can do that by letting others know that there is nothing to be ashamed of, that there are other people out there that know what you\u2019re going through, and that getting help is a sign of strength, not weakness.<\/p>\n

In your experience, what is it like to be queer in a small, rural community?
My town isn\u2019t nearly as small as some of the other towns in my province, but compared to big cities like Toronto or Montreal, it is very, very different being queer in smaller and more rural communities. In my experience, finding someone who is \u201cmy type\u201d has been challenging \u2014 lesbians have preferences too, just like straight people! When you\u2019re queer in a small town, you often don\u2019t get the luxury of having a wide selection of people to meet. Straight people in my town sometimes talk about how hard it is to find a partner, and it really puts it into perspective how small the dating pool is already. If you\u2019re queer, then the dating pool is even smaller.\u00a0Age gaps are another thing I\u2019ve heard 2SLGBTQIA+ people talk about \u2014 different scenarios of meeting someone at a bar who\u2019s \u201cyour type,\u201d but then finding out they\u2019re 10 years older\/younger than you and in a totally different stage of life. It can be even more challenging to meet people if you aren\u2019t a bar-goer (like myself) \u2014 there is no cafe-like space that\u2019s open all year round for queer people in my town of Corner Brook, let alone a bar. Dating apps exist, but the same problems persist \u2014 age gaps, distance, and not finding \u201cyour type\u201d because there\u2019s so few of us. In saying all of this though, I have recently met someone local. I won\u2019t say too much, but I will say that I have a good feeling about it. Remember \u2014 just when you think romance doesn\u2019t exist, it finds you when you least expect it.<\/p>\n

What advice would you give to other young writers who are looking to find their voice and share their stories?
If you\u2019re a young writer, you have a gift, and I think you should use it. Whether you like to write fictional stories or personal accounts, writing is a talent, and talents should be put to good use. It can be challenging to overcome the initial anxiety of putting yourself out there, but once you do, you\u2019ll be able to make connections you never thought were possible. If you don\u2019t want to publish right away, that\u2019s okay too! Start small by sharing your work with friends and family, or do a reading with a local library to test the waters. Whatever you decide to do, I will always recommend putting yourself out there in some way \u2014 you never know who your work might help.<\/p>\n

What do you want people to know about you that they might not already know?
I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) when I was 16 or 17, but I know without a doubt I\u2019ve had anxiety since I was a child. I\u2019m also a highly sensitive individual \u2014 I feel emotions very strongly, sometimes to an overwhelming degree, and it\u2019s been that way ever since I was a child. Having anxiety and also being highly tuned into your own emotions (and the emotions of others) can be incredibly draining, but I\u2019ve found many ways to ground myself and channel my emotions into something I can work with, like writing! I think that\u2019s one of the main reasons I write \u2014 to process my thoughts and emotions into something I can make sense of.<\/p>\n

Anything else that you would like to share with us?
The topics discussed in my books can be very heavy, and in some circumstances triggering, so please keep this in mind when purchasing and reading them. I have resources included in \u201cConvalescence,\u201d as well as a trigger warning, and I encourage readers to put the book down if they feel triggered and to do something safe to take their mind off it, or to go to the chapters Acceptance and\/or Growth to uplift them. Your mental wellbeing is extremely important, so just be mindful of how you\u2019re feeling and proceed accordingly. While my writing can focus on some pretty terrible themes, one very positive one persists \u2014 despite all of it, I am still here. I am still breathing, fighting, growing, thriving, learning, and exploring. My hope is that my story can encourage others to keep going, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cI Was Born Sick\u201d by Kelsey Green is available now\u00a0on Amazon.ca<\/a>. Watch for Green\u2019s upcoming book of poetry \u201cConvalescence\u201d in the near future, which will also be available on Amazon.<\/p>\n

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