Brooke Axtell Releases New Poetry Book 'Kore of the Incantation'

Brooke Axtell refuses to be silenced. As a survivor of rape and abuse, she has transformed her pain into a powerful message of hope. In her new book of poetry, "Kore of the Incantation", she explores gender violence, Goddess spirituality, women's rights and healing through the creative process.

Axtell's poetry has been hailed as "very forceful...extremely sophisticated and polyvalent" by renowned Beat poet Anne Waldman. Karen Subach, poet, fiction writer and Pushcart Prize nominee, says her poetry has "engaging passion...idiosyncratic, wild-woman details, an intriguing sense of woman emerging from stasis into true self."

Through her work with Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network (RAINN), the largest anti-sexual assault organization in the United States, Axtell raises awareness and guides others through recovery. "I want to help women reclaim their worth and power, so they can fulfill their creative dreams. It is my passion to see survivors of rape and abuse begin to value who they are and truly thrive," she says.

In her conversations as an advocate, Axtell encourages women to reconnect with their creative gifts. This has been essential for her own recovery. She says, "Sexual assault sends the message that our voices, our desires do not matter. Art is a sacred space for embracing the truth of our experience, so we can begin to heal."

She offers a different kind of healing guide, one that demonstrates the pain and beauty of struggling to live a meaningful life after the brutality of sexual violence. In "love letter to a survivor" she writes, "you are not a sickness to be cured, but a miracle & mystery unfolding."