The Evolution of My Smile. This item is unavailable.The Evolution of My Smile

For anyone in need of healing — and truly, aren’t we all — this book is a gift. Monique’s words open the heart and stir the soul, reminding us of our shared humanity, our connection to one another, and the dualities that shape the human experience. In one poem, she writes, “words are magic,” and throughout this collection, her words feel nothing short of magical.

—Sheila Patel, MD, author, physician, and Ayurvedic educator

From heartbreak to acceptance, Monique Richardson traces the quiet arc of a life reclaimed. These poems breathe in the space between holding on and letting go — raw, precise, and lit from within. The Evolution of My Smile is for anyone who has ever had to discover themselves twice.

—Alicia M. Rodriguez, author, The Shaman’s Wife and Between Root and Sky

Every now and then, you come across someone who says what you are feeling in the deepest netherworlds of your heart. She whispers messages you didn’t know you needed and affirms thoughts you never knew existed in the corners and hidden places in your mind. Monique Rardin Richardson has created a magical world where thought, words, heart, and something greater live. The Evolution of My Smile will live in your heart, and I assure you that you will linger on the pages and return to them again and again as you journey through life.

—Amanda Soler, Founder, SolFul Living and Host, the SolFul Connections Podcast

How does one trace the evolution of a smile? Through a blown kiss never let go of? Through a heart given to a lone wolf? A history confused with love? Monique Rardin Richardson’s confessions of the heart lead the reader to one’s own labyrinth of memories in lucid poems that speak to our humanity.

—Rafael Jesús González, first Poet Laureate Emeritus of Berkeley, California