K Roselyn Miachieo's debut book 'The Morphing Years' released

• KOHIMA — ‘The Morphing Years’, the debut book of K Roselyn Miachieo, was formally released at The Common Room in Kohima on Tuesday, marking PenThrill’s 103rd publication.
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• Adenuo Shirat Luikham, assistant professor in the department of English at Don Bosco College, Kohima, released the book — a collection of 26 poems written over five to six years, starting when the author was 18 years old.
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• Miachieo, who turned 25 on Tuesday, said she found living the dream her 18-year-old self held onto for so long. She added that the collection is a small part of her but very dear to her heart.
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  Roselyn Miachieo (second from left) along with others during the release of her debut book at The Common Room, Kohima, on Tuesday. (EM images)

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• "When I started writing this collection in college, nearly five or six years ago, I revisited a lot of places and people that I came across who moved me to write something, whether the experience was good or bad. I believe for most of us who write, there is quite a need to document emotions and feelings in words because sometimes the things we harbour in our hearts are too heavy to be said and voiced in day-to-day conversations," the author noted.
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• She named the collection ‘The Morphing Years’ because it lightly condenses her formative years. She explained that it covers a range of experiences, from self-deprecation to self-tolerance, feeling joyfully insignificant in the face of nature and coping with the loss of her father to finding comfort in friendship, falling in love with writing, healing from trauma, and navigating life as the daughter of a single mother.
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• The author hopes that through her book, readers will find a safe space to be seen, to be heard, and to heal.
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• Releasing the book, Luikham noted that writing and sending it out to the world is daunting because authors give so much of themselves to be judged and criticised, showing a vulnerability they would not even share with their nearest and dearest.

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• She recalled the author sharing with her the anxieties about allowing the world to read her poems. "I think this is an anxiety that all writers experience somewhere along the journey of going from creating to publishing," Luikham went on to add.
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• Publisher of PenThrill Publication House, Vishü Rita Krocha, noted that Nagas are known for hospitality and generosity, but there are times when this can also get excessive and overwhelming.
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• Krocha said that people are so used to giving generously that they sometimes overdo it, especially during programmes and events involving VIPs. She felt that the same treatment is given to books, which are, in fact, very precious resources that should not be parted with easily.
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• She added that unless it is for a cause or for those who genuinely wish to read a book but cannot afford it, the culture of giving books away for free must be stopped. When books are given away for free, it contributes to making them seem less valuable.
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• In the context of Nagaland, books are the least sought-after items in the market. She pointed out that if books are given away for free during programmes that have more potential to sell copies than bookstores, it will continue to reinforce the idea that books are not of much value.
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• Theyiesinuo Keditsu, assistant professor in the department of English at Kohima College, poet, folklorist, and lyricist, stated in her foreword to the book that Miachieo's poems reveal a literary voice coming to terms with trauma inflicted by family and society.