Laurelin Vaire’s distinct poetic voice comes to life in a fever dream of imagery illustrated by Don Phüry. The central character of THE BEAST INSIDE AND I is whisked away in the dead of night where she and a mysterious beast embark on a surreal, sometimes violent, and ultimately, transformative journey of self-discovery, through a landscape where space and time are of no consequence and anything is possible. 

Letterforms fade into the imagery and transform back again in a seamless flow where each element enhances the other, like the twin iridescent, colored wings of a butterfly rising in the sunlight. The visual and written components of this 52 page, sepia-toned “graphic poem” would not be possible if words and visuals were released independently of one another.

It is my strong belief that the social utility of poetry has, by-in-large, been under appreciated in recent history and my sincerest hope that the novelty of this new format, the “graphic poem” will expose readers to the transcendent nature of poetry that may otherwise go ignored or overlooked in the pages of a more traditional volume.