Poetry That Finds Intimacy With The Reader

Every Word You Cannot Say by Iain Thomas

The man whose poetry has attracted a celebrity following including Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey, Tom and Rita Hanks, Harry Styles, Ariana Huffington and Khloe Kardashian is out this month with his new, highly anticipated work. Every Word You Cannot Say (Andrews McMeel Publishing) by Iain Thomas explores loss, growth and self-love, and is the first wholly original book of poetry he has written in several years. A previous book of poems, I Wrote This For You, found an impressive worldwide fan base. His work was read at a recent commemoration for victims of terrorism in the United Kingdom, with Prince Charles and other dignitaries in attendance. A hallmark of Thomas’ technique, each poem is written directly to the reader, creating intimacy and empowering them to speak the truths that are the hardest to say to themselves. The intention is that each individual finds every word they were looking for. In a recent Q&A with BookTrib, Thomas explained that he wanted to try something different from his earlier work, and that the time was right. “It takes a long time and a lot of experimentation to create something different,” he said. “And I think, looking out at the world right now from here, everything seems so divided, and at war with itself. I wanted to make something that spoke to the divide inside of us and the divide across the planet. This seemed like the best time to do that.” Thomas’ poems have a way of connecting so they seem written directly to his audience. “All my writing is a way for me to defeat a kind of loneliness I think we all feel, something that’s fundamentally human.” “When I write, I’m trying to describe something I’ve experienced or something I’ve felt, and writing it down and putting it out into the world is a way for me to hold up my hand and say, ‘I’ve felt this, have you felt this? And if people have felt what I’ve felt, something that I thought was completely unique to me, something I thought that only I was struggling with, then I as the writer and the person reading both feel a little less alone in the world.” Thomas also happens to be a professional creative director. He’s a champion for innovative design and communication for his clients, which have included Nike, Levi’s, Johnny Walker, The Design Indaba, MTN, Apple and more, from Los Angeles, to Amsterdam, to Johannesburg, to Cape Town. His work has spanned everything from monuments to biodegradable posters. “I’m not sure I ever set out to write poetry. It’s such a loaded word. I set out to write something that would connect with people, and I happen to be drawn to writing short fragments of text. I’ve felt a sense of isolation and alienation for a lot of my life, of feeling different, and my writing is a way to overcome that and to connect with people all over the world. At some point, I think because Barnes & Noble needed to know which shelf to put it on, people started calling it poetry.” Naturally, he hopes his work resonates with people and can make a difference in their lives. “I want people to know that they’re not alone, and that even if it doesn’t always feel like it, there is a kind voice in their head that wants them to listen to it,” he said. Every Word You Cannot Say is available for purchase.