Tecumseh author topping Amazon’s new release list in American and Asian American poetry

TECUMSEH — There’s an author in Tecumseh who has been topping the Amazon new releases lists in American poetry and Asian American poetry.

“Big Feels: I Feel Too Much” comes from local author Kyoko W. P., which is her pen name.

“The name Kyoko actually belonged to my great aunt. My father always told me she was one of his favorite aunts and that he wanted to name me after her. So it is kind of an homage to him. He passed away in 2003,” Kyoko said in an email. She was shy and did not want to do a telephone interview.

She said that she wanted to use a pen name to be considerate of her children’s privacy.

“As they get older, they can decide how exposed they are and how their story is told,” Kyoko said.

The poems in the book are about nature, love, motherhood, grief, trauma, mental health, chronic illness and the beauty in life, Kyoko said.

Kyoko has a chronic illness that causes her many problems of which she does not detail, but even writing an email at times can be daunting due to migraine headaches.

“I prefer not to go into detail, but I have number of issues the cause me chronic pain and limit my mobility,” Kyoko said, indicating that her illness has informed her poetry. “I would say a good mix of my poems are about my health journey. Also being sick in bed at home the last year really drove me to use my outlet of writing to help me cope.”

Her book placed as Amazon's No. 1 new release in American poetry and Asian American poetry and ranked 33rd in women’s poetry its first week. It returned to the No. 1 spot in Asian American poetry last week.

So what does Kyoko want people to get out of her poetry?

“I write for me as therapy. And if you feel it too, then I write for you. I want people to feel seen. I want people to know they are not alone in their intense emotions and feelings. I want people to be able to see their emotions expressed through words. And I want people to find strength,” Kyoko said.

Kyoko has been writing her whole life.

“Growing up, writing was always a source of comfort and creativity. And I have decided to pick it back up again as an outlet to express all of my big feelings and explore creativity,” Kyoko said.

She said it feels surreal to be published and she couldn’t imagine the success she’s had not even a few of months ago.

Her audience is “Anyone who is human. Anyone who has experienced love, pain, struggle, motherhood… there is literally something for everyone,” she said.

And her audience has given her overwhelming support.

“My book has been embraced with such kindness, understanding and love. It not only lets me know that I am not alone in my experiences, but it also lets the reader know they’re not alone either,” Kyoko said.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Tecumseh author Kyoko W.P. topping Amazon poetry lists