There’s a reason I write from the fire.

Not the cozy kind that warms your hands — but the kind that scorches, purifies, and leaves you staring at the ashes wondering what’s left of you.

I’ve learned that poetry isn’t just art. It’s survival. It’s how I’ve stitched myself back together after betrayal, grief, and the quiet ache of being misunderstood. Every line I write is a reclamation — of voice, of worth, of sacred space.

When I wrote The Phoenix and the Pyre, I wasn’t trying to be brave. I was trying to breathe. I was trying to tell the truth without apologizing for how loud or soft it sounded. And somehow, in that process, I found others who whispered, “Me too.”

That’s why I created Pyre and Petal Press. That’s why I built AnthroPoetica. Not just to publish books or sell merch — but to create a space where survivors, seekers, and flamekeepers could see themselves reflected and respected.

So if you’re here, reading this — thank you. You are part of this fire. You are part of this rising.

Let’s keep burning beautifully. Together.

With love and feathers, Melaine Harvey Founder, Pyre and Petal Press @AnthroPoetica | @MelaineHarvey