Taking quite a few pages from his own life story, Matt Anderson was keen to share what wisdom he'd found in faith with readers through his poetry.
To polish the poems he'd worked on in order to inspire readers at any point in their life's struggles, whether they are still working through them or trying to make sense of coming out the other side. He wanted to make sure he conveyed the hope and grace of a God who sees us through any trials by allowing his poems to find their brightest way within a new collection.
With a clear and inspired sense of the role faith had played in his own life, Matt Anderson had a collection of poems inspired by personal trials he'd overcome. Mixing raw, honest emotions with moments of reflection, he already had a solid foundation for a life changing book!
Matt already had faith in the truth of his own story and the power behind divine love, but he also trusted Tell Tell Poetry to help the collection truly reflect his journey. Experimenting with how to create a compelling arc was a crucial part of the project and swept the poems into both light and dark camps which helped the reader understand each poem within the context of a greater thematic emotional arc. Many people go through hardships, but the job of the poet is to shape those trials into verse that gets at the hearts and minds of readers and shows them the way out. Through a collaborative critique process, Matt dug into his work to make sure each line was working towards reaching those readers.
Matt already had a great idea of what he wanted for the cover, so after looking at a selection of past Tell Tell Poetry books for inspiration, we were able to craft a strong design with a classic image. As Matt perfected his poems, we went to work designing a black cover with a lit lamp post in the background illuminating the title. We went for a subdued and illustrative effect which allows the book to feel at home with other works of faith.
Because we wanted to make sure the book was seen in its best light, we also had fun creating some unique marketing images for the project which played on the work’s themes of light and darkness.