poems for questioning sanity: i am not a reliable narrator

by Maple Frankie Koni

If you want a reliable narrator, I can reliably go elsewhere.

This is a chapbook of poems that tell you not to trust the author and ultimately yourself.

Maple Frankie Koni is a writer who didn't trust herself for a long time because she is schizophrenic, with a personality disorder and had PTSD. She was diagnosed with the precursors of schizophrenia at age twelve and started writing poetry as a way to cope.

Every poem in the collection starts with the i am not a reliable narrator...

The question is how does a solid telling of a story in poetic verse become more reliable. Is it from the shedding of diagnoses? A spurt of self confidence? Or by making sure others are questioning their narrative too?

Find out in, "poems for questioning i am not a reliable narrator."

26 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 18, 2025

Reviews

[Baneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maple Frankie Koni’s ‘poems for questioning sanity’ made me feel seen! I do not have the same diagnosis as Maple, but so many lines were completely relatable as someone who also has mental health issues. It put words and metaphors to feelings and thoughts that I had never had words for before. One of my favorite lines in the poems is “the story lays in bed and refuses to write.” It had me laughing, as did many other lines in the book.
This book is a great place to start if you are looking to get into poetry as well as for seasoned creatives.