New things grow and blossom in the spring, so what more fitting time than this to share my latest news! My new book, The Sorcerer Queen, has just gone off to the printer and is scheduled for release on August 28, 2018.

The Sorcerer Queen is a magical, medieval verse fairy tale about a kingdom cursed for nearly a century for an ancient crime. Now its aging king is determined to undo the curse before he dies, but every time he tries, great harm comes. For wrongs must be righted and lessons learned, and the king must face a mysterious, hidden adversary, known as "The Sorcerer Queen."
A young adult fantasy with the feel of a play, The Sorcerer Queen is also a spiritual allegory for all ages, a tale of waking up and making amends, of redemption and the power of love. It’s a story many years in the making, one of several that I’m working on that I call medieval tapestries of verse. I’ve illustrated it with pen and ink drawings and I am so excited to finally share it with everyone! Find out more in the coming months!
I’m also so happy to share other great news. The Alchemy of Illuminated Poetry®, which came out in June, 2017, has been selected as a Foreword-Indies Book of the Year award finalist in the Mind-Body-Spirit category! This is my only non-fiction book to-date, about the intuitive poetry process which I developed and teach. I begin all my days writing a poem as part of this process, before I go on to my latest book.

And what’s next? Perhaps a collection of long-lost Renaissance love poems? Stay tuned!
Very best wishes,
Xianna Michaels

The Sorcerer Queen is a magical, medieval verse fairy tale about a kingdom cursed for nearly a century for an ancient crime. Now its aging king is determined to undo the curse before he dies, but every time he tries, great harm comes. For wrongs must be righted and lessons learned, and the king must face a mysterious, hidden adversary, known as "The Sorcerer Queen."
A young adult fantasy with the feel of a play, The Sorcerer Queen is also a spiritual allegory for all ages, a tale of waking up and making amends, of redemption and the power of love. It’s a story many years in the making, one of several that I’m working on that I call medieval tapestries of verse. I’ve illustrated it with pen and ink drawings and I am so excited to finally share it with everyone! Find out more in the coming months!
I’m also so happy to share other great news. The Alchemy of Illuminated Poetry®, which came out in June, 2017, has been selected as a Foreword-Indies Book of the Year award finalist in the Mind-Body-Spirit category! This is my only non-fiction book to-date, about the intuitive poetry process which I developed and teach. I begin all my days writing a poem as part of this process, before I go on to my latest book.

And what’s next? Perhaps a collection of long-lost Renaissance love poems? Stay tuned!
Very best wishes,
Xianna Michaels

Dear Reader,
As many of you know, I launched my newest book, The Alchemy of Illuminated Poetry®—Seven Steps to Your Personal Gold, this past June. As summer draws to a close, I wanted to thank everyone for the interest and

delightful reception the book has received.
This is my outlier book in that it's about the process I developed of drawing and writing poetry for self-awareness and spiritual connection. It's been so gratifying to hear from readers who work the process and find that it does, indeed, help them access their intuitive right brains and come up with surprising insights and answers to dilemmas not available through their everyday, left-brain consciousness. The same thing always happens when I teach workshops in the process. Participants experience AHA moments and say things like, "Wow! Is THAT what's going on here? I had no idea!" So thank you all, and I wish you happy reading, drawing, writing and continued unexpected insights!
I always start my day doing this poetry process as well, and then I go to my work-in-progress. So I'd like to tell you a bit about my next project: a medieval verse fairy tale about a kingdom cursed for almost 100 years and the aging king who wants to undo the curse before he dies. In this he is thwarted by a mysterious sorceress who seems to have her tentacles everywhere. I'm in the revising and polishing stage now, and I'm working on the illustrations for the decorative initial letters and the chapter headings.
This story came to me many years ago and it's so exciting for me finally to be bringing it into fruition! It's for readers perhaps age 10 through adult, and can be read as a magical tale as well as a spiritual allegory. I can't wait to share it with everyone—I'll keep you posted on the upcoming publication date!

I have several other medieval tales in various stages of development, but meanwhile people from other times and places have been whispering to me, demanding attention. I find myself pulling off the road while driving so I can write down the snippets of their stories as they reveal them. All of which means that my carefully laid plans for the order in which I will bring my stories into the world may have to change. Updates to follow!
With warmest regards,
Xianna Michaels

delightful reception the book has received.
This is my outlier book in that it's about the process I developed of drawing and writing poetry for self-awareness and spiritual connection. It's been so gratifying to hear from readers who work the process and find that it does, indeed, help them access their intuitive right brains and come up with surprising insights and answers to dilemmas not available through their everyday, left-brain consciousness. The same thing always happens when I teach workshops in the process. Participants experience AHA moments and say things like, "Wow! Is THAT what's going on here? I had no idea!" So thank you all, and I wish you happy reading, drawing, writing and continued unexpected insights!
I always start my day doing this poetry process as well, and then I go to my work-in-progress. So I'd like to tell you a bit about my next project: a medieval verse fairy tale about a kingdom cursed for almost 100 years and the aging king who wants to undo the curse before he dies. In this he is thwarted by a mysterious sorceress who seems to have her tentacles everywhere. I'm in the revising and polishing stage now, and I'm working on the illustrations for the decorative initial letters and the chapter headings.
This story came to me many years ago and it's so exciting for me finally to be bringing it into fruition! It's for readers perhaps age 10 through adult, and can be read as a magical tale as well as a spiritual allegory. I can't wait to share it with everyone—I'll keep you posted on the upcoming publication date!

I have several other medieval tales in various stages of development, but meanwhile people from other times and places have been whispering to me, demanding attention. I find myself pulling off the road while driving so I can write down the snippets of their stories as they reveal them. All of which means that my carefully laid plans for the order in which I will bring my stories into the world may have to change. Updates to follow!
With warmest regards,
Xianna Michaels

I'm so excited to announce the launch of my new book, The Alchemy of Illuminated Poetry®—Seven Steps to Your Personal Gold. This is my outlier book, the only non-fiction book I've ever written.

It's a kind of meditative manual that guides the reader through an intuitive process that I developed through years of writing poetry as part of my own inner work.
Actually, I didn't know that I was developing a "process" at all. I was simply doing what came most naturally to me—make sense of my life through writing poetry. I had been doing this all my life. From the time I wrote my first poem at the age of eight, poetry was my primary medium for expressing delight, dealing with difficulty, recording events. Others kept diaries; I wrote poems. Eventually, they became a way of healing and of connecting with God.
But some years ago I realized I needed to go deeper to find answers that I could not access in my usual way. I had always loved the unexpected surprises that came from writing within poetic constraints, and now I discovered the wonder of drawing with my non-dominant (left) hand. So I drew and I wrote, and together these two practices yielded up a kind of magic. The left-handed drawings elicited words, the words formed themselves into poems, and I received answers I never expected, not from my rational left brain but from my intuitive right brain. I began to see changes in my thoughts and my life as a result of what I called my poem-mandalas, and the process became a daily practice for me.
I realized that this process is a form of spiritual alchemy, a tool for self-awareness and transformation, and my dear friend and calligraphy teacher, DeAnn Singh of Designing Letters in Los Angeles, encouraged me to teach it and eventually to write about it. The result is this book.
The book also introduces the reader to a new verse form that I developed, the Xoem®, a short, circular-shaped poem especially suited to intuitive work and the mandala drawings that are part of the process. I received registered trademark status for both the process of The Alchemy of Illuminated Poetry® and the Xoem® verse form, and will be launching a new series of workshops this summer.
So now I invite you to pick up a pen and join me on a journey through these Seven Steps that will allow you to express yourself creatively while gaining insights that may not be available to you in your normal waking, thinking state. I assure you that no artistic training nor memory of anything you learned about poetry in school is necessary. The book guides you in setting an intention to understand a problem or physical ailment, to resolve a dilemma, or simply to see something in a whole new light. You will enter the realm of your intuitive mind and create a poem and accompanying piece of art that can lead you to unexpected answers, enhanced self-awareness and, if you wish, connection with your inner, Higher Self.
I feel a deep passion to share this work because I know, from my own experience and that of my students, that it really does work. We truly can become the alchemists of our own lives and turn whatever we identify as the lead in our lives into our Personal Gold. I hope you will join me and experience for yourself the magic of The Alchemy of Illuminated Poetry®.

It's a kind of meditative manual that guides the reader through an intuitive process that I developed through years of writing poetry as part of my own inner work.
Actually, I didn't know that I was developing a "process" at all. I was simply doing what came most naturally to me—make sense of my life through writing poetry. I had been doing this all my life. From the time I wrote my first poem at the age of eight, poetry was my primary medium for expressing delight, dealing with difficulty, recording events. Others kept diaries; I wrote poems. Eventually, they became a way of healing and of connecting with God.
But some years ago I realized I needed to go deeper to find answers that I could not access in my usual way. I had always loved the unexpected surprises that came from writing within poetic constraints, and now I discovered the wonder of drawing with my non-dominant (left) hand. So I drew and I wrote, and together these two practices yielded up a kind of magic. The left-handed drawings elicited words, the words formed themselves into poems, and I received answers I never expected, not from my rational left brain but from my intuitive right brain. I began to see changes in my thoughts and my life as a result of what I called my poem-mandalas, and the process became a daily practice for me.
I realized that this process is a form of spiritual alchemy, a tool for self-awareness and transformation, and my dear friend and calligraphy teacher, DeAnn Singh of Designing Letters in Los Angeles, encouraged me to teach it and eventually to write about it. The result is this book.
The book also introduces the reader to a new verse form that I developed, the Xoem®, a short, circular-shaped poem especially suited to intuitive work and the mandala drawings that are part of the process. I received registered trademark status for both the process of The Alchemy of Illuminated Poetry® and the Xoem® verse form, and will be launching a new series of workshops this summer.
So now I invite you to pick up a pen and join me on a journey through these Seven Steps that will allow you to express yourself creatively while gaining insights that may not be available to you in your normal waking, thinking state. I assure you that no artistic training nor memory of anything you learned about poetry in school is necessary. The book guides you in setting an intention to understand a problem or physical ailment, to resolve a dilemma, or simply to see something in a whole new light. You will enter the realm of your intuitive mind and create a poem and accompanying piece of art that can lead you to unexpected answers, enhanced self-awareness and, if you wish, connection with your inner, Higher Self.
I feel a deep passion to share this work because I know, from my own experience and that of my students, that it really does work. We truly can become the alchemists of our own lives and turn whatever we identify as the lead in our lives into our Personal Gold. I hope you will join me and experience for yourself the magic of The Alchemy of Illuminated Poetry®.

Rhythm of the Rain

A handbook that aims to help readers discover spiritual truth through unconventional poetry composition.

This beautifully produced work from Michaels (Lily of the Valley, 2016, etc.) encourages one to embark on a modern-day, metaphorical version of the medieval alchemists’ quest to turn base metals into gold. One may refine oneself, the author says, to “attain one’s Personal Gold.” She breaks down the mechanics of this “mystical, magical, meditative process” into seven steps, which she says that a reader may unlock with an unexpected method: writing poetry with his or her non-dominant hand. Michaels claims that such untutored writing forces one to draw on the intuitive, emotional right side of the brain, using what she refers to as the “Prima Materia” of one’s creativity. In this way, she says, one may achieve a deeper understanding of self and, ultimately, a closer connection to God. In brisk, evocative prose, Michaels systematically lays out the details of each of the steps, such as “Self-Purification,” “Preparation,” and “Distillation,” even down to specifics of location and time of day. She knows that readers will be initially skeptical, especially considering how little success most people have in doing finely controlled work with their non-dominant hand: “how can anything of value come from what must surely be indecipherable squiggles?” she imagines such readers asking, but she assures them to trust in the process. Whether or not readers achieve any success with its method, the book’s romantically charged language about poetry and personal investment is extremely contagious and oddly encouraging. Overall, it’s an effective invitation to write and explore one’s creativity: “You are the alchemist of your life,” she writes in a typically upbeat passage, “and your laboratory awaits.” The consistent messages of self-discovery and patience will appeal to many readers, regardless of their alchemical disposition.
A colorfully written guide to entering the “Inner Sanctum” of one’s creativity.
Read the full review here at Kirkus Reviews.

This beautifully produced work from Michaels (Lily of the Valley, 2016, etc.) encourages one to embark on a modern-day, metaphorical version of the medieval alchemists’ quest to turn base metals into gold. One may refine oneself, the author says, to “attain one’s Personal Gold.” She breaks down the mechanics of this “mystical, magical, meditative process” into seven steps, which she says that a reader may unlock with an unexpected method: writing poetry with his or her non-dominant hand. Michaels claims that such untutored writing forces one to draw on the intuitive, emotional right side of the brain, using what she refers to as the “Prima Materia” of one’s creativity. In this way, she says, one may achieve a deeper understanding of self and, ultimately, a closer connection to God. In brisk, evocative prose, Michaels systematically lays out the details of each of the steps, such as “Self-Purification,” “Preparation,” and “Distillation,” even down to specifics of location and time of day. She knows that readers will be initially skeptical, especially considering how little success most people have in doing finely controlled work with their non-dominant hand: “how can anything of value come from what must surely be indecipherable squiggles?” she imagines such readers asking, but she assures them to trust in the process. Whether or not readers achieve any success with its method, the book’s romantically charged language about poetry and personal investment is extremely contagious and oddly encouraging. Overall, it’s an effective invitation to write and explore one’s creativity: “You are the alchemist of your life,” she writes in a typically upbeat passage, “and your laboratory awaits.” The consistent messages of self-discovery and patience will appeal to many readers, regardless of their alchemical disposition.
A colorfully written guide to entering the “Inner Sanctum” of one’s creativity.
Read the full review here at Kirkus Reviews.

This is a master class experience on the art and science of illustrated poetry.

Xianna Michaels’s The Alchemy of Illuminated Poetry® is a surprising and successful hybrid of poetry and prose that serves as a meditative experience. A deeply personal yet universal outline, the book is unconventional in the best sense of the word.
As explained here, illuminated poetry is the term for illustrated poetry, and alchemy “simply means the art of transformation.” Through seven different steps, Michaels presents a guide to what she calls “poem-mandalas,” drawings and poetry that she makes with her left, non-dominant hand. The process is like “spiritual alchemy,” which she says “is above all about inner transformation.”
The lessons begin with the presentation of “Prima Materia,” or a personal moment or concept that has meaning to the practitioner and also serves as the foundational core of the work. Michaels suggests writing down a prima materia each day and working to simply observe as the poetry “spills out of you.”
Michaels jumps into the process by instructing with the universal “we” and “us,” bridging the gap between teacher and students. This creates seasoned, easy-to-understand language to help guide newcomers through the complex topics covered in the book.
Throughout the seven steps, amid a game plan for transcendent and visionary poetry, Michaels shares a series of “Facets.” The facets are small historical or logistical anecdotes that provide the collection of lessons with a loose narrative presence.
Whether through a mini-biography of Maria Prophetissa or a brief contemplation of the limitations of time, the facets are another testament to the book’s intention to educate and enlighten, more than anything else.
Michaels provides samples of personal poems and mandalas and even builds up to an innovative verse of her own creation, “Xoem.” This blend between the personal and professional provides the ultimate teaching experience and helps connect each step that is needed to create illuminated poetry.
In the seventh and final step, “Personal Gold,” Michaels draws on a popular alchemy ideal: “The alchemists’ quest to turn lead into gold, though certainly pursued by many, was also a metaphor for refinement of the self to attain one’s Personal Gold.”
As the book constantly reinforces, this lead-to-gold transformation is the product of continuous practice and an eternal curiosity.
With The Alchemy of Illuminated Poetry®, Xianna Michaels has created a master class experience on the art and science of illustrated poetry. The intricate brown-and-gold packaging is reason enough to pick up the book, but the written and illustrated artwork within is what makes this such an intriguing read.
Read the full review here at Foreword Reviews.

Xianna Michaels’s The Alchemy of Illuminated Poetry® is a surprising and successful hybrid of poetry and prose that serves as a meditative experience. A deeply personal yet universal outline, the book is unconventional in the best sense of the word.
As explained here, illuminated poetry is the term for illustrated poetry, and alchemy “simply means the art of transformation.” Through seven different steps, Michaels presents a guide to what she calls “poem-mandalas,” drawings and poetry that she makes with her left, non-dominant hand. The process is like “spiritual alchemy,” which she says “is above all about inner transformation.”
The lessons begin with the presentation of “Prima Materia,” or a personal moment or concept that has meaning to the practitioner and also serves as the foundational core of the work. Michaels suggests writing down a prima materia each day and working to simply observe as the poetry “spills out of you.”
Michaels jumps into the process by instructing with the universal “we” and “us,” bridging the gap between teacher and students. This creates seasoned, easy-to-understand language to help guide newcomers through the complex topics covered in the book.
Throughout the seven steps, amid a game plan for transcendent and visionary poetry, Michaels shares a series of “Facets.” The facets are small historical or logistical anecdotes that provide the collection of lessons with a loose narrative presence.
Whether through a mini-biography of Maria Prophetissa or a brief contemplation of the limitations of time, the facets are another testament to the book’s intention to educate and enlighten, more than anything else.
Michaels provides samples of personal poems and mandalas and even builds up to an innovative verse of her own creation, “Xoem.” This blend between the personal and professional provides the ultimate teaching experience and helps connect each step that is needed to create illuminated poetry.
In the seventh and final step, “Personal Gold,” Michaels draws on a popular alchemy ideal: “The alchemists’ quest to turn lead into gold, though certainly pursued by many, was also a metaphor for refinement of the self to attain one’s Personal Gold.”
As the book constantly reinforces, this lead-to-gold transformation is the product of continuous practice and an eternal curiosity.
With The Alchemy of Illuminated Poetry®, Xianna Michaels has created a master class experience on the art and science of illustrated poetry. The intricate brown-and-gold packaging is reason enough to pick up the book, but the written and illustrated artwork within is what makes this such an intriguing read.
Read the full review here at Foreword Reviews.

I've spoken previously about trying to write a Xoem® a day as part of my daily morning Alchemy of Illuminated Poetry®  practice. One of the things I do by way of this practice is to explore the mind-body connection.

A while back I jammed my fingers into the walls of my house three times in two days. Three times really captured my attention. One time might be an accident; two might be coincidence. But three, as far as I was concerned, must be some sort of message. And so with my fingers still throbbing, I set pen to paper to figure out what this meant, before I actually broke one of them!

Here's the drawing I did with my left hand, and the cautionary, completely unexpected words that emerged:
Devil in the Details

Fingers slammed,
Derailed by small concerns.
The major ones I leave to God,
But details are my lightening rod.
Body throbs and burns—
Signals jammed.

A while back I jammed my fingers into the walls of my house three times in two days. Three times really captured my attention. One time might be an accident; two might be coincidence. But three, as far as I was concerned, must be some sort of message. And so with my fingers still throbbing, I set pen to paper to figure out what this meant, before I actually broke one of them!

Here's the drawing I did with my left hand, and the cautionary, completely unexpected words that emerged:
Devil in the Details

Fingers slammed,
Derailed by small concerns.
The major ones I leave to God,
But details are my lightening rod.
Body throbs and burns—
Signals jammed.

We all experience difficulty in our lives. I wrote this Xoem® as part of The Alchemy of Illuminated Poetry® process in the midst of pain.

It reminded me that there is always another way of seeing things. And though I may not be able to change the pain itself, I can change my experience of it. And that can make all the difference.
And Simply Drinks

Flowers bow
Beneath the driving rain,
But one looks up and simply drinks.
This, too, is for the good, she thinks.
She's not immune to pain
But thrives, somehow.

It reminded me that there is always another way of seeing things. And though I may not be able to change the pain itself, I can change my experience of it. And that can make all the difference.
And Simply Drinks

Flowers bow
Beneath the driving rain,
But one looks up and simply drinks.
This, too, is for the good, she thinks.
She's not immune to pain
But thrives, somehow.

April is National Poetry Month, which to me is wonderful because it brings the joys of poetry into more people's awareness and experience. For me reading as well as writing poetry has been a daily lifelong practice.

From the time I wrote my first poem at the age of eight, poetry has been my primary medium for recording and processing my life. Others kept diaries; I wrote poems. Eventually, it became a way of healing and connecting with G-d.
And somewhere along the way, without even realizing I was doing it, I created a seven-step process that uses poetic constraints and the technique of drawing with the non-dominant hand to create poem-mandalas that yield unexpected insights and spiritual connection. I began teaching the process and wrote my new book, The Alchemy of Illuminated Poetry®—Seven Steps to Your Personal Gold, to share it with a wider audience.
I use it as a daily meditative practice and try to write a poem a day. As the title implies, the process is based on an alchemical model. It is metaphorical, spiritual alchemy. It's about transformation. Writing these poems has, indeed, proved transformational for me as well as for many of my students. But there is also the element of sheer delight. And that is what I think National Poetry Month is about: the sheer delight of writing and reading poetry.
We can write our own poems and smile broadly when one finally clicks into place. All the words fit; some unexpected insight emerges, a deeper layer of meaning, a new way of looking at something. In the same way we can read favorite poems over and over and find that each time there is some new image to be found, some new metaphor to ponder. Or we can discover new poets and poems we have never encountered before. Each one has nuggets of gold to be mined. And of course, in The Alchemy of Illuminated Poetry® process, we create our own Personal Gold, allowing it to emerge out of whatever we define as the lead in our lives.
Reading and writing poetry can be an adventure, a spiritual journey, a delightful respite from our otherwise hectic, demanding lives. Happy National Poetry Month!

From the time I wrote my first poem at the age of eight, poetry has been my primary medium for recording and processing my life. Others kept diaries; I wrote poems. Eventually, it became a way of healing and connecting with G-d.
And somewhere along the way, without even realizing I was doing it, I created a seven-step process that uses poetic constraints and the technique of drawing with the non-dominant hand to create poem-mandalas that yield unexpected insights and spiritual connection. I began teaching the process and wrote my new book, The Alchemy of Illuminated Poetry®—Seven Steps to Your Personal Gold, to share it with a wider audience.
I use it as a daily meditative practice and try to write a poem a day. As the title implies, the process is based on an alchemical model. It is metaphorical, spiritual alchemy. It's about transformation. Writing these poems has, indeed, proved transformational for me as well as for many of my students. But there is also the element of sheer delight. And that is what I think National Poetry Month is about: the sheer delight of writing and reading poetry.
We can write our own poems and smile broadly when one finally clicks into place. All the words fit; some unexpected insight emerges, a deeper layer of meaning, a new way of looking at something. In the same way we can read favorite poems over and over and find that each time there is some new image to be found, some new metaphor to ponder. Or we can discover new poets and poems we have never encountered before. Each one has nuggets of gold to be mined. And of course, in The Alchemy of Illuminated Poetry® process, we create our own Personal Gold, allowing it to emerge out of whatever we define as the lead in our lives.
Reading and writing poetry can be an adventure, a spiritual journey, a delightful respite from our otherwise hectic, demanding lives. Happy National Poetry Month!

What exactly is a Xoem®? I wrote a pamphlet called, "A Xoem a Day Keeps the Spirit in Play", and I do try to write one a day. It's a unique, six-line, circular-shaped verse form which I developed and love to use as part of my intuitive

morning writing process. It can be composed on its own or along with a mandala drawing. I'll be introducing the Xoem in my new book, The Alchemy of Illuminated Poetry®, which will be published in June, 2017.
Xoem® is pronounced "zō-ĕm," has eighteen accented syllables and rhymes abccba. It's fun and challenging to write, and has a habit of yielding unexpected insights and surprising conclusions.
Here's an example of one I wrote in a peaceful moment one morning in my garden. I thought I would just be writing about the pleasure to be found beneath my palm trees. Instead the Xoem reminded me that life will always bring surprises, some not so pleasant. A touch of whimsy helps, as does acceptance.
Oasis

The palm trees sway.
A welcome breeze comes through.
I sit nearby and let them shade me
And feel a sense of peace pervade me.
Rats like palm trees, too,
Or so they say.

morning writing process. It can be composed on its own or along with a mandala drawing. I'll be introducing the Xoem in my new book, The Alchemy of Illuminated Poetry®, which will be published in June, 2017.
Xoem® is pronounced "zō-ĕm," has eighteen accented syllables and rhymes abccba. It's fun and challenging to write, and has a habit of yielding unexpected insights and surprising conclusions.
Here's an example of one I wrote in a peaceful moment one morning in my garden. I thought I would just be writing about the pleasure to be found beneath my palm trees. Instead the Xoem reminded me that life will always bring surprises, some not so pleasant. A touch of whimsy helps, as does acceptance.
Oasis

The palm trees sway.
A welcome breeze comes through.
I sit nearby and let them shade me
And feel a sense of peace pervade me.
Rats like palm trees, too,
Or so they say.