Last Pieces, by Hazel Rain

Prose, chapbook, 20 pages, from Bottlecap Features.

Last Pieces is a story about the weight of the world, and the way mental health struggles are not always pretty or turn people into versions of themselves they don’t always recognize. Although many parts of this work are fictionalized, it was born from the author’s attempt to process their own mental health and reasons to hold onto what they have. Written in their last quarter of college, they used this project as a way to finish their degree and express their feelings without making the same choices as the character.

This chapbook is meant to be a glimpse into the unnamed narrator’s life and the people around her. Her goals and how she got to where she did are left unshared to symbolize the ways depression can change perspective and make what someone cares about easy to forget. The story represents letting go of shame for not always being okay.

Hazel Rain is a writer and editor based in Bellingham, Washington. Last Pieces is their second chapbook. They are the co-founder of the publication wishful thinking press along with artist Jada Bee, and a member of indie duo Pomegranate Penguins with their partner Ry Jacque. They write for magazines The Luna Collective and Local Wolves.