Ashes And Doorways

By Maude Riendeau

Ashes and Doorways is a poetry collection about what remains after everything breaks.

Written in the aftermath of sexual violence and its long echo, through the courtroom, the verdict, and the years that follow. These poems trace survival as it truly unfolds: uneven, embodied, resistant. They speak from the places where language was taken and from the slow work of reclaiming it.

This book is not about what the system decided.
It is about what was lived.

Rooted in feminist literature, Ashes and Doorways centers women's voices and embodied experience, examining how trauma is shaped by power, gender, and institutional failure. Each poem acts as a testimony, fragmented, poetic, but cohesive, capturing the survival strategies of a woman who wasn't just hurt but was disbelieved. The language is intimate, direct, and searingly emotional. It moves between memories, legal trauma, friendship ruptures, and generational pain. There is deep vulnerability here, but also a steady, smoldering rage, both of which are wielded with intention and precision.

Ultimately, this collection isn't just about trauma. It's about resistance. It refuses silence. It refuses shame.
And it insists, again and again: I believe me.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0GJSXL7FD
• ISBN13: 9798245373423
• Release Date: January 2026
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 142 Pages
• Weight: 0.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.0" x 8.0"