I love poetry. I love everything from Shakespeare, Robert Frost and Emily Dickinson, to those silly little "Eight Word Stories" on tumblr. I love it all and read it daily. I fell in love with Madisen Kuhn's poetry in high school. On tumblr in between photos of puppies and gifs of The Office, I had seen her poem, "Who Are You Really?" reblogged by several users.

I was obsessed. This poem caught me off guard and really made me stop and think about myself and the others around me. I searched for more from this mysterious m.k. and along the way, discovered that the writer was also a high schooler and her name was Madisen Kuhn. All of the sudden, there was a connection. We were the same age, the same grade and going through similar experiences. With every new poem she posted, I fell more and more for her words and style and longed for a talent like hers. She inspired me in ways that no one else had, and not just in the fact that she was a great writer. Her poems were about strength, acceptance, and reassurance that everything was truly going to be okay.

Within the past year, Madisen announced that towards the end of 2015, she would have a book published. The book, titled Eighteen Years, was going to be a collection of over 200 of her poems starting from her earliest days. The moment I heard of the release, I knew this was one book I needed in my collection and everyone else should too. It's real and raw. It's honest and it's personal, yet you relate to it. It's as if she wrote my own thoughts when I could not find the words myself. It's as if she wrote my diary for me. It follows journeys of love and loss, and finding your way and who you are. Madisen wrote, "Eighteen Years is meant to be bent and worn, written in, tear-stained, and loved," which is exactly what I plan to do and I highly recommend you do as well.