The Slow Work of Living

What does survival really look like? The Slow Work of Living is a powerful poetry and reflective prose collection about mental health, healing, and the strength it takes to keep going. In a world obsessed with dramatic comebacks, Ika explores a quieter kind of resilience — the everyday act of choosing to stay. Through raw, vulnerable writing, this collection speaks to anxiety, self-doubt, growth, identity, and the complicated beauty of endurance. These pages are for anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed, unseen, or exhausted — and kept living anyway. Honest, accessible, and emotionally resonant, this debut offers comfort without clichés and strength without spectacle.