The author FRANCESCO GRECH’s debut book of poetry kollox jeħel magħna can swallow its readers whole, engulfing them into the poet’s innermost self. The writer speaks with Lara Zammit about his work. In kollox jeħel magħna, a book of poetry by Francesco Grech with illustrations by Danielle Sant, the author reveals his innermost self. He divulges in its pages that, were it not for his writing, he would have descended into darkness. Grech expresses in his poetry some of the darkness that has made its way into his life. I ask, has this work been an attempt to expunge this darkness or perhaps to make peace with it? “It has been an attempt to do both”, he answers. “But the true reason why I talk about this darkness is that it is more common than one may think, and we need more people to speak up.” Speaking up, he continues, will in turn raise awareness and will help more people to seek help through therapy and other remedies. Author Francesco Grech Within the darkness revealed in kollox jeħel magħna are the many faces of love, described in many forms and semblances. In one of the poems, Grech speaks about how the love he is accustomed to is “l-imħabba tad-daqqiet” (the love of...