Little by Little (PDF)

$6.99

Little by Little by Ann marie Houghtailing is now available as a PDF and a paperback (you can order multiple copies at a discount here). Little by Little explores the universality of human suffering and how we find our way to meaning and purpose.

yellowarrowpublishing.com/news/little-by-little-release-ann-marie-houghtailing

Houghtailing is a visual artist and cofounder of the firm Story Imprinting. She delivered a TEDx Talk entitled Raising Humans and performed her critically acclaimed one woman show, Renegade Princess, in New York, Chicago, Santa Fe, San Francisco, and San Diego. “Little by little” is the phrase that Houghtailing’s mother used to say when things were hard. Things were almost always hard. Houghtailing grew up in a culture of poverty and witnessed violence, struggle, and wild resilience every day. What she did not realize was that her mother’s phrase would become a life affirming strategy. It was a map that took her back to herself when life took so much from her. 

From 2019–2020, four members of Houghtailing’s family died in rapid succession, including her mother. Their deaths were an extension of historic and epigenetic trauma that would require her to sit inside of suffering and paint, write, and garden her way through to transformation. Little by Little delves into how Houghtailing was able to find meaning in the suffering by examining the beauty of life itself. Every day we experience loss. The loss of innocence, youth, relationships, jobs, money, confidence, power, life, and hope are in constant play. Learning to sit inside of deep suffering can be intellectually, emotionally, and physically demanding territory that invites us to examine who we are and what we are made of. Little by Little is a way to see, a way to suffer, and ultimately, a way to live.

Learn more about Houghtailing in a conversation between the author and Melissa Nunez, Yellow Arrow interviewer.

yellowarrowpublishing.com/news/where-we-are-interview-ann-marie-houghtailing

Cover and interior artwork by Houghtailing and cover design by Alexa Laharty.

Thank you for supporting independent publishing.

Little by Little by Ann marie Houghtailing is now available as a PDF and a paperback (you can order multiple copies at a discount here). Little by Little explores the universality of human suffering and how we find our way to meaning and purpose.

yellowarrowpublishing.com/news/little-by-little-release-ann-marie-houghtailing

Houghtailing is a visual artist and cofounder of the firm Story Imprinting. She delivered a TEDx Talk entitled Raising Humans and performed her critically acclaimed one woman show, Renegade Princess, in New York, Chicago, Santa Fe, San Francisco, and San Diego. “Little by little” is the phrase that Houghtailing’s mother used to say when things were hard. Things were almost always hard. Houghtailing grew up in a culture of poverty and witnessed violence, struggle, and wild resilience every day. What she did not realize was that her mother’s phrase would become a life affirming strategy. It was a map that took her back to herself when life took so much from her. 

From 2019–2020, four members of Houghtailing’s family died in rapid succession, including her mother. Their deaths were an extension of historic and epigenetic trauma that would require her to sit inside of suffering and paint, write, and garden her way through to transformation. Little by Little delves into how Houghtailing was able to find meaning in the suffering by examining the beauty of life itself. Every day we experience loss. The loss of innocence, youth, relationships, jobs, money, confidence, power, life, and hope are in constant play. Learning to sit inside of deep suffering can be intellectually, emotionally, and physically demanding territory that invites us to examine who we are and what we are made of. Little by Little is a way to see, a way to suffer, and ultimately, a way to live.

Learn more about Houghtailing in a conversation between the author and Melissa Nunez, Yellow Arrow interviewer.

yellowarrowpublishing.com/news/where-we-are-interview-ann-marie-houghtailing

Cover and interior artwork by Houghtailing and cover design by Alexa Laharty.

Thank you for supporting independent publishing.

Reviews:

“Poetry about grief and struggle can be just sad with platitudes. Little by Little is nothing like that. Somehow Ann marie Houghtailing find the grit and joy in the grief. I think about the mundane takes of making rice and how we see those that we've lost on the daily habits of our lives. We see our loved ones in the struggle and in the joy. Hats off to Little by Little. I'll be sending copies to friends, especially those in struggle.”

--anonymous, Barnes and Noble reviewer

“I am not normally a reader of poetry but this book is in a category of its own. I took it slowly, reading one or two pieces each morning over coffee, and every day Ann marie’s stories would stay with me, moving me and inspiring me. Little by Little has been a joy to read over and over again, and I have bought several copies to share with others. The cover art alone is a gift.”

--Priscillia Demuizon, Amazon reviewer

“Sometimes, I think I'm the only one—no matter what it is. The only one who has bad days for no reason, who wonders how I got here, who worries endlessly about my children, who feels a kind of cavernous regret about certain people who are no longer in this world or my world . . . I could go on. We live in a time where the outsides of things appear to matter most, which can be alienating to the fragile, human heart.”

--anonymous, Amazon reviewer

“Little by Little is a healing balm for these feelings. Titled after her mother’s best life advice about how to get through hard times, you can read these gorgeous poems little by little, or you can sit down and take great huge bites, like I did. Sparse, sharp, and searing, these poems remind me of the way Joan Didion can both tell the truth about a thing and love it at the same time. Read these lines once for their beauty and then a second time for what's underneath, because like stained glass that changes in the light, Ann marie’s writing is full of magic.”

--anonymous, Amazon reviewer

“Little by Little is a must read for all who love poetry. Houghtailing’s deep reflection inspired by every day events and life’s changes and challenges is at once heartbreaking and heart-mending. Inspiring and transcending, Houghtailing’s writing is alchemy, taking us through our human experiences of grief and death, love and loss, reminding us that doing our best when we are at our worst is precisely what makes us as human beings beautiful and worthy of mercy and grace . . . however we might get there, it is often little by little. Houghtailing’s Little by Little is that poetic reminder.”

--Michelle Baker, Amazon reviewer

“Ann Marie and her poems bring to light the inner dialogue we have as daughters, as mothers, as partners, as community members and as women in our field of business and inspire us all to keep putting one foot In front of the other to continue our impact . . . little by little. A must read . . . over and over again.”

--DSteele, Amazon reviewer

“The poetry and the essay in this book are so beautifully written. There is so much authenticity in her writing, and it felt like it was speaking to my own experiences and struggles I’ve had. I highly recommend this book.”

--Bo, Amazon reviewer