Embedded Files
A remedy for the restless soul, a balm for the weary heart—Word Tonics offers poetic medicine for the modern age. Created by members of writing collective Writers Who Talk, these lyrical elixirs and prose-infused cures bring solace, strength, and renewal. Housed in bottles and large capsules, each piece is a dose of wisdom, comfort, or quiet rebellion—tailored to soothe the conditions of our time.
Available at the Migration Festival, these healing words are brought to life with evocative illustrations by Ane Marcussen, making each tonic a potion for both the mind and the senses.
Take a sip. Let the words work their magic.
Cracks in courage
Cracks in courage
This tonic will inspire bravery, reinforce inner strength, and encourage action.
Square Bottles (large)
1 Dragonflies beat the air with urgent wings by Jess Bauldry
Ingredients: Dragonflies, a mother, a daughter and a walk beyond the garden hedge.
Purpose: Encourages action, nurtures the inner child
Heart Bottles (medium)
2 A Little Bit of Magic by Melanie Czarnik
Ingredients: An encounter, a bride, a piece of advice
Purpose: Restore self-confidence
3 An Arctic Hunt by Oana Marangoci
Ingredients: An adventure, a mother, a sense of revenge
Purpose: Ease climate anxiety, offer a sense of justice
4 Flying by Goetz Von Thadden
Ingredients: 100 words, birds, a dream, a discovery
Purpose: Inspire self-confidence
5 On taking up the bagpipes late in life by Wendy Winn
Ingredients: Free verse, learning something new and fun
Purpose: Inspire action
6 Party of One by Wendy Winn
Ingredients: Free verse, a social media post, the words "Date yourself"
Purpose: Reinforce self-confidence and self-love
7 Postcards by Wendy Winn
Ingredients: Free verse, new streets, writing postcards
Purpose: Encourage action
8 The Accident by Goetz Von Thadden
Ingredients: 100 words, braving pain, a new experience
Purpose: Restore a feeling of pride
Missed connections
Missed connections
This tonic will foster connection, empathy, and a sense of belonging.
Square Bottles (large)
9 Bird Heart by Anne Klapperstück
Ingredients: A nest, moss, a home
Purpose: Rekindle hope for connection
10 Life Mechanics Part 1 by Georgia Darke
Ingredients: A bright autumn day, a walk in the woods, two friends and a simple yet deep conversation.
Purpose: Rekindle hope for connection
11 The Glass Cabinet by Anne Klapperstück
Ingredients: A tumult of butterflies, childhood memories
Purpose: Rekindle hope for connection
12 You Belong Here by Anne Klaperstück
Ingredients: Glowing lanterns, feeling lighter
Purpose: Rekindle hope for connection
Heart Bottles (medium)
13 A Medicinal Poem to Cure Loneliness by Dana Rufolo
Ingredients: Poetry, a pinch of silliness, a "Boo"
Purpose: Nurtures the inner child
14 Belonging by Goetz Von Thadden
Ingredients: 100 words, a woman, a whirlwind of new places
Purpose: Celebrate being different
15 Encore by Loretta Marie Perera
Ingredients: Poetry, a crowd, a concert
Purpose: Recover a sense of belonging
16 In the Moment #1 by Adam Dennis
Ingredients: Rich poetic tapestry, words that flood the heart, a fiery dance
Purpose: Encourage connections
17 Life Lessons by Goetz Von Thadden
Ingredients: 100 words, an aunt, standing tall
Purpose: Remember a mentor
18 My Roots by Wendy Winn
Ingredients: A giant honey mushroom, old and new roots from two continents
Purpose: Recover a sense of belonging
19 Passing on Hope by Dana Rufolo
Ingredients: Poetry, a little seahorse, a new purpose
Purpose: Recover a sense of belonging
Shadows of the soul
Shadows of the soul
This tonic will rekindle hope, remind of purpose, and illuminate dark places.
Square Bottles (large)
20 No One Exists by Wendy Winn
Ingredients: Poetry, reflection, "Jim Carrey says"
Purpose: Rekindle hope for connection
21 Squatter by Jess Bauldry
Ingredients: An insomniac, a noise in the wall, a dream of blue and yellow
Purpose: Rekindle hope for connection
22 Things Left Unsaid by Melanie Czarnik
Ingredients: A mysterious room, a library guard and a haunting truth
Purpose: Rekindle hope for connection
Heart Bottles (medium)
23 After by The Wordsmith
Ingredients: Poetic wordsmithery, campfires, fleeing virtue, a rebirth
Purpose: Rekindle hope
24 Anti-Flat System by Wendy Winn
Ingredients: Free verse, hairspray, a good laugh and a lift
Purpose: Rekindle hope of connection
25 Holding Pattern by Adam Dennis
Ingredients: Rich poetic tapestry, a distant hope, keeping safe
Purpose: Rekindle hope of connection
26 I decided to be thankful by Wendy Winn
Ingredients: Free verse, two pairs of socks, regrouping
Purpose: Gathering strength
27 Life mechanics Part 2 by Georgia Darke
Ingredients: Winter months, self-reflection, a friend bringing comfort
Purpose: Remind you of purpose
28 Nightfall by Goetz Von Thadden
Ingredients: 100 words, a northern coast, soft footsteps
Purpose: Illuminate dark places
29 Psychic Hotline Callers by Wendy Winn
Ingredients: Free verse, questioning otherworldly wisdom, tiny frogs, suspenders
Purpose: Relieve feelings of emptiness
30 Rivers by Loretta Marie Perera
Ingredients: Poetry, an inner river
Purpose: Reminder of your strength
31 The Calm After The Storm by Dana Rufolo
Ingredients: Poetry, words that curse, a reflection, a fair-weather day
Purpose: Rekindle hope
32 When you are ready by The Wordsmith
Ingredients: Ghosts and shadows, fragile hearts and shining truth
Purpose: Illuminate dark places
43 Prophecy by Oana Marangoci
Ingredients: A planet devastated by war, a phoenix, hope
Purpose: Rekindles hope
Wounds of the Heart
Wounds of the Heart
This tonic will offer solace, nurture self-love, and guide the reader through healing.
Square Bottles (large)
33 Fire by Anne Klapperstück
Ingredients: A photography student, a breakup story, a fire ritual
Purpose: Rekindle hope for connection
34 Mireille by The Wordsmith
Ingredients: Sunlight, sweetness, a sublime bouquet of words
Purpose: Rekindle hope for connection
35 Small Wins by Anne Klapperstück
Ingredients: A fortune-teller, an Irish landscape, a dream
Purpose: Rekindle hope for connection
Heart Bottles (medium)
36 A Lullaby for the Broken-hearted by Evelyn Valdivieso
Ingredients: Poetry, lost things, a treasure kept
Purpose: Letting go
37 Broken by Dana Rufolo
Ingredients: Free verse, a broken heart, new days
Purpose: Closure and self-compassion
38 Leaving behind by Adriana Boysová
Ingredients: Free verse, an absence, finding one's rhythm
Purpose: Foster acceptance
39 Not alone by Wendy Winn
Ingredients: Not thinking of him, a bite of lemon pie
Purpose: Closure and self-compassion
40 The White Pelican by Oana Marangoci
Ingredients: A funeral on water, a grieving son and his wife, a white pelican
Purpose: Find comfort after a loss
41 You Are Light by Loretta Marie Perera
Ingredients: Poetry, an abuser, feeling light and love
Purpose: Closure and self-compassion
42 Your Story by Loretta Marie Perera
Ingredients: Poetry, the end of a story and the beginning of a new one
Purpose: Find strength and peace
Capsule (micro format)
Capsule (micro format)
Anew by Adriana Boysová
Oh boy by Adriana Boysová
Once upon a time by Adam Dennis
What if by Adriana Boysová
How are you today? You message your troubled friend. by Jess Bauldry
You knew what I needed to hear by Jess Bauldry
After a breakup by Oana Marangoci
As Nature Renews by Andra Valette
Perspective by Melanie Czarnik
What I wish I'd told my friend before she died by Jess Bauldry
When you’re overwhelmed by Jess Bauldry
Life after love by The Wordsmith
Love is a sea by Adriana Boysová
Love is a seed by Adriana Boysová
Shades by The Wordsmith
To Love songs by Adam Dennis
Tough Guy by Adam Dennis
Toxic by Melanie Czarnik
Page updated
Report abuse