This image is the cover for the book My Box of Feelings

My Box of Feelings

Set in a supposedly perfect world, this story is about a South Asian girl, Urmilla who feels all alone and puts her emotions – sadness, anger, and embarrassment – in a box.

Her journey traces the real-life experiences of children. Urmilla is faced with the pressure to succeed, the need to repress feelings due to widespread stigma, and the desire to fit in with her classmates. She is intent on keeping the box hidden from her friends and family but eventually, the box overflows and bursts open in front of everyone. Join Urmilla as she learns to deal with her difficult emotions in a healthy way.

Fatima Saleem

Biomedical sciences student by day, writer by night, Fatima Saleem is a young Pakistani-Canadian author based in Calgary, Alberta with a passion for mental health education. When she is not writing at her favorite coffee shop, Fatima can be found advocating for mental health support in minority communities through volunteering at the Kids Help Phone and spearheading the Art of Recovery Club at her university. She aspires to use literature to eliminate the stigma of mental illness, teach empathy, and showcase behind-the-scenes mental health struggles of people of color.