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“As women, we’re told that it’s only acceptable to have hair on our heads, and literally nowhere else on our bodies.” — Viorica Hrincu
Poet and scientist Viorica Hrincu is bald. She was diagnosed with alopecia a less than a year ago. Alopecia only affects hair growth and in Viorica’s case is neither painful nor life-threatening. The poems in fol.cl draw from Viorica’s experience, uncovering a sense of empowerment through loss. Combined with the delicate illustrations of Melissa Soleski, the publication not only deals with societal views on beauty, but also explores the inner and even biological connection between hair and identity.
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VIORICA HRINCU — Local scientist who also writes poetry. Believes emotions are (partly) cognitive, which is not her area of research. Not partial to rhyme, but does it sometimes.
MELISSA SOLESKI — is a visual artist originally from Edmonton, Alberta. She relocated to Vancouver where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a major in Illustration at Emily Carr University. More often than not, her work acts as an internal self-portrait. Dealing with anxieties of the inner self, her illustrations provide a sense of childlike naivety combined with the grotesque and neurotic.