Western Springs Teenager Publishes Book of Personal, Universal Poetry

Western Springs, IL - Kathleen Lohnes of Western Springs isn’t an aspiring author anymore. The 17-year-old St. Ignatius College Prep senior has just published her first book, and she’s already at work on her next.

The poems of “Stockholm Syndrome 17” weren’t originally going to be bound in paper and sold to an audience. They were an outlet for Lohnes to work through her depression.

But Lohnes noticed a common theme, and when placed side by side, she said the poems told the narrative of her journey to find herself.

Lohnes found depression inherently personal but also universal, and she decided others could look to her as an example through the book. And in reading it, they might know they’re not alone.

“It starts with the fall, it goes through the victimization and then the coping and how you come to terms with who you're supposed to be and how you live your life despite the fact that you can’t be everything you want to be,” Lohnes said.

She said the book distinguishes between the soul and the body, and it explores how the two parts don’t always work in harmony.

“You know you have so much to offer, but there’s only so much time and only so much your body can do," she said. "So you’re coping with the fact that though your soul might feel like it’s trapped, you can still live your life as much as you want to.”

It took about two and a half years to write and publish the 116-page paperback. Lohnes also incorporated original drawings to help people relate to her words.

After writing and researching, she settled on Lulu Press, an online, independent publisher. Lohnes had to follow format restrictions, copyright regulations and other requirements so her book could be available on retail sites. “Stockholm Syndrome 17” was published Jan. 29, and it reached retailers at the end of February.

About 100 people attended a book signing at the Lohnes home in Western Springs, and Lohnes said she’s already received enough local support to break even for the 200 hard copies she bought to sell in person. She plans to put profits from book sales toward college.

Lohnes said feedback on her book has been positive, though people have been surprised by the topic.

“I’m a bubbly person, and the topic is very dark, unsettling and hard to talk about,” she said. “I wanted to put it in people’s faces. It’s almost uncomfortable, and I wanted that because people have to face this the way teenagers are having to face it right now.”

Lohnes plans to double major in creative writing and oil painting at the University of Iowa before earning a PhD in creative writing. She wants to teach at a collegiate level.

And she wants to keep writing. The first few chapters of her next book are already in the works, and she hopes to be a twice-published author in the next year or two.

You can find "Stockholm Syndrome 17" on BarnesandNoble.com, Amazon.com and through Lulu Press.

Photos courtesy of Jennifer Kenedy (Lohnes).