Michelle Foulia

ALLi Author Member

I am Michelle Foulia, a blend of British and Greek heritage, born and raised in Cyprus before transitioning to the UK at 13. Since then, I've split my time between these two countries, finding inspiration and struggle in their diverse cultures and landscapes.

I moved to North Wales with my Cypriot husband and three children in 2018 and made it my beloved second home.
My writing journey began at age 11, in Cyprus with a spark ignited by my primary school teacher, Mrs Nitsa. She planted a seed in my heart, envisioning a future where I would pen books that would resonate deeply and perhaps even change lives. However, life took unexpected turns as I encountered numerous traumatic events and battled chronic illness and disabilities along the way.
Despite these challenges, I pursued avenues of study in counselling, animal-assisted therapy, bibliotherapy, and clinical hypnotherapy.
Each experience enriched my understanding of human nature and resilience, shaping my perspective as both a writer and a therapist.
Although my path diverted from therapy, the call to writing remained steadfast. I returned to my first love, infusing my personal experiences into therapeutic narratives aimed at empowering and inspiring others.
In 2022, I self-published my debut book, "Poppy's Miracle," a poignant children's tale and journal based on the true story of my family's journey with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Through this work, I aimed to foster awareness, understanding, and acceptance of ADHD among children while empowering them to navigate their challenges and celebrate their unique gifts.
My poetry has been published in InFocus Quarterly (English language) and the Cypriot publication, Larnaca Anthology, for my first poem in the Cypriot dialect.
In 2023 my Greek language short children’s story, 'Ottoman Inkwell,' won second place in the Severis Museum National competition in Cyprus and has just been published as a picture book.
Poetry is a fairly new field for me, attempting it only when prompted by an event that left me no other choice but to express myself through poetry. On the anniversary of my father-in-law’s death in 2022, I ached watching my husband grieve silently but viscerally, I felt his pain even though he was not outwardly expressing it. It led to me channelling it into a Cypriot dialect poem, writing it as if I were my husband writing about his father. My husband burst into tears when I read it to him, wondering how I could get into his head and heart like that. I hadn’t realised that I did that.
Then a close Greek friend lost her father and sobbing she shared her pain with me. On the day of his funeral, while my friend attended in Greece, I sat in my Welsh home, thinking of her, praying for peace and comfort for her and suddenly a poem came, again as a download, as if channelling her through my words and 12 pages later I finished surprised at what came and where it came from.
This seems to have become a pattern when writing poetry for others and I can only do it when I connect emotionally.
My writing journey continues to evolve, with each book for both adults and children bearing the imprint of personal experience and carrying a transformative message of hope. As I weave words into stories, my ultimate vision remains unchanged: to touch hearts, provoke thought, and contribute to a love-filled world enriched by the power of storytelling.
My free time is spent loving others through cooking for them, tending to my little garden, taking long walks with my dog in the stunning Welsh countryside, reading profusely, and of course writing.