The Power of a Smile and other poems

Alice Benson is an award winning actress/comedian and cabaret artist. She wrote her first poem after a bereavement. It won a competition and was later published. Alice then went on to write, publish and perform more poetry. In this book Alice honestly and mindfully explores the darker side of her personality, the side affected by grief and sadness, a side of her that no one gets to see in her daily life as she makes others laugh. She begins the book by exploring the Power of a Smile in the first and very powerful poem 'The Bridge'. The Power of a Smile also explores a wide variety of topics, and each poem has an almost childlike quality, yet they all have an incredible honesty to them. Writing poetry can be a great outlet for unbearable sadness grief and anxiety, and by bravely facing those feelings they eventually begin to have less impact, and the Power of the Smile returns. Even though the book covers some sad topics (apart from the saucy 'Calendar Girl' poem) Alice hopes the book can give hope to others who are battling bereavement, anxiety or any kind of sadness and to let them know that they can come through the other side and that they are not alone. Alice also teaches exercise and fun dance to the over 60's able and disabled, and these amazing courageous and fun people have also helped to give her back the Power of a Smile.