Carla and I had been talking about writing a book together, telling our story for years. When we started attending a poetry group, we noticed that many of the poets that we were studying were, like us, peers (individuals with lived experience of mental health and or substance use challenges). It was inspiring and sparked the idea of telling our story through poetry and Carla’s artwork. Poets and Peers followed. Many of Carla’s poems went back over twenty years, including poetry she had written in psychosis. For me, once I started the words spilled out. This book is a collection of poetry and poetic prose. Many of the poems were inspired by poets we admired. All of the poetry is inspired by our personal experiences. Our struggle, our path to recovery and to each other; the meaning of peer support, love and living a life of purpose. Ultimately beyond words that shine a light into the deepest corners of our lives, Poets and Peers represents the healing power of creative expression and awakening the voice within. This is our story; your reading it, is part of our recovery journey. - Nick