Maria do Carmo Candeias is a young writer from Portugal. She currently resides in Lisbon, but she lived in the UK for a year in 2019. She is fluent in English and Portuguese and read many books in both languages, therefore it has become natural for her to also write in both languages. She also has a degree in Marine Biology and another in Political Science and International Relations. In addition, she is a big advocate for mental health awareness. Therefore, her poems reflect my interest and personal experience with a variety of social issues that happen to also be personal to her, in particular her struggles with mental health and her experiences as a woman in a patriarchal society.