Finding Light in the Shadows
My debut book, Borderline: A Poetic Memoir, is a deeply personal journey told through lyrical prose and raw storytelling. It chronicles my life as a stateless immigrant navigating trauma, identity, and mental illness while searching for love, safety, and a place to belong. It’s not just a memoir—it’s a survival story written in fragments, poetry, and memory. The book unravels the complexities of Borderline Personality Disorder, immigration trauma, and generational grief. But at its heart, it’s about healing, self-discovery, and finding meaning in the small, quiet moments of joy.
The structure of Borderline is intentionally poetic and non-linear. Life doesn’t unfold in a straight line, and neither does trauma. I wanted the book to feel like stepping inside my inner world—chaotic at times, tender at others, but always honest. It’s an invitation to sit in the discomfort of pain, and also in the softness of recovery.
Reclaiming Voice Through the Power of Survival
The truth is, I wrote Borderline because I had to. Writing became a form of survival, a way to process the unspoken and unremembered. I spent years in and out of hospitals, misdiagnosed and misunderstood, lost in systems that didn’t see me. As someone who has been stateless for most of her life—existing without citizenship, without a country to call home—I often felt invisible.
This book became my way of reclaiming that narrative. It became the book I needed when I was younger—when I didn’t know how to live, how to love myself, or how to cope. It’s for the girl who thought being loved by someone else would save her. This is for the immigrant child who forgot her mother tongue and felt ashamed of her origins. It’s for anyone who has ever felt like they didn’t belong anywhere—not even in their own body.
A Story for Anyone Who’s Ever Felt Invisible
While Borderline speaks most directly to those living with mental illness, immigrants, and survivors of trauma, I believe its message resonates far beyond those groups. It’s for anyone who has ever felt broken or invisible. It’s for the ones trying to turn their pain into art, their grief into growth. I’ve had readers from all walks of life reach out to say they felt seen in these pages. That, to me, is the greatest honor.
Finding Hope and Power in Vulnerability
My hope is that readers find solace in the book’s honesty and beauty. I want them to know that healing is not linear—and it’s not always pretty—but it is possible. If someone finishes Borderline feeling a little less alone, a little more hopeful, then I’ve done my job. I hope the book helps dismantle stigma around mental health, especially in immigrant and marginalized communities.
I also hope it empowers others to tell their stories, to speak their truth even when it trembles. There is power in vulnerability. There is strength in softness.
Expanding the Reach of Borderline Through Art and Advocacy
I dream of Borderline reaching the hands of those who need it most—whether in a therapist’s office, a classroom, or a young adult’s nightstand. I want it taught in universities, discussed in book clubs, and shared in healing circles. I’m currently working on turning parts of it into a spoken word performance, and I also hope to one day adapt it into a visual storytelling piece—perhaps film or stage.
Long-term, I hope Borderline opens doors for conversations around statelessness, identity, and mental health in immigrant communities. I’m also writing my second memoir, Stateless, which will focus more deeply on my experience growing up without citizenship and the bureaucratic limbo that comes with it.
About Me
I’m Diana Kouprina, a writer, poet, immigrant, and advocate working to eradicate domestic violence through the power of shared stories. I was born in Tbilisi, Georgia, and lived in Yerevan, Armenia while both countries were still part of the Soviet Union. At the age of nine, I immigrated legally to the United States with my parents.
I’m also the host of W.I.L.D the Podcast, a platform for all people to reclaim themselves, their voices, and inspire others to do the same. Through storytelling—both written and spoken—I seek to create spaces where healing, identity, and personal truth can be explored freely and fearlessly.
My work has been featured in Canvas Rebel, VoyageMIA, and Spare Change News, where I write a column on immigration and statelessness.
I am deeply grateful to Authors’ Lounge for this opportunity to share my story and my book. Platforms like this help amplify voices that too often go unheard—and I’m honored to be part of such a community.
Book Links:
Amazon:
Barnes and Noble:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/borderline-diana-kouprina/1146788056?ean=9798991790314
Authors Website:
https://www.whatilovedoing.com/wild/dianakouprina
Nonprofit website
https://wildthenonprofit.com
