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Review of “What’s Hanging on the Hush” by Lauren Russell

In preparation for Inside Our Minds upcoming workshop hosted by author and poet Lauren Russell, collective member Micah Shelton reviewed her book of poetry What’s Hanging on the Hush, published by Ashata Press in 2017. From 2016 to 2020, Lauren Russell was assistant director of the Center for African American Poetry and Poetics at the University of Pittsburgh. She currently lives in Michigan after joining the faculty of Michigan State University in the fall of Read more…

By Inside Our Minds, ago

Review of “Instability in Six Colors” by Rachel Kallem Whitman

Instability in Six Colors is Rachel Kallem Whitman’s first publication on mental health, available today! Inside Our Minds scored an advance copy through secret channels (or because Rachel presented the widely popular “Madness and Fatness” workshop for our Radical Mental Health Series in 2019), and our founder Alyssa was excited to read through and write a review of the book for our community. [Access Note: Instability in Six Colors features book chapters and section titles Read more…

By Inside Our Minds, ago

Interview Eighteen: I’m Strong, Because I Deal With It

“I may feel like a terrible person, but I realize now that I’m strong. I’m still alive. I could have ended it. I’m here, because my life did get better. I’ve lived in Pittsburgh almost 10 years, I have a support network, I have amazing friends… and I would have never had them, and they would have never had me, if I had ended my life. You get better. It’s always a journey. It’s always a struggle… but I like my life. And I’m happy I made that journey. I’m strong, because I deal with it.”

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By Inside Our Minds, ago
Interview Seventeen: Delayed Realization

Interview Seventeen: Delayed Realization

“But, if there is one thing I’ve learned from this process, it’s that there are people out there who care. Every single person who called campus police on me genuinely cared. Every single person who I worked with in treatment cared. Every single person who came to visit me after I lost my enrollment, they especially cared. To some degree, I regret having not shown enough gratitude to every individual who has helped me along the way. I only hope that this piece may show them that I say thank you.”

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By Inside Our Minds, ago

Interview Sixteen: There’s Beauty in the Breakdown

“I got so, so good at pretending. I remember my psychiatrist saying to me, ‘You say this Prozac isn’t working, but I can’t see how you can still be depressed when you’re just sitting there smiling at me.’ I couldn’t believe she said that to me. It’s like, ‘Yes, because that’s what I chose to let you see. What you think about me, is what I’m allowing you to think about me. You don’t know me at all.'”

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By Inside Our Minds, ago

Interview Fifteen: Empty Nest Teacher

“…it’s fascinating to me that some people can talk about depression without having much stigma… Big, famous celebrities, actors and actresses, creative people and artists, writers… this is old hat. But what about professions that are academic, lawyers or business people… I think the stigma is different. And I don’t think there’s a lot of discussion in the academic world…”

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By Inside Our Minds, ago

Interview Fourteen: Unlearning Shame and Self-Blame

“Having a community of people who experience mental illness is so important for those who experience it. Because without it, a lot of times I felt like I was going through something that was completely abnormal. Why was I thinking this way? Why was I feeling this way? Why couldn’t I just shape up and go back to being a normal person? It’s like, well… it’s a little more complicated than that.”

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By Inside Our Minds, ago

Interview Twelve: My Illness is My Responsibility

“I don’t want to be thought of as a victim, as this sufferer. I want to be thought of someone with agency. Should I define myself only in reference to my struggles? What does that signal to other people? I’m trying to grow and become stable enough to have functional relationships, so is talking about my mental illness signaling to others that I am dysfunctional, impacting my ability to have those relationships?”

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By Inside Our Minds, ago
Interview Eleven: Safe Town, Unsafe Mind

Interview Eleven: Safe Town, Unsafe Mind

“When I’m in a manic state, it’s not really me. It’s like my brain is on Mars, and my body is having a parade to celebrate its absence. The things that you are interested in will be the things that inform your episodes… like, I’m interested in Greek philosophy, which is why I was running around like a cynic, like a dog, looking for Diogenes. That’s not something that I would do, but it’s like a character based on me. A cartoon version of myself. It’s like the source material for a play about my life.”

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By Inside Our Minds, ago