I played it safe for many years in my writing. Kept the deepest and most important parts of my work and my self under wraps. Some of that was due to youth, some of it was due to fear.
But then I reached a point where I couldn’t anymore. My struggles with mental illness, my navigation of my own complicated queer sexuality: all weighed on my mind and my heart in ways I didn’t realize until I started writing about them. Continue reading
An Open Letter to Writing Bloggers:
Listen, I don’t want to start some inane blog war. I debated long and hard whether or not I should approach people directly, write about the problem here, or even write about it publicly at all. But as an author who also has lived experience of mental illness, I feel it’s my duty to address this misguided and often callous “advice” that I’ve seen on multiple blogs. Continue reading
To kick off the A-to-Z Blogging Challenge, I’d like to talk about the important subject and task of avoiding ableist language.
Writer Parker Marie Molloy defines ableist language as “any word or phrase that intentionally or inadvertently targets an individual with a disability” in a pejorative way. Continue reading
Having a loved one hospitalized on a psychiatric unit can often be an emotionally bewildering experience, one in which it’s hard to know just how to help. Here are a few suggestions. Continue reading
Jenn Crowell 