Mental Health Initiative

Trigger Warning: This article addresses mental health. Why Mental Health representation in SFFH matters By Penny Jones Recently, I had the privilege of moderating the Fantasycon 2022 panel on mental health in SFFH with my panellists David Green and Tej Turner. And although I was both hung over and nervous as hell, my panellists at least were erudite and insightful, talking at length about both their personal and professional experiences of mental health in genre fiction. As always with these panels, an hour never seems long enough and I probably only managed to get through half of the questions I…

Trigger warning: Contains frank discussion of substance abuse, treatment, and recovery. NATIONAL RECOVERY MONTH “WHY WILL YOU SAY THAT I AM MAD?” BY MARK MATTHEWS Shake someone’s hand and recite that introduction, “Hi, my name is Mark and I’m an alcoholic” at an AA meeting, and that years ago you used to drink vodka every morning to stop the shakes, praying you wouldn’t vomit, and you’ll receive a warm blanket of support, understanding, and acceptance. Do it at your next job interview or when you meet your fiancés parents—well, not so much. September is national recovery month, which exists “to…

Trigger Warning: This article addresses mental health. Life Goes On The Way It Does — How Writing Is My Saviour By Claire Fitzpatrick “It is as if my life were magically run by two electric currents: joyous positive and despairing negative—whichever is running at the moment dominates my life, floods it.” ― Silvia Plath This is my second attempt at writing this. Well, that’s lie. I did write a draft and then didn’t edit it. Because I couldn’t. Not because I didn’t want to. But because I physically couldn’t. Over the past few months, for various reasons, I’ve felt as…

Trigger Warning: This piece addresses mental health The HWA is pleased to launch its Mental Health Initiative, a coordinated roll-out of events, resources, and activities intended to promote positive mental health, foster the concept of hope, and challenge the stigma of mental illness in the horror genre. The initiative, run by the organization’s Wellness Committee, launches in June, and includes the following blog posts from Of Horror and Hope, a downloadable anthology of poems, flash fiction, and personal reflections on mental health by HWA members.   BUKOWSKI'S BROKEN SHOELACE THEORY Timothy P. Flynn The news headline read, Wife stabbed husband…

Trigger Warning: This piece addresses mental health The HWA is pleased to launch its Mental Health Initiative, a coordinated roll-out of events, resources, and activities intended to promote positive mental health, foster the concept of hope, and challenge the stigma of mental illness in the horror genre. The initiative, run by the organization’s Wellness Committee, launches in June, and includes the following blog posts from Of Horror and Hope, a downloadable anthology of poems, flash fiction, and personal reflections on mental health by HWA members.   CRUMB David Curfiss It’s hard to be a kid when the world around you…

Trigger Warning: This piece addresses mental health The HWA is pleased to launch its Mental Health Initiative, a coordinated roll-out of events, resources, and activities intended to promote positive mental health, foster the concept of hope, and challenge the stigma of mental illness in the horror genre. The initiative, run by the organization’s Wellness Committee, launches in June, and includes the following blog posts from Of Horror and Hope, a downloadable anthology of poems, flash fiction, and personal reflections on mental health by HWA members.   THE ULTIMATE QUESTION by Tony LaMalfa With strained yet still youthful anticipation, I place…

Trigger Warning: This piece addresses mental health The HWA is pleased to launch its Mental Health Initiative, a coordinated roll-out of events, resources, and activities intended to promote positive mental health, foster the concept of hope, and challenge the stigma of mental illness in the horror genre. The initiative, run by the organization’s Wellness Committee, launches in June, and includes the following blog posts from Of Horror and Hope, a downloadable anthology of poems, flash fiction, and personal reflections on mental health by HWA members.     THE ART OF HEALING Christina Sng I. I learned many truths After the…

Trigger Warning: This piece addresses mental health The HWA is pleased to launch its Mental Health Initiative, a coordinated roll-out of events, resources, and activities intended to promote positive mental health, foster the concept of hope, and challenge the stigma of mental illness in the horror genre. The initiative, run by the organization’s Wellness Committee, launches in June, and includes the following blog posts from Of Horror and Hope, a downloadable anthology of poems, flash fiction, and personal reflections on mental health by HWA members.   BANISHING THE DARKNESS David Sharp In the spring of 2005, I found myself lost…

Trigger Warning: This piece addresses mental health The HWA is pleased to launch its Mental Health Initiative, a coordinated roll-out of events, resources, and activities intended to promote positive mental health, foster the concept of hope, and challenge the stigma of mental illness in the horror genre. The initiative, run by the organization’s Wellness Committee, launches in June, and includes the following blog posts from Of Horror and Hope, a downloadable anthology of poems, flash fiction, and personal reflections on mental health by HWA members.   WAIT WHEN ICE FORMS OVER MY FINGERTIPS Marisca Pichette like acrylic nails, biting through…

Trigger Warning: This piece addresses mental health The HWA is pleased to launch its Mental Health Initiative, a coordinated roll-out of events, resources, and activities intended to promote positive mental health, foster the concept of hope, and challenge the stigma of mental illness in the horror genre. The initiative, run by the organization’s Wellness Committee, launches in June, and includes the following blog posts from Of Horror and Hope, a downloadable anthology of poems, flash fiction, and personal reflections on mental health by HWA members.   MY HANDS ARE NOT MY OWN (A Poem of Dissociation) Varian Ross My hands…

Trigger Warning: This piece addresses mental health The HWA is pleased to launch its Mental Health Initiative, a coordinated roll-out of events, resources, and activities intended to promote positive mental health, foster the concept of hope, and challenge the stigma of mental illness in the horror genre. The initiative, run by the organization’s Wellness Committee, launches in June, and includes the following blog posts from Of Horror and Hope, a downloadable anthology of poems, flash fiction, and personal reflections on mental health by HWA members.   THE BULLFROG AND THE BLACK DOG Marsheila Rockwell The bullfrog sings, but never sleeps…

Trigger Warning: This piece addresses mental health The HWA is pleased to launch its Mental Health Initiative, a coordinated roll-out of events, resources, and activities intended to promote positive mental health, foster the concept of hope, and challenge the stigma of mental illness in the horror genre. The initiative, run by the organization’s Wellness Committee, launches in June, and includes the following blog posts from Of Horror and Hope, a downloadable anthology of poems, flash fiction, and personal reflections on mental health by HWA members.   THE LAST STAND OF MR. NOBODY Dale Fletcher Years spent in darkness led to…

Trigger Warning: This piece addresses mental health The HWA is pleased to launch its Mental Health Initiative, a coordinated roll-out of events, resources, and activities intended to promote positive mental health, foster the concept of hope, and challenge the stigma of mental illness in the horror genre. The initiative, run by the organization’s Wellness Committee, launches in June, and includes the following blog posts from Of Horror and Hope, a downloadable anthology of poems, flash fiction, and personal reflections on mental health by HWA members.   LIMINALITY Donna Lynch Tomorrow and for months to come I may be somewhere else…

Trigger Warning: This piece addresses mental health The HWA is pleased to launch its Mental Health Initiative, a coordinated roll-out of events, resources, and activities intended to promote positive mental health, foster the concept of hope, and challenge the stigma of mental illness in the horror genre. The initiative, run by the organization’s Wellness Committee, launches in June, and includes the following blog posts from Of Horror and Hope, a downloadable anthology of poems, flash fiction, and personal reflections on mental health by HWA members.   GENERATIONS OF THE IMAGINARIUM Sumiko Saulson My mother was a griot in the streets…

Trigger Warning: This piece addresses mental health The HWA is pleased to launch its Mental Health Initiative, a coordinated roll-out of events, resources, and activities intended to promote positive mental health, foster the concept of hope, and challenge the stigma of mental illness in the horror genre. The initiative, run by the organization’s Wellness Committee, launches in June, and includes the following blog posts from Of Horror and Hope, a downloadable anthology of poems, flash fiction, and personal reflections on mental health by HWA members.   THE CONSTANT OUTSIDER Rosemary Thorne I was only four when I saw a giant…

Trigger Warning: This piece addresses mental health The HWA is pleased to launch its Mental Health Initiative, a coordinated roll-out of events, resources, and activities intended to promote positive mental health, foster the concept of hope, and challenge the stigma of mental illness in the horror genre. The initiative, run by the organization’s Wellness Committee, launches in June, and includes the following blog posts from Of Horror and Hope, a downloadable anthology of poems, flash fiction, and personal reflections on mental health by HWA members. CURSED Mercedes M. Yardley I come from a long, rich history of mental illness. It…

Trigger Warning: This piece addresses mental health The HWA is pleased to launch its Mental Health Initiative, a coordinated roll-out of events, resources, and activities intended to promote positive mental health, foster the concept of hope, and challenge the stigma of mental illness in the horror genre. The initiative, run by the organization’s Wellness Committee, launches in June, and includes the following blog posts from Of Horror and Hope, a downloadable anthology of poems, flash fiction, and personal reflections on mental health by HWA members. EVICTION NOTICE Fleur Bradley THIS SERVES AS A NOTICE. I see you there across the…

Trigger Warning: This piece addresses mental health The HWA is pleased to launch its Mental Health Initiative, a coordinated roll-out of events, resources, and activities intended to promote positive mental health, foster the concept of hope, and challenge the stigma of mental illness in the horror genre. The initiative, run by the organization’s Wellness Committee, launches in June, and includes the following blog posts from Of Horror and Hope, a downloadable anthology of poems, flash fiction, and personal reflections on mental health by HWA members. A CONFESSIONAL: WHY I WILL NOT LEAVE THE HOUSE AND SPEND ALL MY TIME WRITING…

Trigger Warning: This piece addresses mental health The HWA is pleased to launch its Mental Health Initiative, a coordinated roll-out of events, resources, and activities intended to promote positive mental health, foster the concept of hope, and challenge the stigma of mental illness in the horror genre. The initiative, run by the organization’s Wellness Committee, launches in June, and includes the following blog posts from Of Horror and Hope, a downloadable anthology of poems, flash fiction, and personal reflections on mental health by HWA members. ESCAPING THE HORROR OF DISABILITY AND MENTAL HEALTH Brandon Ketchum When you’re diagnosed with a…