MHI: POWERS OF FIRE by Mary Leoson

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.

POWERS OF FIRE
Mary Leoson

When students learn that two areas I haunt are positive psychology and horror fiction, their faces twist into confusion. They think: how can this optimistic instructor with a bright smile find such value in the dark? What I explain is that art helps me process the painful things in life; through writing I transform fear, loss, shame, regret, and uncertainty onto the page and into another dimension. Crafting a piece of fiction is a sacred ceremony during which I walk into shadow and look around. I peek under the bed and into closets, releasing demons from the deep corners and pulling in the light. For me, writing is a magical incantation. Without it, snakes would roam free, nestling their way into my mind, into my body, where they would lay eggs. And I know that would hatch.

Snakes have taught me about the powers of fire—transformation and transmutation. When I write, I weave my inner self out into the world through story, sharing all the things that might otherwise singe me from the inside out. On the page, they take on their own lives, speaking through character, whispering through setting, tickling readers with goosebumps and shivers. And at the same time, this release creates room for growth, insight, and hope. As I shed my skin, I grow wings.