A gift to treasure
Literature and mental health have been courting each other for centuries. We all want to stay in good mental and physical health. But life’s pitfalls may decide otherwise. When depression hits, it can seem like there’s no remedy. Gladly, that isn’t true. In addition to the help of a mental health professional and of medication should the need arise, reading and writing can help us find comfort, clarity, and balance, and come out of the ordeal stronger. The readings suggested here aim to provide a means of breaking with isolation and dismantling prejudices associated with various forms of mental illness or developmental disabilities (e.g., anorexia, depression, autism and others), as well as combatting certain factors sometimes associated with these, such as homophobia and intimidation. To these we’ve added writing prompts, for another way of leaning on words. You’ll also find testimonials from authors and specialists, because none of us are alone in this.
BOOKS TO SEE IT ALL MORE CLEARLY
Literary works can be a lifeline for people contending with mental health problems. We’re never really alone when reading a good novel or a poem that goes straight for the heart. Here’s a selection of titles to see things a little more clearly with the help of certain fictional characters.
Room, Emma Donoghue, 2010
Cockroach, Rawi Hage, House of Anansi, 2009
That Time I Loved You, Carianne Leung, HarperCollins, 2018
All my Puny Sorrows, Miriam Toews, Vintage Canada, 2014
Magnetic Equator, Kaie Kellough, McClelland & Stewart, 2019
The Eyelid, S.D. Chrostowska, Coach House Books, 2020
Writing to Heal
Many writers have found a form of refuge and calm in literary writing. Novel writing or a poetry practice fulfill a deep and urgent desire for those who chose to devote their lives to it, but simply being creative can channel one’s anxieties and help see things more clearly. Judge for yourself. Three writing prompts, yours to choose from.
First writing prompt
Writing the truth
Is it truly necessary to have lived a hardship to understand it? Can words tell it all? Communicate all of it? Do they scare you? (To name a thing is to make it real) Do they have a calming effect? (To name a thing is already a means to harness it) Imagine a scene where two characters are reunited after many years apart and with only a short time together before being apart once more. They therefore need to get down to the essentials. How will they tell each other what they’ve been through?
Maximum word count: 250 words
Second writing prompt
Eye to eye
Which of the titles suggested in this section is your favourite? Why does it resonate with you? What thoughts does it bring to mind?
Maximum word count: 250 words
Third writing prompt
Mirror Image
Chose a character from the recommended works and reverse their perspective on things. Lend them a temperament, opinions and/or attitudes that go against what you know about them, and set a specific scene to show it all. In the last paragraph of your text, respond to the following questions: Are they still the same character? Which parts of yourself have you added into the revised and corrected character?
Maximum word count: 250 words
Text seeking readers?
Send us what you’ve written once your text is revised, proofread and ready. If it’s selected by our panel of readers, your text will, with your approval, of course, be published on the Blue Metropolis website, where it will find its readers. Who knows, it may help someone else get some clarity, same as it did for you.
Submit your texts to:
Reference Websites
Mental Illness
Listening Centre
List of Resources
Parent Helpline
Domestic Violence
