As we put the finishing touches to the programme for First Fortnight 2012 -Ireland’s first ever national mental health arts festival – here’s some other arts-related mental health initiatives that have caught our eye:
- Mental Health is taking centre stage in Canada with ‘Acting out’, a performance group for young people to develop confidence and self- esteem and to encourage a dialogue about mental health issues Acting Out. ‘Far From Crazy’ is a play developed from 8 scripts about mental health, stigma and labels and aims to build an awareness of mental health issues through performance. Far From Crazy
Need inspiration for your book club or (dare we say it) christmas stockings? A number of noble accounts have been published of different people experience with mental health problems
- Caught between Sunshine and Shadows is a collection of over 30 stories from people who all ages who hope that sharing their experiences of bipolar disorder will be a source of inspiration for others. http://cbsas.co.nz/
- My Secret Life: A memoir of bulimia is an artfully articulated account of one girl’s personal experience of an eating disorder, shared by Irish student Leanne Waters. http://leannewaters.wordpress.com/my-secret-life-a-memoir-of-bulimia/
- Our partners at Shine have also recently released ‘Shine On: Irish writers for Shine’ a thoughtful volume of poetry and prose by some of Ireland’s best known contemporary Irish writers. Shine On
Let us know if you have any other books to recommend that share a personal account of mental health problems.
