About the Book
Channeling their own experiences, sixteen exceptional authors subvert mental health stereotypes in a powerful and uplifting collection of fiction.
A teen activist wrestles with protest-related anxiety and PTSD. A socially anxious vampire learns he has to save his town by (gulp) working with people. As part of her teshuvah, a girl writes letters to the ex-boyfriend she still loves, revealing that her struggle with angry outbursts is related to PMDD. A boy sheds uncontrollable tears but finds that in doing so he's helping to enable another's healing. In this inspiring, unflinching, and hope-filled mixed-genre collection, sixteen diverse and notable authors draw on their own lived experiences with mental health conditions to create stunning works of fiction that will uplift and empower you, break your heart and stitch it back together stronger than before. Through powerful prose, verse, and graphics, the characters in this anthology defy stereotypes as they remind listeners that living with a mental health condition doesn't mean that you're defined by it. Each story is followed by a note from its author to the listener, and comprehensive back matter includes bios for the contributors as well as a collection of relevant resources.
With contributions by:
Mercedes Acosta, Karen Jialu Bao, James Bird, Rocky Callen, Nora Shalaway Carpenter, Alechia Dow, Patrick Downes, Anna Drury, Nikki Grimes, Val Howlett, Jonathan Lenore Kastin, Sonia Patel, Marcella Pixley, Isabel Quintero, Ebony Stewart, and Francisco X. Stork
About the Author :
A graduate of Vermont College of Fine Art's MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program, Nora Shalaway Carpenter is the author of The Edge of Anything, editor and contributing author of Rural Voices, and author of the picture book Yoga Frog. Before she wrote books, Nora worked as associate editor of Wonderful West Virginia magazine and has been a certified yoga teacher since 2012. Originally from rural West Virginia, she currently lives in Asheville, North Carolina, with her husband, three young children, and the world's most patient dog and cat. A graduate of Vermont College of Fine Art's MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program, Nora Shalaway Carpenter is the author of The Edge of Anything, editor and contributing author of Rural Voices, and author of the picture book Yoga Frog. Before she wrote books, Nora worked as associate editor of Wonderful West Virginia magazine and has been a certified yoga teacher since 2012. Originally from rural West Virginia, she currently lives in Asheville, North Carolina, with her husband, three young children, and the world's most patient dog and cat. A graduate of Vermont College of Fine Art's MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program, Nora Shalaway Carpenter is the author of The Edge of Anything, editor and contributing author of Rural Voices, and author of the picture book Yoga Frog. Before she wrote books, Nora worked as associate editor of Wonderful West Virginia magazine and has been a certified yoga teacher since 2012. Originally from rural West Virginia, she currently lives in Asheville, North Carolina, with her husband, three young children, and the world's most patient dog and cat. Rocky Callen, the daughter of an Ecuadorian immigrant, interned at NASA when she was twelve. She was a behavioral coach for more than ten years. She received an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and lives outside of Washington, DC. with her husband and two kids. Callen founded the HoldOn2Hope Project, which unites creatives in suicide prevention and mental health awareness. She is the author of A Breath Too Late and the contributing co-editor of Ab(solutely) Normal: Sixteen Stories That Smash Mental Health Stereotypes. Find her at rockycallen.com. Rocky Callen, the daughter of an Ecuadorian immigrant, interned at NASA when she was twelve. She was a behavioral coach for more than ten years. She received an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and lives outside of Washington, DC. with her husband and two kids. Callen founded the HoldOn2Hope Project, which unites creatives in suicide prevention and mental health awareness. She is the author of A Breath Too Late and the contributing co-editor of Ab(solutely) Normal: Sixteen Stories That Smash Mental Health Stereotypes. Find her at rockycallen.com. Rocky Callen, the daughter of an Ecuadorian immigrant, interned at NASA when she was twelve. She was a behavioral coach for more than ten years. She received an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and lives outside of Washington, DC. with her husband and two kids. Callen founded the HoldOn2Hope Project, which unites creatives in suicide prevention and mental health awareness. She is the author of A Breath Too Late and the contributing co-editor of Ab(solutely) Normal: Sixteen Stories That Smash Mental Health Stereotypes. Find her at rockycallen.com. Nikki Grimes is the recipient of the 2006 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. Her distinguished works include the ALA Notable book What is Goodbye?, as well as the novels Jazmin's Notebook, Dark Sons, and The Road to Paris, all of them Coretta Scott King Author Honor Books. She won the Coretta Scott King Author Award for Bronx Masquerade. She lives in Corona, California.
Marcella Pixley is the author of three highly praised books for young adults that have received multiple starred reviews, including Ready to Fall. She has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize for poetry and earned a master's from Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College.
Karen Bao is a writer, musician, and aspiring scientist. She has a brother three years younger than her and a violin sixty years older than her. Born in California and raised in New Jersey, she currently studies environmental biology at college in New York City. She began writing Dove Arising at the age of seventeen.
Isabel Quintero is an elementary school library technician and loves sharing her passion for the written word with students. She also teaches community college part-time and works as a freelance writer for the Arts Connection of San Bernardino. Quintero works as events coordinator for Orange Monkey Publishing and assistant editor for Tin Cannon, a literary journal. She was born and raised in Southern California. Her love of reading and writing comes from her mother reading to her before she went to bed, and from the teachers and professors who encouraged her to keep writing. Her love of chorizo and carne asada tacos comes from her dad grilling on Sundays during summertime. She still lives in Southern California and enjoys going on adventures with her wonderful husband, Fernando.
Alechia Dow is a former librarian and pastry chef living abroad with her partner in Germany. When she's not writing, you can find her having epic dance parties with her daughter, baking, reading, or taking teeny adventures around Europe.
James Bird is a screenwriter and director at the independent film company Zombot Pictures. His films include We Are Boats and Honeyglue. A California native of Ojibwe descent, he now lives in Swampscott, Massachusetts with his wife, the author and actor Adriana Mather, and their son. The Brave is his debut novel. Francisco X. Stork is the author of Marcelo in the Real World, winner of the Schneider Family Book Award for Teens and the Once Upon a World Award; The Last Summer of the Death Warriors, which was named to the YALSA Best Fiction for Teens list and won the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award; Irises; and The Memory of Light, which received four starred reviews.
Priya Ayyar is an audiobook narrator, actor, and writer with a BFA and MFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Her acting credits for television and film include Law & Order: Criminal Intent, All My Children, and the documentary The Children of War. She has appeared on stage in War of the Unheard, Aminta, and The Road Home, and she has written and performed in the plays Karmic Fusion and Losing Remote Control.
Maxwell Glick is an actor based in Los Angeles. He has appeared on television in guest roles in numerous shows such as The Office and Castle. He also has voiced numerous commercials, audiobooks, and cartoons. Originally a regional theater actor, Glick has played Arpad in She Loves Me, Matt in The Fantasticks, and Eugene in Brighton Beach Memoirs. A New York native, he is a graduate of Boston College.
Tamika Katon-Donegal is a talented actress and voiceover artist who received her bachelor's degree in theatre from the University of Southern California. She has appeared in films such as Dr. Strange and Rocketboy. Her experience in improv and stand-up comedy helps her tell stories with humor, passion, and honesty. Ana Osorio is a Miami-raised, Venezuelan-born artist based in Los Angeles, California. She has worked as an actress in the film and entertainment industry for over a decade, appearing in independent films and in several soap operas on Telemundo (2013-2016), and has also guest-starred in CBS's FBI: Most Wanted (2020) and NBC's Law & Order: Organized Crime (2022). She has worked as a voice-over artist for a wide range of commercial and radio projects and has narrated over fifty audiobooks in both English and Spanish for renowned publishers such as Penguin Random House, Audible, Macmillan Audio, Recorded Books, and more. With a warm voice and inviting presence, Ana can effortlessly navigate emotional depth, either in front of the camera or behind the microphone. Vico Ortiz is a proud Latine/x non-binary/gender-fluid actor, narrator, and activist born and raised in Puerto Rico. They received their education at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles. Their first breakthrough role was in the hit Amazon series Transparent, which paved the way to TV appearances in shows such as Vida, American Horror Story: 1984, and Lucifer. They received a 2021 Queerties Award nomination for their series regular role in the award-winning digital series These Thems. Shaun Taylor-Corbett is an actor, singer, and writer. A graduate of the University of Delaware, he has television and Broadway credits, including the role of Sonny on Broadway in In the Heights. He also has off-Broadway credits including In the Heights and Altar Boyz.
