Call for Hidden Lives: Opening Up On Mental Illness #seanocarolan

Call for Essays for New Edition of Hidden Lives

Hidden Lives: Coming Out on Mental Illness was successfully released in 2012 by publisher Brindle & Glass http://www.brindleandglass.com will be re-released as a 2nd edition in spring 2017.

We are looking for three additional creative nonfiction/personal essays written by writers domiciled in the United States that address experiences with mental health issues. We seek a variety of work that will speak to all aspects, including direct experience from those who have received a diagnosis, as well as the experiences of spouses, siblings, and children. Writing from more than one family member would be of interest, especially if it rounds out the view. We are not looking for therapeutic accounts from therapists, nor do we seek prescriptive essays of the self-help variety. By mental health issues we refer to some of the more extreme diagnoses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe depression, and autism. We recognize that many people suffer with depression and addiction, but at this time we are not seeking writing on these topics unless they are part of a dual diagnosis, or in the case of depression have resulted in psychosis or other extreme manifestation.


The first edition has been read widely by the general public and we believe has helped to remove the veil of mystery surrounding these issues. If you are considering contributing, some questions to consider:

-What are the realities of the day-to-day experience?
-What hopes and goals are achieved or dashed?
-How does society support or fail to support?
-What are the things you really want people to know about the situation?
-What have been the insights, surprises, frustrations, gains and losses?

We recommend that anyone interested in submitting have a look at the 1st edition to discover more about the tone and variety of writing styles.http://www.brindleandglass.com/book_details.php…

Writers of the additional essays selected for the 2nd edition will be paid $200 Canadian.

Word Count: up to 4,000 words.

Process: Send us your essay (double spaced). Please advise if the essay has already been published, and if you retain rights to the work.

Deadline: July 31, 2016

Address: Send submission, with ‘Hidden Lives’ in the subject line, together with a short bio for you as a Word attachment via email to:
Lenore Rowntree Lenore@Lenorerowntree.com -OR-
Andrew Boden mailto:Andboden@gmail.com