Writing Away the Stigma Graduation & Reading
Friday, May 4, 2018
@ Creative Nonfiction Foundation*
5119 Coral Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15224
Refreshments at 6 PM; program begins at 7 PM
In observance of Mental Health Awareness Month, Creative Nonfiction is hosting a series of free public readings and harnessing the power of true storytelling to counteract the dangerous and shameful stigma surrounding mental illness.
The featured readers are Pittsburgh-area teens who have spent the spring diligently writing and revising true stories about mental illness—and now they’re sharing them with an audience.
The teens will debut excerpts from their works-in-progress, and you'll learn more about the Writing Away the Stigma project.
We hope you will join us for this important and powerful program.
Schedule of Events
7:00 PM // Opening Remarks
ALYSSA CYPHER, mental health specialist & founder of Inside Our Minds
7:15 PM // Readings
WATS TEENS
7:30 PM // Remarks
YONA HARVEY, author and teacher
7:45 PM // Readings
WATS TEENS
8:00 PM // Closing Remarks
LEE GUTKIND, founder and editor of Creative Nonfiction magazine
About the Project
Writing Away the Stigma (WATS) is a series of free workshops and events for people who want to write about how mental illness has affected their lives. The goal of WATS is to help participants make a statement, showing the world (and, perhaps, themselves, too) that there is no shame in their experiences , and that people who suffer from mental illness can also survive and prosper. This is the third iteration of the project, and the first to work with teens. Learn more about the project, here.
The WATS Teens
Cayla Gancy // Hailey Bartlett // Jacob Volk // Jayanna Smith // Jason Johnson // Ceresa Morsaint // Juno Nascimento // Bridget Van Houtem // Mona Indovina
Other Upcoming WATS Events
May 23 // 7 PM @ City of Asylum // "Stories That Heal"
June 21 // 7 PM @ City of Asylum // "Stories That Heal"
June 28 // 6:30 PM @ Millvale Community Library // "Anonymous Open Mic"
The Writing Away the Stigma project was made possible by the Grable Foundation.
Questions? Please call us at 412-404-2975 or email Hannah Waltz at [email protected].
* The Creative Nonfiction Foundation (located at 5119 Coral Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15224) is accessible via an electric wheelchair lift on the front of the building. There is also a wheelchair accessible restroom located right off of the main event space.