Image description: Graphic with a white background and text in black that reads “#CripLit TwitterChat Mental Health & Writing, November 18, 2018, 4 pm Pacific/ 5 pm Mountain/ 6 pm Central/ 7 pm Eastern/ 4 pm Pacific, Guest hosts @veronikellymars and @sesmith. Details: DisabilityVisibilityProject.com.” On the left is an illustration of a pile of books and on the right a typewriter. Both illustrations in black.

#CripLit Twitter Chat
Writing and Mental Health
Sunday, November 18, 2018
4 pm Pacific/ 7 pm Eastern

You are invited to the fourteenth #CripLit chat co-hosted by novelist Nicola Griffith and Alice Wong of the Disability Visibility Project®. We are excited to have Kelly Jensen and s.e. smith join us in a conversation about writing, mental health, and the new anthology (Don’t) Call Me Crazy: 33 Voices Start the Conversation about Mental Health. Kelly is the editor of this anthology and s.e. is a contributor–we look forward to learning more about this groundbreaking collection of essays from them.

Please note: This first question is for everyone, then we will ask several questions of Kelly and s.e., and then open the last 20 minutes for participants to ask their own questions to our guest hosts or Tweet their thoughts about writing and mental health.

Additional Links

● Kirkus Review of (Don’t) Call Me Crazy (May 28, 2018)
● Kelly Jensen, Writer & Editor
● s.e. smith
● Stacked Books

How to Participate

Follow @DisVisibility @nicolaz @sesmith and @veronikellymars on Twitter for updates.

When it’s time, search #CripLit on Twitter for the series of live tweets under the ‘Latest’ tab for the full conversation.

If you might be overwhelmed by the volume of tweets and only want to see the chat’s questions so you can respond to them, check @DisVisibility’s account. Each question will tweeted 6-8 minutes apart.

Another way to participate in the chat is to use this app that allows you to pause the chat if the Tweets are coming at you too fast: http://www.tchat.io/

Check out this explanation of how to participate in a twitter chat by Ruti Regan: https://storify.com/RutiRegan/examplechat

Check out this captioned #ASL explanation of how to participate in a chat by @behearddc: https://www.facebook.com/HEARDDC/videos/1181213075257528/

Introductory Tweets and Questions for 11/18 Chat

Welcome to the #CripLit chat on writing & mental health with guest hosts @sesmith and @veronikellymars! We’ll be talking about the new anthology edited by Kelly Jensen featuring an essay by s.e. smith: (Don’t) Call Me Crazy: 33 Voices Start the Conversation about Mental Health

If you respond to a question such as Q1 or want to Tweet a comment, your tweet should follow this format: “A1 [your message] #CripLit”

Please note: The first question is for everyone, then we will address several questions about the anthology directly to @veronikellymars and @sesmith, and then open it up to you all for the last 20 minutes of the #CripLit chat

Q1 Welcome everyone! Please introduce yourself and share a little bit about your writing and your interest in #MentalHealth in literature #CripLit

Q2 @veronikellymars: As the Editor of Don’t Call Me Crazy, tell us about how this project started and why you wanted to create this collection at this time on this topic #CripLit

Q3 @veronikellymars: What was the editing process like and what led you to select these 33 particular essays? What were your intentions with the choice of these contributors?

Q4 @sesmith: Could you tell us about your essay in Don’t Call Me Crazy and what it means for you to be part of this collection centered on the lived experience mental health/illness? #CripLit

Q5 @veronikellymars and @sesmith: The word ‘crazy’ is considered sanist and ableist but it’s also reclaimed by people w/ mental health disabilities and Mad or neurodivergent people. What does ‘crazy’ mean to you and how does language & identity matter in writing about disability? #CripLit

Q6 @veronikellymars and @sesmith: What kinds of conversations do you hope the essays in Don’t Call Me Crazy will start about #MentalHealth and accurate representation of it in literature? #CripLit

For the rest of the hour we welcome all of you to share your thoughts about #MentalHealth and writing. You are also welcome to ask @veronikellymars and @sesmith questions about the Don’t Call Me Crazy anthology #CripLit

Reminder: if you ask Kelly or s.e. a question, don’t forget to Tweet at them @veronikellymars and @sesmith and use use the #CripLit tag!

Thank you for joining our #CripLit chat. Many thanks to our guest hosts @veronikellymars and @sesmith
Please continue the conversation!

A recap of this chat will be up tomorrow. Check the #CripLit hashtag. Feel free to contact @DisVisibility and @nicolaz with any ideas/feedback 😀