Trigger Warning: This post addresses mental health
The HWA is pleased to launch its Mental Health Initiative, a coordinated roll-out of events, resources, and activities intended to promote positive mental health, foster the concept of hope, and challenge the stigma of mental illness in the horror genre. The initiative, run by the organisation’s Wellness Committee, launches in June, and includes the following blog posts from Of Horror and Hope, a downloadable anthology of poems, flash fiction, and personal reflections on mental health by HWA members.
DESPITE IT ALL Deborah LeBlanc
She learned to shrink when very young Unnoticed meant safety—a good thing For visibility’s colors were black and blue Colors she hated. Years went by, but the colors didn’t, so She began writing horror to escape the colors And it worked…for a while As time went on, however, she soon Discovered things more horrid than black and blue. Having your soul chopped into pieces Knowing an emptiness too profound For words. Even words touted in horror. Again, time passed as it will And somehow through the colors and splintered soul She learned to stand upright To stand tall and do it all Because that was really What was meant to be All along