Soteria in the Pub, London

Soteria in the Pub

Join us another Soteria in the Pub open mic event to raise awareness for compassionate alternatives for people in distress on Sunday 3rd March 2-6pm at The Betsey Trotwood (EC1R 3BL). This a ticket only event please book online free/donations welcome.

BPD: Bullshit Psychiatric Diagnosis

BPD word cloud // Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Basic problem: dysfunctional brain. Poisonous dynamic. Bad person. Difficult. Branded, pigeonholed, dubbed bonkers, psycho, disturbed. Best put down ‘borderline’. Please don’t bother protesting, dear. Boffin professionals drafted brilliant Ph Ds berating personal downfall Browbeaten patients drop by pharmacy, drugs bring … Read more

Who’s the Refuser?

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Rebecca is a school refuser The lessons confuse her Miss knows her sister is a substance misuser It doesn’t excuse her She’s labelled a shirker, assigned to an overworked social work a conflict defuser But Becky’s still a school refuser   … Read more

Poetry in Asylum magazine

Asylum poetry callout

Janine has recently taken over as Poetry Editor of Asylum magazine. Asylum wants your poetry for our radical mental health magazine. Asylum has been running for nearly forty years, providing a platform for all perspectives on mental health. Asylum is influenced and … Read more

Drop the Disorder!

Drop the Disorder

Janine’s contribution to A Disorder for Everyone’s online poetry gig challenging the mainstream narrative on mental health, held on 16 April 2021, featuring the poems Locked Up and Down and Not OK.

The Roadmap Ahead

Fear

What if I can’t stand the train without the carriage to myself? What if I can’t stretch and strain to reach up to the luggage shelf? What if all the outside seats are taken and the queue’s too long? And … Read more

Stop this deportation!

Osime Brown

Published in Solidarity 562:   Dozens of protesters gathered outside the Home Office on Friday 4 September to demand that Osime Brown not be deported to Jamaica. Led by Osime’s family, the protest was supported by Autistic Inclusive Meets (AIM), … Read more

Your Place

joebalcony

Last year, I wrote a poem (a pantoum) called ‘This Place’ about visiting my son in the adolescent psychiatric unit where he spent four months (read it here). He now has his own flat, living independently with support. So I … Read more