Will You Read This, Please? Extraordinary Stories from People Living with Mental Illness

About the event

How do we give a voice to those who so often remain unheard? Will You Read This, Please? is a frank and impactful collection of twelve stories written in conjunction with our best British writers, including Tracy Chevalier and Clare Mackintosh, based on the lived experience of people who have faced mental illness in the UK.

Edited by Sunday Times bestselling author Joanna Cannon, the stories told are powerful, resonant and heart-breaking. Working in collaboration with the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Joanna Cannon and The Borough Press took open submissions from mental health service users in the UK who wanted to tell their story. Each of the final 12 storytellers was paired with an award-winning author to help them to tell the story in their own words.

The stories shine a light on a range of illnesses that aren’t often discussed in the press, from postpartum psychosis, to schizophrenia, to harm OCD.

In this talk, Joanna Cannon will be joined by Kathryn Mannix who wrote one of the stories in the book. This is a ground-breaking and unforgettable collection, shining a light on the stigma and isolation of living with mental illness, while also showing the strength and resilience of the human spirit.