Reading from "A Room With a Darker View" for LitFest Pasadena

On Sunday, May 16th I read an excerpt of A Room With a Darker View for LitFest Pasadena's livestreamed program of readings, poetry, film, panel discussions, and more. The program was diverse, ranging in conversations about social justice, cultural equity, race relations" to great words from author activists touching on "inclusivity in graphic novels, writing the SoCal experience, writing complicated families, speculative fiction, true crime, podcasting and 2020."

This short excerpt from my memoir details my move to Pasadena in the 1980s at 16-years-old while my mother's untreated mental illness undermined her effort to practice criminal defense law on the east coast. The contrast between our lives as I ditched school and zipped around the Altadena foothills in a red mustang listening to KROQ Radio could not have been more stunning.

Find out more about LitFest Pasadena on their website litfestpasadena.org and watch pieces of the program on their youtube channel.

Interview for Always with a Book: In Conversation with Leslie Lindsay

Honored to have been interviewed by Leslie Lindsay for her wonderful interview series Always with a Book—which you can read here—during May on Motherhood Mental Health & Illness. Leslie and I speak on caring for family members with mental illness. as well as how de-stigmatizing these experiences and bringing them to light can "bring hope to yourself–and others" in this intimate interview.

✯ Podcast Features: "Drinks with Tony" and "LA Review of Books Radio Hour" ✯

Had such a wonderful time speaking with Tony DuShane on his podcast, Drinks with Tony available on iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, Stitcher, and other podcast outlets. Go listen now to hear us talk about my memoir A Room With a Darker View and specifically mental health, schizophrenia, Stephen King, healthcare, the author lifestyle, and living in a bubble (in Tony's words, "not the John Travolta bubble boy type bubble, not that there’s anything wrong with that..").

Also, catch my book recommendation on the LA Review of Books' wonderful podcast #LARBRadioHour, where I share my thoughts on Schizophrenia: A Brother Finds Answers in Biological Science by Ronald Chase. Go give the episode a listen on Spotify, Podcasts, or Soundcloud. You can hear my feature at 14:50!