Pittsburgh Live/Ability: Conversations in Poetry and Prose

In this collection, trigger warnings will be provided for two pieces: “Learning to Dream Again: Anne Alter’s Life with Schizo-phrenia” and "A Swirling, Lingering Storm: Corporal Kevin Craig Nixon."

Trigger warnings help readers prepare for potentially distressing content, providing an opportunity to pause and emotionally protect themselves so they can engage safely with a piece. As you begin to explore these candid, authentic, and vulnerable narratives, it’s important that you acknowledge what your brain and body need so you can comfortably and safely access these stories.

As you read Pittsburgh Live/Ability: Encounters in Poetry and Prose, we urge you to do so safely. Below is a list of resources that can provide support if you experience any distress or discomfort. It’s important to be aware of these resources as well as share them with others so we are all equipped and empowered with information that helps all of us stay safe.

 Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) 

Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 (as of July 16, 2022)
For TTY Users use your preferred relay service or dial 711 then 1-800-273-8255.

Allegheny County Peer Support Warmline Service: 1-866-661-WARM (9276)
Peer specialists are trained to actively listen to their peers, empathize with their concerns, and empower individuals to choose their path to wellness and recovery.

PAAR (Pittsburgh Action Against Rape): 1-866-363-7273
Access text/chat via: paar.net.

RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
Access TTY: 1-800-799-4TTY (4889)

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
TTY: 1-800-787-3224
Live chat: thehotline.org

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) HelpLine: 1-800-950-NAMI (6264)
Web chat: www.nami.org/help

Resources for veterans

NVF Lifeline for Vets: 1-888-777-4443
Stop Soldier Suicide: 844-317-1136
Veterans Crisis Line: (TTY)711+1-800-273-8255 #1; or text 838255.

Participant biographies

Afterword by Sheila Black

Freaky Fire Guy: A Collaboration by Mark Steidl and Rick St. John

A Swirling, Lingering Storm: Corporal Kevin Craig Nixon by Emilio Rodriguez

TRIGGER WARNING

The honest and raw conversations between veterans Kevin Nixon and Emilio R. Rodriguez explore the devastating consequences of the stigma that many service members experience when they reach out for help. In these exchanges and poems, both Kevin and Emilio use their lived experiences to share with us the barriers to treatment that are erected and enforced by society’s stigmatizing beliefs surrounding the emotional toll of combat and, ultimately, how lack of support can be fatal. Through their discussion of stigma, PTSD, combat violence, isolation, and suicide, Kevin and Emilio urge us to become allies in the fight to acknowledge the very real struggles of service members. Their stories are also a rallying cry for veterans and allies alike to demand comprehensive and accessible lifesaving therapeutic resources. Kevin and Emilio’s stories voice the pain of loneliness, despair, and trauma, but the echoes of their words send a message of hope.

You can listen to the list of resources in the second track of this audiobook titled "On Trigger Warnings", or read them below.

It’s important to be aware of these resources as well as share them with others so we are all equipped and empowered with information that helps all of us stay safe.

Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 (as of July 16, 2022) For TTY Users use your preferred relay service or dial 711 then 1-800-273-8255.

Allegheny County Peer Support Warmline Service: 1-866-661-WARM (9276) Peer specialists are trained to actively listen to their peers, empathize with their concerns, and empower individuals to choose their path to wellness and recovery.

PAAR (Pittsburgh Action Against Rape): 1-866-363-7273 Access text/chat via: paar.net.

RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) Access TTY: 1-800-799-4TTY (4889)

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) TTY: 1-800-787-3224
Live chat: thehotline.org

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) HelpLine: 1-800-950-NAMI (6264)
Web chat: www.nami.org/help

Resources for veterans

NVF Lifeline for Vets: 1-888-777-4443
Stop Soldier Suicide: 844-317-1136
Veterans Crisis Line: (TTY)711+1-800-273-8255 #1; or text 838255.

Navigating the Roads of Power and Policy: Jessica Benham by Patti Murphy

Learning to Dream Again: Anne Alter’s Life with Schizophrenia by Jennifer Matesa

TRIGGER WARNING

Anne Alter’s story unpacks the experience of living with a mental illness in a sanist society, where people diagnosed with psychiatric disabilities are systemically silenced, neglected, and even abused. In her narrative, we learn about what it is like living with suicidal ideation and the experience of forced hospitalization, and recovering from patterns of abuse including sexual assault and predatory relationships—including a relationship with a mental health care provider outside of the family who made unwelcome references to their own incestuous impulses—as well as on themes of isolation, and emotional manipulation. Through the telling of Anne’s story, we are also introduced to Jennifer Matesa, the interviewer, who shares her own raw experiences of surviving emotional and sexual abuse. While both of these stories document the trials and trauma that can come with living a marginalized identity, they are really testaments to strength and resilience.

You can listen to the list of resources in the second track of this audiobook titled "On Trigger Warnings", or read them below. It’s important to be aware of these resources as well as share them with others so we are all equipped and empowered with information that helps all of us stay safe. 

Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 (as of July 16, 2022)
For TTY Users use your preferred relay service or dial 711 then 1-800-273-8255.

Allegheny County Peer Support Warmline Service: 1-866-661-WARM (9276)
Peer specialists are trained to actively listen to their peers, empathize with their concerns, and empower individuals to choose their path to wellness and recovery.

PAAR (Pittsburgh Action Against Rape): 1-866-363-7273
Access text/chat via: paar.net.

RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) Access TTY: 1-800-799-4TTY (4889)

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) TTY: 1-800-787-3224
Live chat: thehotline.org

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) HelpLine: 1-800-950-NAMI (6264)
Web chat: www.nami.org/help

Resources for veterans

NVF Lifeline for Vets: 1-888-777-4443
Stop Soldier Suicide: 844-317-1136
Veterans Crisis Line: (TTY)711+1-800-273-8255 #1; or text 838255.

Paul O’Hanlon: A Driving Force for Accessibility by Jason Irwin

Linking Hands: Richard McGann by Cristina Hartmann

Unsafe for Sensitive Groups: Selene dePackh and Alana Gibbs in Conversation

Ableist Bingo with Safe Spaces by Ava C. Cipri & Heather Tomko

The Eyes Have It: Avis Zawadi by Sheila Carter-Jones

The Language He Dreams In: Kenneth DeHaan by Katie Booth

Sidria Sings: Sidria Williams by Cameron Barnett

Introduction: Ellen McGrath Smith, Project Director and Editor

Introduction | Ellen McGrath Smith
Sidria Sings: Sidria Williams | Cameron Barnett
The Language He Dreams In: Kenneth DeHaan | Katie Booth
The Eyes Have It: Avis Zawadi | Sheila Carter-Jones
Ableist Bingo with Safe Spaces | Ava C. Cipri & Heather Tomko
Unsafe for Sensitive Groups: Selene dePackh and Alana Gibbs in Conversation
Linking Hands: Richard McGann | Cristina Hartmann
Paul O’Hanlon: A Driving Force for Accessibility | Jason Irwin
Learning to Dream Again: Anne Alter’s Life with Schizophrenia| Jennifer Matesa
Navigating the Roads of Power and Policy: Jessica Benham | Patti Murphy
A Swirling, Lingering Storm: Corporal Kevin Craig Nixon | Emilio Rodriguez
Freaky Fire Guy: A Collaboration by Mark Steidl and Rick St. John

Title page and cover art image description