Overview

This book of poems draws on the author's experience within the mental health system from the time she was a little girl until she reached her early twenties. The poems illuminate the soul-numbing degradations that spurred her to find her way out of the system and the kindnesses that made it possible. Each poem provides a clue to her survival: from the drug addict who told her never to follow his path, to the staff member who sat up with her every night, to the YWCA that provided her first safe harbor. Taken together, the poems also reveal the resilience and the dauntless sense of humor that allowed her to heal and triumph. One dollar will be donated from every sale of the book to the YWCA of White Plains.

Full Product Details

9780983227540

Table of Contents

Reviews

Robins' poetry reveals the secrets of her soul in the uninhibited manner of the great confessional poets. Sometimes shocking, sometimes lightheartedly funny, sometimes harrowing but always reaching from the deepest pockets of the heart. These riveting tales are told from the perspective of a sharp woman who often travels to the edge - and takes us with her. - Dr. Christine Timm, educator and poet. In 'A Bed With My Name On It, ' Nina Robins looks unflinchingly at a deeply fractured mental healthcare system. By looking at the people involved - and not simply the one-dimensional diagnoses they are most often defined by within that system - she offers her reader a rare and humanizing look behind the curtain. - Nicole Homer, poet and educator. Exciting, excruciating, extraordinary - Nina Robins' book of poems, 'A Bed With My Name On It' - is a must-read for anyone who loves poetry or has been touched by mental illness. That is, anyone. With swift strokes, Ms. Robins shows us the savagery of the system even as her words scorch us with their beauty. These vignettes of life in the locked wards where the mentally ill are so often consigned will stay with you long after you have put the book down, if you can put it down at all. - Lori Ubell, poet and short story author.

Author Information

Nina Belén Robins is a three-time National Slam Poet and author of the book of poems, Supermarket Diaries. She spent much of her life in various institutions, but has finally broken free and lives with her boyfriend and cats, working in the bakery department of a supermarket. She writes whenever possible, performs in various venues, and wants to help normalize and destigmatize mental illness as best she can.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available