Sue Katz: An Interview with author Stephanie Schroeder, co-editor of Headcase: LGBTQ Writers & Artists on Mental Health and Wellness
The following is reprinted with permission from Sue Katz’s Consenting Adult blog.
By Sue Katz
Stephanie Schroeder – writer and peer advocate – and her co-editor Teresa Theophano – writer and social worker – have brought together 38 important pieces of writing on the topic of LGBTQ mental health today in their anthology Headcase: LGBTQ Writers & Artists on Mental Health and Wellness. Stephanie is known for her hard-hitting socially-aware journalism and one other book, her moving memoir.
The enthusiastic reception of Headcase is reflected in its reviews where comments call it “ground-breaking,” “poignant,” “terrific and essential,” and “a diverse democracy of voices.” I spoke to Stephanie Schroeder about the process of putting together such a pioneering work.
Question: How did you and your co-editor meet and decide to work together on this project?
Stephanie Schroeder: When Teresa read my memoir Beautiful Wreck: Sex, Lies & Suicide, it resonated with her. She had originated the idea of Headcase and then reached out to me. We hadn’t met before. We’ve been working on Headcase since 2014 and it has been a dream collaboration. We agreed on everything, from the vision to the submission guidelines to the final choices out of hundreds of submissions.
Question: Now that the book is out and you have just finished a national book tour, are you still friends?
StephanieSchroeder (on left in black shirt): Yes! Not only have we stayed friends, we also plan to co-write another book focusing on LGBTQ suicide.
Question: How did you decide what to include in Headcase?
Stephanie Schroeder: We chose selections on the strength of their writing and content. We ensured a broad demographic around age, race & ethnicity, sexual orientation & gender identity, socio-economic status, geography, and diverse viewpoints. Some are grounded in an anti-psychiatry position while others are from a more conventional treatment viewpoint. We included essays, poetry, fiction, visual artwork, and a 13-panel comic written by a young transperson who documented their days in the hospital for mental health issues.
Question: Why is this anthology necessary?
Stephanie Schroeder:Because LGBTQ peers and consumers of mental health services are under-represented in the literature. Most books are written by professionals for professionals or clinicians for clinicians. We believe that LGBTQ peers are experts about our own care. And in fact nothing like this book has ever existed before. It is truly a vanguard work in the field of mental health literature.
To learn more, check out the Headcase anthology online and on Facebook:
Facebook: Headcaseanthology
Sue Katz is a wordsmith and rebel who has been published on the three continents where she has lived, first working as a martial arts master, then promoting volunteerism globally, and recently working with elders. Her book Lillian’s Last Affair is a collection of short stories about the love lives of older people. Her followup, Lillian in Love examines how two old women negotiate love. Read her blog “Consenting Adult” at www.suekatz.com, “friend” her at facebook.com/sue.katz, or write her at sue.katz@yahoo.com.