Books have a unique power to help us understand ourselves, process difficult emotions, and feel less alone in our struggles. As both a voracious reader and writer exploring the intersection of art and mental health, I regularly examine literature through this psychological lens - finding insights, healing, and inspiration in the relationship between written words and mental well-being.
This collection includes book reviews, reflections on my own writing journey, analysis of how literature portrays mental health, and explorations of reading as both creative practice and therapeutic tool.
These pieces celebrate books as both mirrors for our psychological experiences and windows into new ways of understanding creativity and mental health.
I have developed these materials after decades of lived experience, interview-based insights, and deep research into the complex relationship between art and health. They are based on my unique 6-part framework.
If you are interested in assistance in applying these ideas to your own life:
Sylvia Plath Deep Dive
Exploration of Plath's work and its intersection with mental health
Depression and Writing in the Mind of Esther Greenwood - Literary Psychology | Analysis of The Bell Jar focusing on how depression affects writing and creativity, exploring why a book about depression features relatively little mention of writing itself.
Pain, Parties, Work … Sylvia Plath's Bell Jar Summer - Historical Analysis | Examination of Elizabeth Winder's look at Plath's summer of 1953, unveiling deep interplay between mental health and creative expression, including fashion as identity outlet and subtle shifts in handwriting.
Art+Mental Health in The Last Confessions of Sylvia P. - Contemporary Fiction | Review of fictional expansion of The Bell Jar story, examining how contemporary authors reimagine classic mental health narratives. LOVE this book!
Sylvia Plath and Hypergraphia - Physical Writing & Mental Health
Exploration of how bipolar depression and mania impact the physical act of writing, examining Plath's experiences with compulsive writing during manic periods and inability to write during depression. Defines hypergraphia, hypographia, and dysgraphia as they relate to creative output and mental health symptoms.
Mental Health in Other Books
Analysis of various books through art+psychology lens
Lisa Carver's Heart-Wrenching Writing - Experimental Writing | Review of unique author who creates out-of-the-box books exploring Yoko Ono, dissociative identity, parenting neurodivergent children, and unconventional approaches to art and psychology.
Art and Mental Health Novels: All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews - Mental Health Fiction | Analysis of novel about two sisters - one an accomplished pianist struggling with depression, the other a writer trying to support her - exploring family dynamics and creative identity.
Art + Psychology in The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls - Memoir Analysis | Examination of how Walls highlights creativity and beauty as escape and hope, portraying art and imagination as coping mechanisms and sources of resilience.
Book Review: Always Too Much and Never Enough - Body & Identity | Review of memoir that weaves together women's relationships with bodies, animal politics, food politics, and feminism through personal narrative.
Thoughts from a book talk: Gigi Otálvaro-Hormillosa's Erotic Resistance: The Struggle for the Soul of San Francisco - Place & Creative Identity
Reflection on a book talk about San Francisco's erotic performance culture, exploring how place shapes creativity, the role of sex work as performance art, and personal musings on loving a complicated city. Examines multi-hyphenate creative identities and participant-observer research challenges.
Crochet, Craft as Therapy and Craftivism Books
Books about therapeutic crafting and creative practice
Crafting Meaning: How to Find Belonging through Craft - Meaning-Making | Analysis of Emily Esfahani Smith's "The Power of Meaning" and how research on finding life meaning combines with craft therapy research.
Craftfulness Book Review: Mend Yourself by Making Things - Community Crafting | Review of book by Rosemary and Arzu exploring how crafting in community creates powerful connections and healing opportunities.
Craftivism: The Art of Craft and Activism - Movement Analysis
Reflection on Betsy Greer's edited collection exploring craftivism, focusing on how the movement developed slowly and organically over years. Examines the power of "quiet activism" and draws parallels between slow creative development and sustainable creative business practices.Literature as a Lens for Understanding the Limitations and Potential of Craftivism - Academic Analysis | Analysis of how literature from diverse cultural backgrounds provides context for understanding craft's intersection with cultural practices and socio-political realities.
My Books and Writing Journey
Reflections on my own writing and publishing experiences
The Artist's Mind Experience
A Look Back at The Artist's Mind Virtual Substack Book Tour - Book Promotion | Documentation of virtual book tour with links to guest posts, interviews, and excerpts, plus guidance for other authors.
Two Ways of Beginning a Book Chapter About Georgia O'Keeffe's Art and Mental Health - Publishing Reality
The behind-the-scenes reality of what happens when you write about mental health for publication. Compares the author's original draft with the published version, revealing how editorial pressures can shift focus from honest struggle to inspirational messaging.
Reflections on Work
Reflections on an author interview from over a decade ago and how much is still true - Career Evolution | Analysis of 2012 interview about Crochet Saved My Life, examining what remains consistent and what has evolved.
Kathryn Vercillo on writer's block, the editing process, reading as research, and being gentle with yourself - Writing Psychology | Discussion of how depression symptoms create writer's block and how treating mental health is key to maintaining creative flow.
From the Community
Curated reading suggestions from creative community
Community Reading Lists
16 Writers/Artists/Thinkers Share Book Recommendations - Curated Suggestions | Collection of book recommendations from interview subjects, focusing on books that illuminate the relationship between art and mental health.
Guest Posts
When Dickens stepped in to keep me company: How reading literature gave me purpose during a time of grief - Jeffrey Streeter Guest Post | Exploration of how reading literature provides healing during grief, emphasizing that experiencing art can be as therapeutic as making it.
Facing Fears and Trying New Things: Guest Post and Excerpt by Maggie Maris + Crochet Exercise by Kathryn Vercillo - Creative Courage | Guest post about stepping out of comfort zones and trusting creative intuition, with crochet exercise component.
Books serve as both creative inspiration and therapeutic tools, offering insights into the complex relationship between reading, writing, and mental health.
Looking for essays about writing? Explore Personal Essays
Interested in historical literary perspectives? Visit Art History & Mental Health
Curious how music and mental health intersect? Those pieces are here
Want personalized guidance?
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How to Know if My Approach to Creativity+Health Coaching Is Right for You - Honest assessment tool to help you determine if my approach to 1:1 creative wellness calls align with what you're seeking.
What Happens in a 1:1 Healthy Creativity Session? - Who I work with, what happens before a session, what happens in a session.
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