The first few posts are up at www.youmakemefeellessalone.blogspot.com.

Check them out! Subscribe! Send in your own stories!

Your words are powerful. Your words can help people.
Share them.

Dear Friends,

Since the publication of my memoir, I Don’t Want to Be Crazy, I have had the privilege of getting your letters. You write about your fears, your struggles, your isolation...but also of your hope and recovery. The most common phrase in all your emails is: “Your story made me feel less alone.” The repetition of this phrase is not surprising since one in four adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year—that translates into nearly 58 million people (NIMH). Of those disorders, anxiety disorders are the most common—affecting 40 million adults (ADAA).

I am honored to be your audience of one, but your story—like mine—has the power to help others. With this in mind, I created www.YouMakeMeFeelLessAlone.blogspot.com as a place for YOU to contribute your stories and poems. Together, we can close the gap between all those people who are “one in four” and struggling with mental illness.

Your words are powerful. Your words can help people.

Share them.

Be well,

Sam

* * *

How do I post?

1) Email your submission to samanthaschutz@hotmail.com. (In order to keep the site organized and free of unrelated content, I will post your submission for you. However, all readers will be able post comments directly to the site.)

2) Put “YouMakeMeFeelLessAlone” in the subject line.

3) Copy and paste the info below to the top of your email. Then fill in the answers.

Do you want your name to appear with your post?

If so, do you want your full name or first name only? ______________

Do you want to post anonymously? ______________

What is your age? ______________ (FYI: If you are under 18, I am not comfortable posting full names and locations.)

Where do you live? ______________

If I create a Twitter account (or something similar) for this program, could I post a snippet of your submittion?

When will my post appear?

Once I get a few initial submissions (and finish the design of the blog), I will begin posting. After that, I hope to put up posts within a week or so of getting your submission.

What are the guidelines?

-Keep posts to under 500 words.

-Submit only about topics relating to mental illness.

-Take care and pride in your post. Please review your submission carefully before emailing me.

What else should I know?

-Your post is yours. By posting you are NOT giving me any rights to your words.

-You can subscribe to this blog for free. That way you’ll get an email each time there is a new post.