A Bed With My Name On It

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.