Category: memoir

advocacy Eating disorders are no match for memoirist Betsy Brenner

Eating disorders are no match for memoirist Betsy Brenner

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A silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020-2021, was the gift of time to embark on the incredible journey of writing my memoir The Longest Match: Rallying to Defeat an Eating Disorder in Midlife. A project of this magnitude always seemed daunting but as soon as I began pouring through...

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advocacy My diaries have a new home in the National Library of Australia

My diaries have a new home in the National Library of Australia

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My eating disorder has gone to Canberra, Australia’s national capital. The eating disorder has travelled there within the pages of my diary collection, acquired by the National Library of Australia (NLA). There, the eating disorder will be open to public scrutiny. Canberra is an eight-hour road journey from where I...

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Anorexia A pebble for your thoughts

A pebble for your thoughts

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My father believed in magic. He forever chased bigger and better, shouting his ideas from the rooftops so the world would look his way. My mother was, and remains, eloquent, challenging and well-spoken. In childhood, I struggled to be heard and understood because the need of both parents to be...

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advocacy Epistemic Justice in Understanding Eating Disorders

Epistemic Justice in Understanding Eating Disorders

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Eating Disorder Awareness Week (EDAW) 2024 will take place in Korea from February 28 to March 5, with all seven sessions examining the theme of Epistemic Justice. The question of how to reflect the lived experiences of the eating disorder sufferers, and those of the mental health patients themselves into...

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June's Writing Clan Turning 80 can mark exciting opportunities for fresh starts

Turning 80 can mark exciting opportunities for fresh starts

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When I turned 80, I felt that my life was almost over. Deciding I needed some social connection and a new challenge, I joined June’s local community writing group. A year later, I have published my first book. Rather than stay at home and feel sorry for myself, I went...

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advocacy Take a self-discovery tour – write your story

Take a self-discovery tour – write your story

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So, you want to write your memoir? A memoir is a story about part of your life. What part do you most want to write about? Why? My memoir, A Girl Called Tim, is about my life with an eating disorder from age 11 to age 55. As I entered...

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advocacy Write and everything will be all right

Write and everything will be all right

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… i got your book A Girl Called Tim out of the library and i literally read the whole thing in one day because i just couldnt put it down … it was the first book i have ever read that describes exactly how i feel … i wish that...

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advocacy Share your story and help parents get their kid back

Share your story and help parents get their kid back

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The book My Kid is Back means a lot to me because my parents did not see their kid come back. When I developed anorexia nervosa (AN) at age 11 (shortly after this picture was taken) there was no help for my parents or me. I wish my parents had...

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Life Stories Diary Where do I start? Everyone has their own childhood story to untangle

Where do I start? Everyone has their own childhood story to untangle

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Where do I start? I had a very, very weird childhood. Some people have the religious trauma, some have the undiagnosed neurodiversity… You must be logged in to view this content.

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June's Writing Clan Why I write – the Sunshine Girl

Why I write – the Sunshine Girl

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We have progressed a long way in mental health recognition since the 1940s. My message is that our mental health is something to embrace and speak openly about, rather than hide in shame. The Spot Cafe in Portland, a coastal town in Victoria, Australia, was bustling with people, mainly locals....

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