Mental Health.

Cartoonist Ellen Forney explores the relationship between “crazy” and “creative” in this graphic memoir of her bipolar disorder, woven with stories of famous bipolar artists and writers. Shortly before her thirtieth birthday, Forney was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Flagrantly manic and terrified that medications would cause her to lose creativity, she began a years-long struggle to find mental stability while retaining her passions and creativity. Searching to make sense of the popular concept of the crazy artist, she finds inspiration from the lives and work of other artists and writers who suffered from mood disorders, including Vincent van Gogh, Georgia O’Keeffe, William Styron, and Sylvia Plath. She also researches the clinical aspects of bipolar disorder, including the strengths and limitations of various treatments and medications, and what studies tell us about the conundrum of attempting to “cure” an otherwise brilliant mind. Darkly funny and intensely personal, Forney’s memoir provides a visceral glimpse into the effects of a mood disorder on an artist’s work, as she shares her own story through bold black-and-white images and evocative prose.

My name is Christina J Fox. I am from a typical Roman Catholic Irish family of ten, all of us together. I was born 1969 and now at 49 years, I have suffered from mental health problems, Epilepsy Psychosis. I have been very lucky to live with my identical twin who has cared very much for me. I used to work quite regular but my illness soon put a stop to that and have been on the sick for years. I don’t have much to say about myself apart from the fact that I’m epileptic psychosis and I love Art, the rest are in my five books that are painted and the obsessions you can see in my work. It is hard to put into words what mental illness is like. I hope through this book, which displayed all my artwork from past until the present, I will be able to show it to you. I always believe God created us with our own uniqueness that is worthy of sharing and now I am sharing the perfect imperfections of myself through My Art Diary.

From the mega-bestselling creator of Heartstopper, a must-have novella in which Heartstopper's lead characters, Nick and Charlie, face one of their biggest challenges yet. Absence makes the heart grow fonder... right? Everyone knows that Nick and Charlie love their nearly inseparable life together. But soon Nick will be leaving for university, and Charlie, a year younger, will be left behind. Everyone's asking if they're staying together, which is a stupid question... or at least that's what Nick and Charlie assume at first. As the time to say goodbye gets inevitably closer, both Nick and Charlie start to question whether their love is strong enough to survive being apart. Charlie is sure he's holding Nick back... and Nick can't tell what Charlie's thinking. Things spiral from there. Everyone knows that first loves rarely last forever. What will it take for Nick and Charlie to defy the odds?

Emma Mitchell's richly illustrated and evocative nature diary tracks the lives of local flora and fauna around her home and further afield, and shows how being in the wild benefits our mental and physical wellbeing.