In recognition of Mental Health Awareness
Month, Tompkins County Public Library will host author and advocate Karen
Winters Schwartz for an introduction of her latest book, “Reis’s Pieces:
Love, Loss and Schizophrenia,” and a discussion on the misconceptions of mental
illness May 22 at 6 p.m. in the BorgWarner Community Room.
The author of two novels about mental illness, Schwartz, of Marietta (Onondaga County) , uses her books and presentations to facilitate discussion about the need for empathy and the devastating effects of the negative stigma associated with mental illness. During her Library presentation, Schwartz will share her thoughts on decreasing that stigma, increasing education and eliciting sympathy to aid in recovery and lessen the potential for future tragedies like the Sandy Hook Elementary and Aurora, Colorado theatre shootings.
While Schwartz's stories are fictional, they are based on real life people and their experiences. Her book “Where Are the Cocoa Puffs?: A Family’s Journey Through Bipolar Disorder“ is about her own family’s mental health journey; both of her daughters experienced mental illness—bipolar disorder and schizophrenia—as teens. In “Reis’s Pieces: Love, Loss, and Schizophrenia” Schwartz humanizes the experiences of both the afflicted person and those around him.
Schwartz is an active board member of NAMI Syracuse (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and a sought-after speaker for mental health association events and conferences across the country. Her Library presentation is free and open to the public.
For more information, contact Carrie Wheeler-Carmenatty at (607) 272-4557 extension 248 or cwheeler@tcpl.org.
The author of two novels about mental illness, Schwartz, of Marietta (Onondaga County) , uses her books and presentations to facilitate discussion about the need for empathy and the devastating effects of the negative stigma associated with mental illness. During her Library presentation, Schwartz will share her thoughts on decreasing that stigma, increasing education and eliciting sympathy to aid in recovery and lessen the potential for future tragedies like the Sandy Hook Elementary and Aurora, Colorado theatre shootings.
While Schwartz's stories are fictional, they are based on real life people and their experiences. Her book “Where Are the Cocoa Puffs?: A Family’s Journey Through Bipolar Disorder“ is about her own family’s mental health journey; both of her daughters experienced mental illness—bipolar disorder and schizophrenia—as teens. In “Reis’s Pieces: Love, Loss, and Schizophrenia” Schwartz humanizes the experiences of both the afflicted person and those around him.
Schwartz is an active board member of NAMI Syracuse (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and a sought-after speaker for mental health association events and conferences across the country. Her Library presentation is free and open to the public.
For more information, contact Carrie Wheeler-Carmenatty at (607) 272-4557 extension 248 or cwheeler@tcpl.org.
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