Tompkins
County Public Library, the National Alliance on Mental Illness—Finger Lakes, Finger
Lakes Independence Center and the DeLuca Fund for Hope and Recovery will
present “The Lives They Left Behind: Suitcases from a State Hospital
Attic,” a discussion and book signing by Darby Penney, October 5 at 1 p.m. in
the BorgWarner Community Room.
Presented in conjunction with the Library’s current exhibit of the same name, Penney’s discussion will provide insight into the mental health system and offer a glimpse into the research she conducted following the discovery of 400 suitcases in the attic of the former Willard Psychiatric Center.
A senior research associate with Advocates for Human Potential Inc., and former director of recipient affairs for the New York State Office of Mental Health, Penney worked with New York State Museum Curator Craig Williams and Psychiatrist Peter Stastny to piece together the life stories of the suitcase owners. She and Stastny co-authored a book “The Lives They Left Behind: Suitcases from a State Hospital Attic” (Bellevue Literary Press 2008) about their work on the project.
Penney’s talk is free and open to the public. Copies of her book will be available for purchase at the event and at TCPL’s Gallery Night Opening Reception from 5 to 8 p.m. October 4.
Presented in conjunction with the Library’s current exhibit of the same name, Penney’s discussion will provide insight into the mental health system and offer a glimpse into the research she conducted following the discovery of 400 suitcases in the attic of the former Willard Psychiatric Center.
A senior research associate with Advocates for Human Potential Inc., and former director of recipient affairs for the New York State Office of Mental Health, Penney worked with New York State Museum Curator Craig Williams and Psychiatrist Peter Stastny to piece together the life stories of the suitcase owners. She and Stastny co-authored a book “The Lives They Left Behind: Suitcases from a State Hospital Attic” (Bellevue Literary Press 2008) about their work on the project.
Penney’s talk is free and open to the public. Copies of her book will be available for purchase at the event and at TCPL’s Gallery Night Opening Reception from 5 to 8 p.m. October 4.
The exhibit
“The Lives They Left Behind. . .” features photographic and written profiles of
the patients whose stories were uncovered when their belongings were found in
the attic. Actual suitcases will also be on display, courtesy of the New
York State Museum. The exhibit was developed by The Community Consortium
and is circulated by The Exhibition Alliance, Inc., of Hamilton, N.Y. It
is made possible by a gift from Janssen Pharmaceuticals and has been
co-sponsored by the Mental Health Association in Tompkins County and the
History Center in Tompkins County.
For more
information, contact Exhibit Coordinator Sally Grubb at (607) 272-4557
extension 248 or sgrubb@tcpl.org.
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