Birdsong by writer Eleanor Lees
By Eleanor Lees Birdsong is something my blind friend has come to be able to identify – enjoying being able to tell me which songs are coming from which birds despite not being able to see them. She imagines them in her mind’s eye and describes to me how she sees them. The collective flight […]
A glowing green hotel
By Erica Crompton Hope Street, Belfast’s Holiday Inn lights up green in the evening which makes for an eerie entree. But we don’t mind this at all as we enter as it boasts both steps to the entrance and a step-free entrance for wheelchair users. A bottle of Pinot Noir awaits with a handwritten note […]
Quail birds at Edo restaurant
By Erica Crompton “Is this the Quail or the egg?” It’s only after sampling the vast array of local Belfast beers and whiskeys that I ask this, but the friendly staff take it in their stride: “It’s the bird,” offers the understanding waitress all pristine black shirt, matching apron and compassionate smile. EDŌ, prounouned “aye-doh” […]
Identity lost, a poem by Jim Leftwich
By Jim Leftwich, CEO NoLongerLonely.com Clasping at air All thought in celestial space My thoughts I do not own All originality is banal It makes no difference Locked inside or put upon the page Puncturing the rind of the mind Thoughts flow in But others are sucked out I stand alone Solidarity is a paltry […]
Storms make people stronger
By James Leftwich, CEO NoLongerLonely.com I’ve never tried to commit suicide. However I certainly have thought about it. I’m not a religious person but I do have a belief that life is quite precious and that abandoning it is something of a violation. Suicidality is a repudiation of long-term thinking. Someone on the brink cannot […]
Train fable
Feeling low in lockdown? You’re not alone, as Editor Erica Crompton shares her nostalgic tragedy and urges readers to make the most of what they have Once upon a time, in a world where I had a secure job, partner and Herne Hill mansion; I had had a meeting with Emma, the immaculate press officer […]
Sleep and psychosis
By Rachel Melinek I watch on terrified. I can see a woman in white in the doorway holding a baby. The figure stands there looking at me, I’m so scared I run back to bed and put my head underneath the covers. Seeing the vision makes my ability to sleep worse as I wonder about […]
Do people with mental illness make better artists?
Many papers cover creativity and mental illness. Here, Hopezine Editor Erica Crompton delves into the discussion… Abstract Many papers have written about creativity and mental illness, and whether mental illnesses can improve creativity (Waddell, 1998). This report aims to address this conundrum. Furthermore, according to Waddell, there are limited scientific papers that evidence an association […]
Educating María
Child of the world, María Llewellyn, suffered sleepless nights and self-doubt until losing a loved one to suicide prompted her to see a therapist and learn to love herself.
The Bevelled-Edge Mirror
By Hopezine’s Editor, Erica Crompton “Ever since I was a child, I’ve had an appreciation of antiques. I grew up with parents who loved car boot sales, charity shops and all things vintage (before it became cool). More recently, I’d brought myself a tiny, white cottage in a little village in Staffordshire, to be closer […]