Destigmatizing Black Women and Queer Mental Health

From Verse to Voice: Honoring Mental Health in the Afterglow of Poetry

As we turn the page from National Poetry Month into Mental Health Awareness Month, we at Marzetta’s House Publishing are reminded of the deep connection between creative expression and emotional survival. Poetry—raw, rhythmic, and revolutionary—has long been a lifeline for Black women and Black queer folks navigating systems that were never built with us in mind. It is both sanctuary and sword, a place to hold our grief, our joy, our rage, and our healing.

But what happens when the poem ends? When the applause fades and the silence settles in? For too many of us, especially those living with stigmatized mental illnesses—like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD, or chronic depression—the return to reality is heavy. In our communities, mental health challenges are often met with shame, silence, or dismissal. And in our creative spaces, we are celebrated for our pain, but not always supported in our healing.

That’s why this month, we’re shifting our focus inward.

Mental Health Awareness Month is not just a campaign—it’s an invitation. An invitation to rest, to seek help, to challenge stigma, and to reimagine wellness on our own terms. It’s a reminder that survival is not the only goal—thriving is. And we believe that the same courage it takes to speak truth in poetry can be the courage it takes to ask for help, set boundaries, or say “I’m not okay.”

In Black poetry circles, especially those led by or centered around queer and femme voices, we are building something sacred. We are saying: you don’t have to bleed to be brilliant. You don’t have to break to be heard. Your wellness is not a burden—it is a birthright.

So this month, the Mental Health Corner will feature blog posts, resources, reflections, and conversations from poets, mental health practitioners, and community healers. We’ll explore how art can support our wellness—but also where art can’t reach, and what care looks like beyond the stage.

Whether you're a poet, a reader, a creator, or someone just trying to make it to the next day—this space is for you.

You are not alone. You are not too much. And you are worthy of care.