BANGOR, Maine — Organizers of a locally sponsored writing contest are attempting to erase the stigma they say keeps many mental health care consumers from openly discussing their conditions as they would other health problems.
Maine Mental Health Connections Inc. is sponsoring a writing contest specifically for mental health care consumers. Interested parties have until Oct. 31 to enter the contest, which allows poetry entries of up to 100 lines and fictional or essay entries of up to 2,000 words.
The contest comes as Maine Mental Health Connections’ new director, Sean Faircloth, pushes for the organization to invest more in public outreach and awareness in order to bring attention to mental illness, which affects one in five Americans annually.
“Society kind of says you don’t talk about [mental illness], and I’d like to see it where people are much more open about these discussions,” said Faircloth, a Bangor city councilor who took charge of Maine Mental Health Connections this summer.
Faircloth said his mother — now deceased — was briefly institutionalized because of mental illness and his brother committed suicide as a result of mental illness. If consumers and others were more comfortable discussing mental health issues, he said, it would help provide meaningful support for sufferers and their families.
The contest will be judged by Roger Griffith, a longtime Maine Mental Health Connections supporter as well as a former board member and former staff member for the organization. Three top entries will be recognized with a $100 cash prize.
Other entries judged worthy will be published on Maine Mental Health Connections’ website and in a hardcopy book that will be available for sale at the Maine Mental Health Connections office at 150 Union St. in Bangor. Faircloth said the organization has not set a price for the hardcopy anthology, but the price will probably only cover the cost of printing.
Entries can be emailed to the organization at creative@mmhc.us with the subject line “Creative Writing Contest” or mailed to Creative Writing Contest, Maine Mental Health Connections, 150 Union St., Bangor, ME 04401.
Organizers expect to name contest winners by Feb. 28. This year, only mental health care consumers are allowed to participate, but Faircloth said he hopes to open the contest up to families of consumers next year.
“Because sometimes you have family members who passed away … and it might be kind of nice to have [entries] that’s in tribute to those people,” he said.
Faircloth said entries can be about any topic.
Follow Evan Belanger on Twitter at @evanbelanger.