A Conversation With Ann Bracken, Author of ‘Crash: A Memoir of Overmedication and Recovery’

From Medicating Normal: “Ann Bracken is an activist with a pen. Her three books of poetry take on the topical issues of family secrets like depression and alcohol abuse, the challenges of teaching, and the stories of the men and women hidden away in our nation’s prisons. Ann’s use of poetic language has garnered her two Pushcart nominations, a featured spot on The Best American Poetry, and appearances on Grace Cavalieri’s The Poet and the Poem radio series. Ann’s essays, interviews, and poems have appeared in Mad in America, Awakenings Review, and numerous other publications. Her advocacy work promotes using the arts to foster paradigm change in the areas of emotional wellness, education, and prison abolition.

Ann Bracken’s new book, Crash: A Memoir of Overmedication and Recovery, explores mother-daughter depression and chronic pain experiences of struggling in a health-care system that often ignores women’s needs. Crash makes extensive use of primary sources, specifically Ann’s father’s original records detailing her mother’s treatment and Ann’s journal account for the years she endured depression and a chronic migraine. Crash serves as a missive to women fighting to heal, carve their own path, and demand better care.”

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