In BY-THE-WIND-SAILOR, a man in his late twenties who still lives with his parents gets laid off from his job at an Asian grocery store. He finds himself unable to admit this fact to his family and continues to pretend to go to work, instead visiting a local aquarium, becoming more and more entranced with the marine life exhibits to the point where reality begins to blur. This chapbook explores the stigma around mental health in households of color, particularly with practices like therapy and medication, how suffering can feel comfortable when you've been used to it for so long, and the discomfort it takes to overcome the hurdles needed to get better.
Art by Zoe Poppenga