A mother’s love

Content Note: sexual violence, mental illness, family violence I was born on October 22, 1970. By mid-July 1971, my mother was pregnant again with my brother. Somewhere during that time, she was hospitalized in a psychiatric unit. I was left with my paternal grandparents. By my third birthday, we were all reunited under the same […]

The Destructive Creativity of Hypomania

I am what some call bipolar. Bipolar is not a respectful way to describe my disorder or identity. I have bipolar disorder. I live with bipolar disorder. It is part of me, but shortening a diagnosis to a single word is not efficient or effective. It’s just lazy. Don’t describe anyone as ‘bipolar’ I was […]

Day 49

It is hard to continue living with uncertainty. I know there’s no return to normalcy, rather the creation of a new normal. How new it will be is puzzling. With regard to health, surely we will continue wearing face masks and practicing social distancing until there is a vaccine and widespread antibody testing. Just as […]

Teletherapy and Coping with COVID-19

Telehealth Teletherapy

When word broke of coronavirus, my therapist told me that her practice (East End Therapists) were getting prepared to offer teletherapy options. I was her first client using this technology. They use an  app called Simple Practice that can be accessed via the internet. My therapist creates a unique login code when she puts me […]

#SteelCitySnowflake Q&A with Lynz

Lyndsey Sickler Pittsburgh

As part of our #SteelCitySnowflakes project, we are highlighting neighbors who contribute to the social justice fabric in our communities. Next up is Lynz nominated by Anonymous. They and I have known one another for many years and we are actually distant cousins. They are very well known in the LGBTQ community and had a […]

Review: Hoard a new play at off the WALL Productions in Carnegie

This is the sort of play that I would prefer to contemplate for a few days before I write a review. However, the importance and impact of this creation is so significant that I’m pushing through my own process to urge you – strongly – to Carnegie to see this show running for three weekends. March […]

Fish Fry Friday: Riverview Presbyterian Church on Pittsburgh’s Northside

Fish Fry Reviews Grand Jury Report

Welcome to Fish Fry Fridays, 2020 Edition! Click here to learn more about this project, now in its 7th year of providing you absolutely biased reviews of fish fries throughout Pittsburgh. Name: Riverview Presbyterian Church Date: February 28, 2020 Time We Ate: 5:26 PM Random review of #fishburgh adventures during Lent. Find a fish fry on this […]

Proof that Allegheny County Democratic Committee Members Support Trump

Allegheny County Democrats

Content Note: racism, misogyny, misogynoir, ableism, sexism, homophobia, pro-Trump content, xenophobia, sexualizing young girls, Democrats, politicians Recently, several local media outlets have disclosed social media content posted, mainly on Facebook, by a ward chair of the Allegheny County Democrat Committee, Jeff ‘Bean’ Anesin. While a few of the posts suggest that Anesin is a Trump […]

Behind the essay: How writing about SSDI took a toll on my mental health

Sue Kerr trauma

Content Note: trauma, neglect, disability, Social Security Administration, mental health On October 28, I sent a draft essay to PublicSource to inquire about their interest in the topic. The final version was published on February 10, 2020. That’s over 100 days. I share this because I want to emphasize how much energy and time goes […]