Congratulations, Keith Alan Hamilton!

My poet and walking friend, Keith Alan Hamilton, has just released his new book of poems: Peace Out Poems about My Abnormalities Normality. The poems are about stigma, mental illness – including depression and bipolar disorder, and suicide.

“I hope for those who read it, it will be of benefit to them.  There is a huge stigma overshadowing those who suffer from mental conditions like depression or being bipolar.  Even more so for those who have committed suicide.  That reality will not change until my type of story is told and understood.  To me, the stigma overshadowing a day-to-day survivor is even worse.  When you are a depressive with thoughts of suicide cycling in your head day in and day out….. it is far harder to survive and keep going than it is to submit.   It is easier to be considered mentally ill and medicated, or to have taken ones life than being someone who successfully copes day-to-day and is a productive contributor to life.  If we are going to show others that there is a way to cope and feel there is hope and joy in staying alive, then my story needs to be understood,” Keith says.

Not only does Keith write about these issues, he walks the walk. For the last two years he walked with me at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) Out of the Darkness walks – in Boston and San Francisco. Plus he’s going to walk again this Saturday, June 4, in New York. Please consider donating to AFSP in his honor.

He is also effusive about my book Leaving the Hall Light On: A Mother’s Memoir of Living with Her Son’s Bipolar Disorder and Surviving His Suicide:

“In Leaving the Hall Light On, Madeline Sharples has graciously given forth the experience of her son’s journey through life as a precious gift. Her son’s life and how he lived it, holds out tremendous value to those who care to listen. Beneath the pain and stigma, is a cherished life, no matter if perceived as being tragically cut short, in the end was well worth every moment it was humanly lived.

“A life of a son, is portrayed honestly without embarrassment or regret by the loving words of his mother. The writing of this memoir with poems by Madeline Sharples may have been at times hard for her to say or bear; and yet, her heartfelt words keep alive the spirit of purpose and positive effect her son’s life experience will have on others, even after he chose to walk into the release of death. Her son’s life and death offers us all the opportunity to learn and then personally grow as a human being ourselves.

“Thank you Madeline Sharples for helping to let the memory, the spirit and the value of Paul’s life, get the chance to breathe fully within the beat of  time. Madeline’s book is truly ground breaking in my humble opinion. She had the courage to expose the whole process, the after effect of when someone chooses to commit suicide and how those left behind have to deal with it all.

“…I can only pray and hope when I say, I will tell you the tale in this book of poetic words and images it will create the same ground breaking effect as Madeline Sharples memoir with poems Leaving the Hall Light On.”

Thank you so much, Keith, for your kudos. I wish you huge success with the truthful, powerful, and heartfelt poems in your book.