The Exception

A standout fellow writer

I vented a little in yesterday’s post, lamenting the lack of usable comps and writers of mental health memoirs who are with it. I neglected to mention someone who’s work I admire. The inimitable, the amazing…Jenny Lawson aka The Bloggess.

This woman has written multiple best sellers, maintained a killer blog and is scorchingly hilarious. I have no connection to Ms. Lawson except to admire her work. She’s a standout as an artist/comedian/writer not only for her body of work, but for her radical honesty and authenticity. Those are words she both challenges fellow writers with and the style she uses to share her story.

Jenny lives with mental illness. She’s open about it and shares a bit of her experience in this just released TEDx talk.

Only 12 minutes. Totally worth watching.

I consider Jenny Lawson a beacon in the darkness. She succeeds, fails, laughs at herself and pushes the rest of us to take risks and get out there. Be prepared, she doesn’t hold back the f-bombs. It’s a stylistic choice I don’t subscribe to myself, at least in public, but it works for her.

I’m still interested in finding talented, funny writers of mental wellness blogs and memoirs. Let me know what you find.

~Colleen aka CBD