This lecture will be live streamed.

Comics and graphic memoirs are powerful venues for not only sharing but to fight the stigma surrounding mental health issues. They are one way these stories are increasingly being told, explored, and processed as part of paths toward healing for both the creator of the comic and the consumer of the comic. Comics and graphic memoirs offer special affordances as a method, allowing the external and internal experiences to co-exist in the same narrative space. This presentation will share examples of what these processes might look like from the perspective of the individual as well as the therapist and touch on ways to use comics creation as part of personal storytelling, when the individual is ready to do so.

Marna M. Clowney-Robinson, LLMSW, MLIS is a Clinical Social Worker and Librarian. As a mental health provider, she specializes in identity issues, eating disorders, and trauma. In addition, she serves as an Access and Public Services Librarian at the University of Michigan Library. At the intersection of social work and librarianship, she utilizes bibliotherapy to treat eating disorders, has been featured on National Public Radio (NPR) discussing issues related to eating disorders within minority populations, and does research focused on trauma-informed approaches in academic libraries.

This is the fourth of a six-lecture series. The subject of the series is Graphic Books and Memes. The next lecture will be on April 1, 2021. The title is: Graphic Novels Grow Up with Young Readers.. Learn from well-known experts about an array of interesting subjects, with an interactive Q&A period following each lecture.

Preregistration is required via the OLLI website or phone. A link to access the lecture will be e-mailed to you approximately one week prior to the first session.