Marxist. Trade Unionist. Socialist-feminist. Author. Poet. Speaker. Tutor. RMT ex-Exec. Workers' Liberty. Autie. Bi. PUFC fan.
Examining mental distress and ill-health and the (lack of) support available
Join us online for the launch of the new issue of radical mental health magazine Asylum. Launching the new Asylum The online launch of the Winter 2024 issue (volume 31, number 4) of Asylum will feature: contributors speaking about their … Read more
Janine will be a poetic participant in this online event challenging mainstream narratives about mental health and ‘disorder’. This will include a showing of the video of Janine’s poem Not OK. Information and tickets for the event are available on … Read more
What Doctor Kendall ordered (as Labour’s Work & Pensions Secretary plans to send Work Coaches to visit mental health in-patients) You think you need some space to breathesome peaceful time awayBut no! You need some handy hintsto spruce your resumé … Read more
Soteria in the Pub Janine will be poeting in the pub (The Betsey Trotwood in Farringdon, London), in the latest in a series of Sunday afternoon events in support of the Soteria Network, campaigners for humane, non-coercive mental health services. … Read more
A personal view published in Asylum magazine, Summer 2024.
Three months on from the previous instalment, here comes an afternoon of information and entertainment from radical mental health campaign Soteria, featuring poetry from Janine, music from Dadford and Sons, and an open mic for others to contribute their experiences, thoughts, poetry or music.
In Dirty, Holly Bars has created an extraordinary, mighty, courageous, poetic record of child sexual abuse and of the ways in which survivors are traumatised and failed.
These reports were included in radical mental health magazine Asylum, Spring 2024
Join us another Soteria in the Pub open mic event to raise awareness for compassionate alternatives for people in distress on Sunday 3rd March 2-6pm at The Betsey Trotwood (EC1R 3BL). This a ticket only event please book online free/donations welcome.
Basic problem: dysfunctional brain. Poisonous dynamic. Bad person. Difficult. Branded, pigeonholed, dubbed bonkers, psycho, disturbed. Best put down ‘borderline’. Please don’t bother protesting, dear. Boffin professionals drafted brilliant Ph Ds berating personal downfall Browbeaten patients drop by pharmacy, drugs bring … Read more
Asylum’s poetry editor Janine Booth introduces three of the poetic contributors to the new issue of the radical mental health magazine: Gail Something Else, Fred the Ninja, and Holly Bars.
Rebecca is a school refuser The lessons confuse her Miss knows her sister is a substance misuser It doesn’t excuse her She’s labelled a shirker, assigned to an overworked social worker, a conflict defuser But Becky’s still a school refuser Mason … Read more
Janine has recently taken over as Poetry Editor of Asylum magazine. Asylum wants your poetry for our radical mental health magazine. Asylum has been running for nearly forty years, providing a platform for all perspectives on mental health. Asylum is influenced and … Read more
Janine’s contribution to A Disorder for Everyone’s online poetry gig challenging the mainstream narrative on mental health, held on 16 April 2021, featuring the poems Locked Up and Down and Not OK.
a guest post by Ian Hutchinson, autistic clinician – NHS children’s services, Cornwall Thinking about practical humanistic models for supporting autistic people in distress, time for a paradigm shift? Over recent years and in service provision ranging from education and … Read more
What if I can’t stand the train without the carriage to myself? What if I can’t stretch and strain to reach up to the luggage shelf? What if all the outside seats are taken and the queue’s too long? And … Read more
Published in Solidarity 562: Dozens of protesters gathered outside the Home Office on Friday 4 September to demand that Osime Brown not be deported to Jamaica. Led by Osime’s family, the protest was supported by Autistic Inclusive Meets (AIM), … Read more
Last year, I wrote a poem (a pantoum) called ‘This Place’ about visiting my son in the adolescent psychiatric unit where he spent four months (read it here). He now has his own flat, living independently with support. So I … Read more
Call centre working is a danger to your mental health. Depression, anxiety, panic attacks, high blood pressure, sleeping problems and even suicidal thoughts are common among call centre workers. More than 4 in 5 respondents to a Unison survey said … Read more
As call centre workers face a mental health crisis, Janine advocates organising for workplace change.