Here is one of my artworks. It’s probably one of my favourites from September 2025, it’s called Star Island.
It’s all done with felt tipped pens.
I made this piece from the point of view of self-protection and staying strong in the face of malevolence and hostility from people and events outside of your circle of influence.
This is signified by the fla…
Today I’m announcing a brand new addition to my Substack publication: Mad Culture UK subscriber chat.
This is a conversation space exclusively for subscribers—kind of like a group chat or live hangout. I’ll post questions and updates that come my way, and you can jump into the discussion.
This spring the Centre for Mad Culture UK successfully supported the running of Outlook, a course within the City of Edinburgh’s adult education programme. Outlook at 35 celebrated the course’s anniversary: it was first established in 1991 as a learning destination for people with experience of psychiatric hospitalisation. This year the team included course leader Alex and disability activist Sasha, together with Azra and myself from Centre for Mad Culture.
Outlook at 35 focused on the topic of human rights. Over twelve weeks we explored different themes connected to human rights (for example: political participation, education, privacy and peaceful assembly, freedom of expression and access to culture) through presentations and discussions, as well as creative activities. The creative output from the course will culminate in an exhibition in October, hosted by the Living Memory Association at Ocean Terminal in Edinburgh.
Our collaboration with Outlook at 35 highlighted learning, community and solidarity. Each session focused on the importance of lived experience through conversation and co-creation. The mix of lectures, presentations, discussion and creativity underpinned an important and vital space of insight, activism, and hope. The Centre for Mad Culture UK is very grateful to have partnered with Outlook at 35 and we look forward to further dynamic collaborations with them in the future.
The Centre for Mad Culture UK launched in October 2025 with a mission to provide a dedicated space for those with living and lived experience of madness – a space for knowledge-sharing, creative activities and community-building. This substack publication extends our reach and invites readers to engage with mad culture as a valuable aspect of human experience and creative expression.
We want this space to be a vibrant playground of ideas and expressions, as well as a headquarters for mad activism that resists the oppression of sanism and psychophobia. Our goal is to transform society’s response to madness, away from fear and containment, and to instead invite curiosity and mutual learning.
Free subscribers will receive news about the Centre for Mad Culture UK as well as occasional taster access to creative content from our community.
Paid subscribers will receive access to all creative content from our community including reflective posts; fiction, poetry and artwork; videos and podcasts; as well as access to the comments and discussion area.
Paid subscribers who enroll as Friends of Mad Culture UK will additionally receive a merchandise pack of stickers, bookmarks and postcards.
We invite and welcome contributions from within the mad community and from our friends and allies. To find out more and to send us a pitch, please get in touch.
