Open Minds Quarterly features a broad range of writingâincluding but not limited to prose, poetry, research, and reviewsâand visual art. We publish work by contributors who self-identify as having had mental health challenges at any point in their lives, and occasionally publish work by their supporters and allies. As our tagline suggests, our intention is to facilitate explorations of life in a mad world. More specifically, our goals are to: ⢠Create space for people with lived experience of mental health challenges to consider our similarities, as well as our differences; ⢠Facilitate discussions of concepts such as madness, support, recovery, and wellness, in all the forms that may take; ⢠Explore and grow the language used to describe peopleâs experiences of what is variously called mental health challenges, mental illness, madness, neurodiversity etc.; ⢠Acknowledge and address the impact of broader social factors on mental health; ⢠Offer our lived experiences to those who have not experienced mental health challenges in an effort to increase understanding and reduce stigma; ⢠And, testify to the significance, impact, and dignity of all our lives. OMQ is published by NISA/Northern Initiative for Social Action, a member-drive, peer-support mental health organization built on the premise that people with mental health challenges are intelligent, creative, and valuable. A note on diversity: We recognize the ongoing marginalization and oppression many of us face because of colonization, racism, misogyny, transphobia, homophobia, ableism, and capitalism, and the ways these and other injustices make us unwell. We welcome people belonging to marginalized communities to submit to OMQ, and we work to prioritize voices that are currently underrepresented in the media.
