Loss and found

Abstract

Loss and Found is an autoethnographic, performative text which contextualizes Black mother/daughter relationships from a collective, cultural perspective informed by race, gender and class in the midst of life altering grief. The work is written in two reflexive voices that reflect the experiences of a bi-polar daughter and worried mother on a journey through what it means to deal with mental illness, homelessness and suicide surrounded by the silence of familial and societal apathy. Created as a performance-based workshop, Loss and Found encourages audience members to share their own stories of loss as a way to emphasize our human interconnectivity and the importance of working together toward healing.

Keywords:

• Autoethnography; african american; suicide; mental illness; homelessness

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mary E. Weems

Dr. Mary E. Weems' is a poet, playwright, imagination-intellect theorist, and social/cultural foundations scholar. Weems is the author of thirteen books including Blackeyed: Plays and Monologues (2015) Writings of Healing and Resistance: Empathy and the Imagination-Intellect and Public Education and the Imagination Intellect: I Speak from the wound in my Mouth and numerous, articles and book chapters. In 2015 Weems' was awarded a Cleveland Arts Prize for her full-length drama MEAT. Dr. Weems may be reached at www.maryeweems.org.