Call for Chapters: Literary Journalism and Mental Health.

Historically, long-form journalism has used observation, immersion, and description to detail the intricacies of sensitive subjects with accuracy and impact. Literary journalism’s nuanced and creative approach to storytelling allows the use of set scenes, dialogue, detailed description, and immersion to add depth to the representation of topics that deal with the human condition.

With mental health literacy steadily rising, this book examines how stories of adversity, treatment, and understanding are written in relation to psychological well-being using long-form journalism approaches. Memoirs, travelogues, investigative journalism, and creative non-fiction have all served as vehicles for exploring the author’s or subject’s psyche. These stories, which sometimes detail individual plights or broader psychological experiences, often have far-reaching implications for society by opening the door to broader conversations.

The aim of this edited book is to showcase that the characteristics of literary journalism present an impactful vessel for exploring topics concerning mental health. We are looking for scholars who are interested in investigating the distinct impact that literary journalism can have on understanding the complex and evolving nature of mental health. Suggested topics and themes, as they relate to mental health writing, could be:

  • Historical perspectives on how mental health has been documented in literary journalism
  • Contemporary examples of literary reportage on mental health
  • Investigations and writing on incarceration and isolation
  • Mental health perspectives from the Global South
  • The long tale of the Pandemic: the psychological effects of long COVID
  • Marginalised voices, and how journalism gives voice to the voiceless 
  • The future and journalism’s role in mental health advocacy

We are excited to hear from academics and writers alike who are keen to explore literary journalism’s place as an essential form for understanding and interpreting mental health. Please send a 200-word abstract to Dr Joe Patterson (joe.patterson@adelaide.edu.au) by December 21, 2026.

We aim to submit our proposal to the Palgrave Studies in Literary Journalism book series, edited by Sue Joseph, Willa McDonald and Matthew Ricketson (https://link.springer.com/series/17131), by the end of February 2027.

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About Sarah Giles

Sarah is a writer and PhD candidate at Swinburne University researching the possibilities of the contemporary short story cycle exploring women’s experiences of isolation, mental illness and relational agency. Her writing has been published in ACE IV, The Writing Mind, The Incompleteness Book, TEXT Journal and Lip Magazine among others. Sarah teaches creative writing at Swinburne University, and serves as a member of the Executive Committee of Management for the Australasian Association of Writing Programs (AAWP). She is the founding editor of SLUSH, a new online journal publishing short fiction slushpress.com.