In Search of My Asylum: Self-preservation

Monday, January 15, 2018

Self-preservation

"I do believe that this is how I see the world: Through petals and words...and the preservation of gilded architectural lines." -- Michelle Fimon

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History Behind the Blog

In Search of My Asylum will become a manuscript of creative non-fiction that introduces my great grandmother, as well as the stigma of mental illness -- not simply in reference to family genealogy, but as an encompassing story of society as it was and is today. My great grandmother became a patient at several state hospitals after incurring trauma and loss. One of these facilities was the famous Kirkbride asylum in Fergus Falls, the Third Minnesota State Hospital for the Insane.

Within the empty corridors of such “places of refuge,” remain untouchable, cramped secrets of botched lobotomies, electroconvulsive shocks and even sterilization. Yet, these massive, Gothic institutions were built on the premise that fresh air, delicate gardens, and respite from urban areas could heal women like my grandmother.

It wasn’t until after a mastectomy – and after living with PTSD for over 30 years because I’d been stalked and stabbed earlier in my life – did I finally begin to seek true asylum for us both. -- Michelle Fimon, survivor and poet.

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This project is made possible by the generosity of the McKnight Foundation through a grant from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council.

In Search of My Asylum

Kirkbride Asylum in Fergus Falls

Monday, January 15, 2018

Self-preservation

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About Me