Welcome to the inside of my brain!

crazy faced jim

I started my blog as a means to develop my seemingly rapid and disconnected thoughts into a communicable, organized form. I also find writing is a useful exercise for building emotional resilience in sharing these thoughts with the public. I find it frightening to be so exposed, yet also exciting to see what kind of response I get from people. Plus, it’s revealing to look backward to reflect on what topics I’ve written about over time as my story unfolds.

Blog

The Truth Injection

2022-12-01
Topic(s):

As may be evident since the release of Sorry It’s Not Funny, I’ve been reposting a lot of lost work over the last couple weeks… most of it comedy-related. One project I’ve been working to re-release is The Truth Injection, a video series featuring famous artists speaking out about issues related to those in the…

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Comedy, Hip-Hop, and Activism: My Interview with Mad in America

2022-10-12
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In anticipation of  the release of my hip-hop album, Sorry It’s Not Funny, I was interviewed by Karin Jervert of Mad in America. You may listen to the interview in your browser below or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify Podcasts and YouTube. The full transcript is available on the MadInAmerica.com website.

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My testimony for the Connecticut Valley Hospital Whiting Task Force

2020-10-20
Topic(s):

A PDF of my written testimony as well as the written testimony of others is available on the CVH Task Force web page under the October 20, 2020 tab: You can see a video of some of the other testimonies from the Hearing on the Connecticut Network website.       Testimony for CVH Whiting Task…

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My Connecticut

2020-08-01
Topic(s):

When I was 26, I took a photograph of the San Diego skyline at night. My purpose was just to capture an image that could be used for the homepage of the American Relight website. Through pure luck, I discovered I don’t suck. That was enough encouragement for me to feel confident enough to submit…

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State of the Startup: July 2019

2020-07-01
Topic(s):

Note to the reader: this article was written in July of 2019 and was intended to be published in July of 2020.  Since I was too uncomfortable with some of the content even after a year, it’s being published now on June 3, 2021, with a few redactions.  One thing which appears to be potentially…

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Making Self-Directed Education Accessible to ALL

2020-06-28
Topic(s):

Making Self-Directed Education Accessible to All Why? | Watch the Video | Browse Accessibility Solutions | Contribute “Accessibility” means very different things to different people.  In June 2020, I presented at the Alternative Education Resources Organization annual conference on the topic of Making Self-Directed Education Accessible to ALL.  Please enjoy the presentation and consider contribution to…

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Using Technology to Facilitate Self-Directed Learning – my interview on the Learning by Living podcast

2020-04-17
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I was recently invited to appear on Gina Riley and Kevin Stuverson’s podcast, Learning by Living.  I discuss my work with the Peer Unschooling Network and a mobile application I am releasing soon called “LEAVE SCHOOL: what teachers can’t tell you.”   (Note that in the interview, I refer to the app as being called “Curricu-Dumb”…

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Finding common ground between our movements: psychiatric survivors and the broader disability community

2019-11-21
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This essay was included in the November 22, 2019 newsletter for MindFreedom International, a non-profit organization that fights for human rights in mental health. I was recently invited by my new friend Tom Olin to attend an event in Washington, DC titled ‘Humanity of Connection: A Celebration of Leadership and Empowerment within the Disability Community’. …

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My Cool Project Bucket List

2019-09-27
Topic(s):

Recently, I ran a workshop for a group of teens where we went through a brainstorming process for generating project ideas.  I thought it’d be fun to share a list of my own dream projects, all of which I hope to complete before I die.  I guess that makes this my “project bucket list”.  As…

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State of the Startup: July 2018

2019-07-01
Topic(s):

Note to reader: this was written in July of 2018 and was supposed to be published in July of 2019… I never published it due to my discomfort with certain parts of the article, so I’m posting it now on June 3, 2021.   State of the Startup: July 2018 This is the third installment…

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psychiatrists react

Psychiatrists React: Live at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the APA #protestAPA2019

2019-05-22
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I traveled to S.F. for the Annual Meeting and brought the videos submitted to the ProtestAPA.com website.  This is the outcome:

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Bringing reconciliation to a heated misunderstanding

2019-05-19
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For the last year, I’ve been subjected to harassment from two members of the c/s/x community who persistently attacked me online for my speech at the 2018 American Psychiatric Association protest in New York. With time, and with the support of valuable mentors, I learned not to engage with public attacks on the internet. I…

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My interview with the Alliance for Self-Directed Education

2019-05-16
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Thanks to Alex Khost at the Alliance for Self-Directed Education for interviewing me for their online magazine, Tipping Points! In the interview, I speak a lot about the crossover between issues in our education system and mental health system as they related to human rights and self-direction. Hope you enjoy! Transcript Available at ASDE’s website: …

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