301: Dismantling the Stigma of Mental Illness — Interview with Jeff Garvin

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hey there word nerds! Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Jeff Garvin.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jeff is an author, musician, and podcaster and his debut novel,</span> <em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Symptoms of Being Human</span></em> <span style="font-weight: 400;">has received a ton of accolades. It is an ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults Selection, Lambda Literary Award Finalist, and has garnered starred reviews from Booklist and Publishers Weekly. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Before becoming a novelist, Jeff acted on TV and toured as the lead singer of a rock band. He has a BFA in Film from Chapman University and lives in Southern California.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Now, I have been looking forward to this episode since last July, when Jeff and I met at a ThrillerFest cocktail party. We connected right away and when Jeff told me about his new novel</span> <em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">The Lightness of Hands</span></em> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">I knew I just had to have him on the show. This book grapples with some heavy topics, but one in particular that really hits home for me: mental health.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I am so thrilled to be recording this interview (finally! After 8 months!) and to introduce Jeff and his moving (sometimes gut-wrenching) YA novels to my word nerd listeners.</span></p> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">In this episode Jeff and I discuss:</span></h3> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">How real life experiences inspired</span> <em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Lightness of Hands</span></em></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Living with Bipolar II</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Breaking the stigma around mental illness</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Starting a book with a question yo