you’re not a piece of shit.

what we are.

‘you’re not a piece of shit’ is a mental health zine, exploring the lives, experiences and identities of womxn who have lived through mental health challenges.

We share words and art that express with raw honesty what it is to experience mental health in all its forms. Womxn, of any background, race, sexuality, gender and neurodivergence are invited to create and share their art, to explore, and encourage others to reflect on, mental health in all its multi-faceted complexity.

what we’re looking for.

We’re looking to feature creative pieces of writing and visual art on the subject of mental health (in all its beautiful and nightmarish forms) in our independent zine.

That may include, but is not limited to, fiction and non-fiction writing, poetry, drawings and paintings (as long as they can be sent digitally).

See our contributors guidelines (essential reading if you’re at all interested in contributing) below for details on word limits, formatting, and more.

how to contribute.

Submissions for our first issue, out in July, are now closed.

Register your interest for contributing to the December issue here.
Read our guidelines for contributing here – please read this before submitting!
Send your contribution to us by filling out this form (closed for submissions until September)

why ‘you’re not a piece of shit’.

So many of us have a dark, self-critical tape playing on loop in our heads when we’re struggling with our mental health. When I’m depressed, mine tells me I’m a “piece of shit.” Naming this zine ‘you’re not a piece of shit’ exposes but challenges the ways we perceive ourselves when living through it. The work shared will, similarly, expose and challenge common mental health narratives.

who I am.

Jacs is a writer and illustrator, creating mental health illustrations @mysketchyhead. She uses her own depression as inspiration for her writing and sketches. This zine is a new project in her portfolio of mental health focused work, using diverse lived experiences expressed through art, words and conversation, to challenge stigma around mental health.