Voices of survival

Survivors' Poetry was established in 1991 by four major poets who had first‐hand experience of the mental health system. The current CEO of Survivors' Poetry, Simon Jenner, describes the national charity's main aim as promoting poetry and associated literary arts ‘by and for survivors of mental distress’ and to play a part in enabling recovery. There is an array of oppportunities available to publish new poetry and prose, attend workshops, perform at public readings, join the National Mentoring Scheme and a moderated online community of writers and artists.Even today, the overwhelming majority of staff, volunteer workers, advisors and trustees come from a survivor background. As such, Survivors' Poetry is in a unique position to support people who seek emotional and mental stability through imaginatively expressed language transformed from traumatic experiences. Survivors' Poetry actively supports and promotes the linguistic talent that many survivors bring from insight into their own circumstances and those of others.