by Abbigail Goetze-Thompson
Bridget Bell is a maternal mental health advocate as well as the author of the poetry collection, All That We Ask of You Is to Always Be Happy, which recently won the Brockman-Campbell Book Award from the North Carolina Poetry Society. Bell shares her lived experience with postpartum depression in hopes that other readers may relate to her feelings through the reading of the art she creates. Bell’s work has been featured on The Slowdown Show with Maggie Smith and INDY Week. She also works in communications and proofreads manuscripts for Four Way Books. Find her online at bridgetbellpoetry.com.
Bridget Bell answered some questions from intern Abbigail Goetze-Thompson over email. Be sure to check her out on Instagram and website for upcoming events.
In multiple of your poems, such as in “All These Beautiful Bodies,” you compare motherhood to and/or attribute emotions to naturalistic elements. Why is that?
It’s interesting to think about “All These Beautiful Bodies,” through the lens of motherhood because I didn’t write it specifically with ideas of motherhood in mind. It’s part of a new collection I’m working on, so it’s not in my debut book. When I wrote that poem, I was thinking about the distinct points in our lives when our future can unfold in two dramatically different ways, metaphorically represented in the poem through that idea of swerving to miss an animal running across the road–I wanted to catch the hope of that moment when you’re not sure if you’ve hit the animal or not as a way to reflect on the moments of hope in life when we are anticipating either good news or bad news. Now that I’m dissecting it more though, it certainly applies to motherhood as well.
How does it feel knowing that so many women have benefited from reading your stories?
I’m a survivor of postpartum depression, and as part of my recovery process, I read a lot of stories about women who had been through what I was going through and who had come out the other side healthy and thriving. There wasn’t as much writing about perinatal mood and anxiety disorders when I had my daughter in 2014, but I read Brooke Shields’s memoir Down Came the Rain and I also regularly visited websites like Postpartum Support International, which includes survivor stories. These stories were SO important to me to feel seen, so I am thrilled and honored if my poems have also helped other people.
Bridget Bell
Do you find poetry to be the most effective way to get across the messages you share? Why is that?
I don’t necessarily think that poetry is the most effective way to get my message across, but it’s the genre I feel naturally compelled to work with. In terms of maternal mental health awareness and mental health awareness in general, I think the more mediums that explore these issues, the better.
In regards to the poem “Congratulations! Your Grief Is About to Stop Being Relevant!” which you shared on The Slowdown Show with Maggie Smith, why did you choose to utilize a paradox between the poem’s sarcastic title and solemn content?
I’m sarcastic by nature, and I find dark humor to be an excellent coping mechanism. It might not work for all people, but it works for me to be able to laugh or be a little snarky in the face of grief or devastating circumstances. That same idea is behind the title of my poetry collection, All That We Ask of You Is to Always Be Happy.
Bridget Bell
As for your involvement with the Poetry in Plain Sight Program, what was the highlight of the work you conducted? What message would you send to someone who may not know the details of the program?
My involvement with Poetry in Plain Sight has been really rewarding so far. For sure, the highlight was our launch event in April where I got to meet and hear some of the PIPS poets. It was such a supportive, welcoming environment. Regarding details of the program, I’d like people to know that PIPS poets comprise people from all different backgrounds in terms of poetry, including student poets. People don’t need other publication credits or accolades to submit their poem for consideration.
In an era where mental health is starting to be regarded more seriously, why are issues relating to pregnancy such as postpartum depression still facing silence?
Luckily, I do think society has made a lot of progress in regards to identifying and treating postpartum depression and other perinatal mood and anxiety disorders in the past decade. For example, we now have FDA-approved drugs specifically for the treatment of PPD, but, of course, we still have a long way to go. As with most health issues that predominantly impact women, research for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders is underfunded, so part of the silence you refer to stems from issues around androcentric medical systems. There are also a lot of harmful cultural myths around motherhood that people are uncomfortable challenging.
What is one message you would like to leave for those who have never read your poems?
I’d like to give a message to people who maybe just don’t read poetry in general–I know that poetry can feel intimidating or sometimes has a stigma as being inaccessible. I’d encourage people to just read more poetry in general!
Are there any upcoming events or material of yours that you would like me to inform others about?
I’ve actually recently launched a business called Bell Bridge Creative and as part of that endeavor, I’m offering presentations on maternal mental health that incorporate poems from the book. I’ll be presenting later this summer with an employee resource group at HubSpot and with a women’s leadership group called Women in Manufacturing. I am also doing a panel discussion with two other mental health advocates, Erin Jones (LCMHC) and Allie Lieber (LCSWA), who both work at Bull City Anxiety and OCD, as part of the International OCD Foundation’s annual conference. It’s called Perinatal OCD Through Poetry: A Live-Experience and Clinical Discussion. The session will be an interdisciplinary look at perinatal OCD. I’m passionate about the intersection of the creative and clinical as a means of education and advocacy, so I’m really looking forward to that event.
I’ve actually recently launched a creative services business called Bell Bridge Creative and as part of that endeavor, I’m offering presentations on maternal mental health that incorporate poems from All That We Ask of You Is to Always Be Happy. If people want to learn more about the services I offer, they can check out my website here.
I’m always adding new poetry events and I’m working on a new manuscript, so the best way to stay updated with that info is to follow me on Instagram (@bridgetkbell) or check my poetry website.