Poetry Reading and Discussion of Living with Schizophrenia

Jun 14th 2025 1:00PM

LOCATION

Soupçon Salon Gallery

25 Bridge Street

Tara Elizabeth Benedetti has written poetry since she was a young girl. Tara wrote a poem when she was 10 years old, in the 5th grade, and it was published when she was 12, in the 7th grade.

The poem “My Windows” was published in the 1993 Edition of the book “Anthology of Poetry by Young Americans.”

Tara was diagnosed with schizophrenia when she was 28 years old, while teaching English in Boston. It has been 16 ½ years of a struggle for Tara. She is now 44 years old. All of her poetry was written before Tara was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Join us for a reading of Tara's poetry from her book, 'The Wildflowers Within Her Heart,' followed by a discussion and Q & A about living with schizophrenia, its causes and effects. (Tara will be unable to attend, please join her mother, publisher, readers, and a guest speaker.)

THE READING WILL BE FOLLOWED BY A DISCUSSION WITH SHEA DIBLEY, VICE PRESIDENT, NAMI HUNTERDON

Shea C. Dibley, Vice President, NAMI Hunterdon, will talk about their own diagnosis and experience living with schizophrenia. Shea has been an active board officer and volunteer since 2009. His leadership in mental health advocacy extends beyond support groups to include community education and stigma reduction initiatives, making him a respected voice in NJ’s mental health community.

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Last updated on May 5th 2025 4:08PM