Will You Read This, Please?

"Some people who deal with mental illness have the opportunity and ability to write about it, but many do not – and it was those people, those unread stories, I wanted to find."
— Joanna Cannon

How do we give a voice to those who so often remain unheard? Will You Read This, Please is a frank and impactful collection of twelve stories as told to our best British writers, based on the lived experience of people who have faced mental illness in the UK.

Edited by Joanna Cannon, the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep, Three Things About Elsie, and A Tidy Ending, the stories told here are powerful, resonant and heart-breaking. This is a ground-breaking and unforgettable collection, shining a light on the stigma and isolation of living with mental illness, while also showing the strength and resilience of the human spirit.

Introduction — Joanna Cannon
Sarah’s Story — as told to Joanna Cannon
Jeremy’s Story — as told to Tracy Chevalier
Jen’s Story — as told to Catherine Cho
Marie’s Story — as told to Benjamin Johncock
Franki’s Story — working with Rebecca Pert
Nicola’s Story — as told to Jenn Ashworth
Cat’s Story — as told to Shelley Harris
Phoenix’s Story — as told to Hafsa Zayyan
Lewis’s Story — as told to Rhik Samadder
Sanmeet’s Story — as told to Selali Fiamanya
Alain’s Story — with Kathryn Mannix
Joyia’s Story — with Clare Mackintosh