Chiaroscuro

by Sandy Jeffs

A collection of poems by well known Australian/Victorian mental health consumer advocate, Sandy Jeffs. Sandy has experienced schizophrenia over many years. She goes in and out of her own darkness to reveal a poet with a keen sense of observation and sensitivity. Humour, too.

76 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Kate Sommerville · Rating 4 out of 5]

I met Sandy recently when we discussing the history of psychiatric hospitals in Victoria. My own MA thesis in 1997 was partly to do with mental health policy as I was working at the Richmond Fellowship of Victoria at that time. The RFV was a major provider of residential rehabilitation services for people with psychiatric disabilities.

I had heard of Sandy through mental health and feminist networks.

Reading this collection was like having a conversation with Sandy, listening to her speak, and nodding in affirmation.
,
There is a lot of pain, questioning and poignancy in these poems. It's not the sort of collection you sit down and read in one sitting. It has taken me a few weeks to get through the whole book but it was worth it.

Let me include one of her poems so that you can get a sense of her work yourself.

Revelation

For a brief moment
I knew the story
the narrative
the smallest thing
that makes living possible
I knew what it meant
to ride the crests
and survive the squalls'
incessant batterings
I knew what it meant
to hold the sweet pearl
in my grasping fingers
and declare a faith
in something other than me
for that brief fleeting moment.

Sandy Jeffs

[Lindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I have waited months for this book from my library. Got it this morning, read it straight through. What an absolute blast. I have never read a poetry book from cover to cover in one sitting before but Sandy Jeffs had me in the palm of her hand from p.1. Loved it. Love each and every poem. Wonderful, liberating poetry.So different, so very refreshing in its view of the world. A politics of my own heart.