Live Through This: On Creativity and Self-Destruction

“The21artists,whosharetheirstoriesofmadness,trauma,addiction,abuseandself-destruction,andtheirrelationshiptoart,leavenovulnerabledetailunwritten.”—ShamelessAviscerallookatthebizarreentanglementofdestructiveandcreativeforces,LiveThroughThisisacollectionoforiginalstories,essays,artwork,andphotography.Itexplorestheuseofarttosurviveabuse,incest,madnessanddepression,andtheoftendeep-seatedimpulsetowardself-destructionincludingcutting,eatingdisorders,andaddiction.Here,someofourmostcompellingcartoonists,novelists,poets,dancers,playwrights,andburlesqueperformerstraversethepainsandpassionsthatcanbothmotivateanddestroywomenartists,andmarkapathforsurvival.Takentogether,theseartfulreflectionsofferanhonestandhopefuljourneythroughawoman'ssilentrage,throughthepowerinherentinstruggleswithdestruction,andtheensuingpossibilitiesoftransformingthatburningforceintotheexternalreleaseofart.WithcontributionsbyNanGoldin,bellhooks,PatriciaSmith,CristyC.Road,CarolQueen,AnnieSprinkle,ElizabethStephens,CarolynGage,EileenMyles,Fly,DianeDiMassa,BonfireMadiganShive,IngaMuscio,KateBornstein,ToniBlackman,NicoleBlackman,SilasHoward,DaphneGottleib,andStephanieHowell.