Passed and Present: On Men's Grief
Bring your most pressing questions to our next event in the Passed and Present conversation series. Host Allison Gilbert will host a new discussion the last Thursday of every month.
This month we’re turning our attention to our sons, brothers, husbands, and fathers.
James Harris is the author of Man Just Express Yourself: An Interactive Planner Guide for MEN, Young and Old and founder of Men to Heal, a movement to bring awareness to the stigma surrounding mental health among boys, men, and underserved populations.
At age five James lost his father. At age eight his mother began to have strokes and epilepsy and he and his siblings were placed into the Virginia foster care system. As a ward of the State, he was required to attend weekly counseling sessions, typically run by older white male therapists. James found those sessions unengaging and felt that the therapists could not relate to the emotional and cultural issues he faced. This unfulfilling experience followed James into his adult life. James had eight years of service in the U.S. Army with two deployments, one to Iraq and one to Afghanistan, and an honorable discharge. Upon his return, he again tried therapy and his experience was the same.
James is a member of Chi Sigma Iota, ACA, RACA, sits on the board of NAMI-CVA.
Allison Gilbert is co-author of the forthcoming book Listen, World!: How the Intrepid Elsie Robinson Became America's Most-Read Woman, the first biography of American writer Elsie Robinson (coming September 27, 2022). Her previous books include, Passed and Present: Keeping Memories of Loved Ones Alive. On Allison’s popular grief and resilience blog, she features Q & A’s with some of the most notable names in our culture today including, Arianna Huffington, Jon Stewart, and bestselling authors Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Dani Shapiro, and Susan Orlean. She is host of "Women Journalists of 9/11: Their Stories,” a 20-part documentary series produced in collaboration with the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Featured journalists include Savannah Guthrie, Maggie Haberman, Linda Wertheimer, Dana Bash, and many others.
Please take a moment to follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. She’s everywhere as “agilbertwriter."
The Passed and Present series, named after Gilbert’s inspiring book, is sponsored by For Grief, a platform created with a single goal in mind: to provide in one place the best and most trusted resources, support, and information available to begin the healing process. For Grief believes there’s always hope in a brighter tomorrow.
Registrants will be added to the For Grief and Reimagine e-newsletter lists.
