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The book you are holding is a whisper, a cry, a scream. The Black Superwoman & Mental Health: Power & Pain is a brilliantly imagined, conceived, and produced manifesto —Marita Golden, Author of The Strong Black Woman: How a Myth Endangers the Physical and Mental Health of Black Women

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It is not easy to reveal oneself and to be vulnerable in a public way as the authors in this book have done. This is the act of resisting the voices and social scripts that say we do not air our “dirty laundry”, we should keep “secrets” to remain safe, yet unhealthy. But, we must find safe spaces to speak our truths, to heal.

This anthology includes poetry, essays, short stories, and assessable research from 35 contributors. They acknowledge, analyze, speak, and write the truth about how understanding the impact of the Black Superwomen stereotype can move us closer to being whole Black women.

For more info contact venise-berry@uiowa.edu or go to veniseberry.com

2121 Oakdale Circle
Coralville, IA 52241
(319) 337-7557

sogood@mchsi.com

To order all Venise Berry books go to Peter Lang (look for 30% discount) or Amazon.com

 

The Black Superwoman & Mental Health: Power & Pain

Table of Contents

Marita Golden – Preface

Venise Berry, Janette Y. Taylor, and Aja Witt – Introduction

Swimming in an Endless Pool (fear, anxiety, and fatigue)

Ever Taylor – 15 Times I Choked on My Own Silence

Georgene Bess Montgomery – Learning to Swim in an Endless Pool of Fear, Anxiety, and Fatigue

Katrina Harden Williams – Hopes and Dreams 2022

Zoe Phillpotts – Burnout

Janette Y. Taylor – Still So Deeply Tired

Venise Berry – Beautiful Baby Boy Blues

Tiana Warner – Ain’t No Sleep for Da Mule

Media Representations (stereotypes and stigmas)

Moala Bannavti – My Sisters in Media

Sharon Bramlett-Solomon – This is My Story, This is My Song: Coping Through Black Gospel Music

Ashley Wells – The Black Woman and Abuse in Early Black Writing

Venise T. Berry and Aja Witt – TV and Representation: Motivating Black Female Viewers to Get Help for Mental Health Concerns

Shanita Baraka Akintonde – I am NOT Your Superwoman: I Only Play One on TV

Yosara Trujillo – Dis Con Nec Ted

A Thick Fog of Ugly (navigating hurt, hate and bias)

Z Saj – Isolation

Tessa Goodwin – I love My Birthday

Anika Dean – Abandoned, Disappointed, and Angry

JoAnne Banks – Healing through Intergenerational Storytelling

Cynthia Harbor – Jess and the Boo Hag

Tiana Warner – Black Women, Police Violence, and Mental Health

Chelsea D. Hicks – Forever Tender

Demons Whispering in Your Ear (self-criticism and suicide)

Averi Bryant – Holes in my Mind

Valerie Nyberg – My Albatross

Jan Pena Davis – THICK!

Tianna Newell – Exhale

Jalyn Lockett – The Falling Dream

Faith can Move Mountains (God, belief, and spirituality)

Caitlin Smith – I Want to be a River

Betty D. Doris – Coping through Spirituality and Faith

Venise Berry – Black Female Pastors: Superwoman Meets God

Olisa Yaa Tolokun – Who Heals the Healers? Grandmothers do

Jacqualyn F. Green – In the Stillness a Voice Resounds

Vergarie Sanford – Overcoming Obstacles through Faith

Aja Witt – Grateful

The Black Superwoman (power and pain)

Chelsea D. Hicks – Weighted Capes

Ruth D. Edwards – Keep on Keeping On

Sharon Albert Honore – Black Women Identifying Our Pain: Reidentifying Identity and Embracing Body Awareness

Tanisha M. Jackson – Believing Our Own Hype: Black Women Artists Cultivating Mental Wellness

Portia A. Jackson Preston – A Litany for the Homegoing of the Strong Black Woman

Jamillah Witt – A Rainbow After the Storm

Peter Lang Publisher 2025