Record Your HIV Story With a Free 30-Day Journal Kit

[Jim Allen]

Interesting idea.

 
It’s important that the day-to-day experiences of people with HIV are not forgotten like the calendar pages of yesteryear. That’s why the unique story preservation group Project + Connect has launched the Journal Initiative.

The way it works is simple: If you are living with HIV and want to participate, you will receive a free 30-day journal kit in a discreet envelope by mail (including a welcome letter, a pen, journal and prepaid return envelope). Over 30 days, you fill the journal with writings, essays, diary entries, thoughts, short stories, drawings, poetry—just about anything to document your life. Next, you send it back to Project + Connect, where it will be preserved indefinitely.

More details: https://www.poz.com/article/record-hiv-story-free-30day-journal-kit

[leatherman]

saw this in one of my emails and applied. Should arrive in 5-7 days.

Should be interesting. heaven knows right now, helping care for a friend dying of pancreatic cancer, while remembering the 24th anniversary of my first partner getting out of the hospital to come home and die, and the 10th anniversary of my 2nd partner going into the hospital before coming home to die, I have a lot of my mind and a lot of living with HIV to talk about. they may be sorry they sent me this journal. lolz

I'll let y'all know how it goes.

[CaveyUK]

It's a different idea but not entirely comfortable with the emphasis on HIV. Do they also do it for other conditions?

I suppose....I'm probably being a bit mean, but it sounds like the sort of thing that would have been more relevant 30yrs ago but by singling out HIV as a condition where random musings from 'sufferers' should be published for posterity, it almost feels it could encourage stigma, rather than fight it.

I've nothing against published diaries, blogs etc. The emphasis here seems a little outdated though, as though we don't have any other means of expression and are becoming 'forgotten', despite being in an age where living with HIV shouldn't be a barrier to any form of self-expression as folk are living more and more 'normal' lives. I know I contribute in a variety of creative ways, including releasing music. I'm not sure I need to have a specific project to tell me I should have a voice.

Perhaps I'm not the target audience for this though, and I don't mean to offend anyone by giving this perspective. I'm sure some people will find it a therapeutic exercise.

[CaveyUK]

saw this in one of my emails and applied. Should arrive in 5-7 days.

Should be interesting. heaven knows right now, helping care for a friend dying of pancreatic cancer, while remembering the 24th anniversary of my first partner getting out of the hospital to come home and die, and the 10th anniversary of my 2nd partner going into the hospital before coming home to die, I have a lot of my mind and a lot of living with HIV to talk about. they may be sorry they sent me this journal. lolz

I'll let y'all know how it goes.

That's why I hesitated about writing my last post. I'm sorry to hear about your friend and didn't mean any disrespect.

I guess if they framed it as 'memories of HIV/AIDS' it would make more sense. But they make a big play about how HIV isn't really the focus of the stuff they are looking for...just as long as the person writing it is living with HIV.