Welcome


Welcome to A Wild and Precious Life: A Recovery Anthology. Addiction, physical and mental illness and its aftermath: a collection of stories and poetry from people in recovery, published by Unbound on May 13th 2021. 

We will all experience recovery at some point in our lives, whether from addiction, physical illness, mental health issues, or loss. In the experience of recovery, we may discover ways to live with our changed selves, and to reclaim a life. We may find a new voice, or unearth one which has been submerged.

Vitally, recovery can mean community. This anthology grew out of a small creative writing class run by Lily Dunn at Hackney Recovery Service, and was later broadened into a nationwide call for submissions by Dunn and her teaching partner, Zoe Gilbert. It represents a community of writers: new, unheard voices alongside emerging and established authors, such as Kerry Hudson (Lowborn), Julia Bell (Radical Attention), Michele Kirsch (Clean), and John O Donoghue (Sectioned: A Life Uninterrupted), with a foreword by Will Self.

You can buy A Wild and Precious Life from all good bookshops. 

This project is supported by Arts Council England.