An accomplished Saskatchewan author will return to Swift Current next week to share one of her latest and most thought-provoking works. 

Lynda Monahan, a writer from the Prince Albert area, is set to share her poetry book titled The Door at the End of Everything at the Lyric Theatre's upcoming Write Out Loud.

Monahan, a facilitator of creative writing workshops, said that the book was inspired by and largely written during her time as a Writer in Residence, writing with patients in youth and adult mental health wards at Victoria Hospital in Prince Albert. 

IMG_4666(Photo courtesy of Lynda Monahan)

"I don't write as an observer, but as a participant; so there are poems in the book that deal with the people that I've come to know and work with," she said. "I hope it gives a voice to people who have mental health problems. 

"There are also poems in there from my own life and my own experiences with family and all around mental health."

The Door at the End of Everything was published by Shadowpaw Press in Regina in 2024, and is Monahan's fifth poetry book.

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"My hope is that the poems speak to not only the suffering, but the courage and hope that's so clearly there as well," she added. "My hope is also that these poems will perhaps help break down some of the stigma surrounding mental illness."

This month's Write Out Loud takes place on Wednesday, April 15, and admission is $10 per person. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the evening kicks off at 7:00 p.m. with live music from local cellist Olivia Brotzell.

Monahan's books are available at most book stores, and copies of The Door at the End of Everything will be available at the event.