Flying with Paper Wings Reflections on Living with Madness

Sandy Jeffs was born in Ballarat in 1953. She was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1976, a time when recovery was seen as unlikely. She was in and out of institutional care for 15 years, including at the infamous Larundel Psychiatric Hospital. Sandy was among the first to start speaking publicly about living with a mental illness, and much of her writing has been about her struggle to live a full life despite this, including in eight volumes of poetry. She is well-known as a community educator, speaking to doctors and psychiatrists, at community health centres, and educational institutions. She has been honoured in the Victorian Honour Roll of Women, Her Place Women’ s Museum, and with an OAM in 2020.

Sandy Jeffs OAM was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1976 a time when recovery was seen as unlikely. She was in and out of institutional care for 15 years and has been an advocate for people with mental illness for many years. She is a prize-winning poet and the author of 8 collections including the bestselling collection, Poems from the Madhouse, Blood Relations The Wings of Angels: A Memoir of Madness, The Mad Poet’ s Tea Party and The Poetics of a Plague. Her non-fiction includes prize-winning books the memoir, Flying with Paper Wings and Out of the Madhouse (with Margaret Leggatt). Sandy Jeffs OAM was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1976 a time when recovery was seen as unlikely. She was in and out of institutional care for 15 years and has been an advocate for people with mental illness for many years. She is a prize-winning poet and the author of 8 collections including the bestselling collection, Poems from the Madhouse, Blood Relations The Wings of Angels: A Memoir of Madness, The Mad Poet’ s Tea Party and The Poetics of a Plague. Her non-fiction includes prize-winning books the memoir, Flying with Paper Wings and Out of the Madhouse (with Margaret Leggatt).

Foreword by Andrew Denton Preface to the 2024 Edition Preface to the 2009 Edition Part One Childhood, Girlhood, Youth 1953– 1971 Part Two Student Days 1972– 1975 Part Three Bats in the Belfry 1976– 1993 Part Four Into the Sunset 1993– 2004 Part Five Billowing Psychotic Fantasia May 2005 Afterword Homecoming Acknowledgements References