Author Talk: A Case for the Mental Health of a Former Asylum Patient

110 South 6th Street,Henderson MN 56044

22 May, 2023

Description

During Mental Health Month, authors Janelle Molony and Jodi Decker will be presenting in Henderson on the true story of their relative, Martha Nasch: the Women Who Never Ate, Drank, or Slept for Seven Years. Martha Nasch was a first-generation German-American from Belle Plaine, Minnesota, and the subject of the 2021 award-winning nonfiction, Poems from the Asylum. The authors, Martha Nasch’s granddaughter and great-granddaughter, will share the findings from nearly 100 years of medical case studies on what caused Martha Nasch’s “supernatural condition” that landed her in the St. Peter Asylum from 1928 to 1934. “I could not eat or drink. I did not want it. … And because I refused to eat, I was sent to St. Peter [Asylum]…” – Martha Nasch, 1934 quote given to the LaCrosse Tribune after her release. Two author talks are scheduled for May: Monday, May 22 at 6:00pm at Henderson Public Library, and again on Tuesday, May 23 at 6:00pm at the St. Peter Public Library. Each will include common constructs that landed many women like Martha Nasch in asylums and the story of how she overcame her odds. After being released to her husband in St. Paul, Martha Nasch tried to go public with her stories. “They thought I was insane,” Nasch confessed to ACME news in 1934, “but I was perfectly normal in every other way.” Yet, Nasch’s bold claims created such controversy that news media shredded her reputation, calling her “derided,” and claiming this feat was “bunk.” Author Janelle Molony has concluded that, though it is hard for people to understand, “not one person, not even her spouse, child, or the hospital [asylum] has been able to disprove her claims of nutritional abstinence.” While institutionalized, Martha Nasch wrote down poetic testimonies of what happened inside. Her writing escaped nursing staff censorship and reveal the tragic state of mental health care practices during this time. In one poem, she reflected: “I’m judged as a goof and a nut, and classed far less than a mule” (“Memories,” Circa 1934, in Poems from the Asylum). In another poem titled “Mary,” Nasch details a horrific event that the Asylum Museum historians cannot deny, nor cover up. Artifacts from the hospital and family collections reveal the secret of how she overcame her odds and who in Fergus Falls she dedicated her entire collection of poetry to. Now, co-biographers Molony and Decker share the juiciest details and lay out a case for the woman now hailed as an early proponent of the food-less Breatharian lifestyle. *Authoritative accounts and reviews from medical professional are publicly available at www.JanelleMolony.com/SevenYearsInsane. *Please note: Due to the topics and themes presented, this event is not recommended for young audiences.