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31-615: He is also the co-founder of The Icarus Project , an international community support network and media project, which is attempting to redefine the language and culture of mental health and illness. He founded the Bay Area Seed Interchange Library (BASIL). He divides his time between the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City. DuBrul was raised on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, the son of Anita Altman ,

62-405: A "support network and education project by and for people who experience the world in ways that are often diagnosed as mental illness." The responsibilities of the group are to gather people locally for support, and access to alternatives to mainstream medical diagnosis and treatment. The Project advocates self-determination and caution when approaching psychiatric care. It encourages alternatives to

93-717: A diverse number of activist projects: from Earth First! road blockades of the Pacific Northwest, to the fight to save the community gardens in New York City, to the protests against the World Trade Organization in Seattle in November 1999. Often DuBrul would travel between activist projects on freight trains . The details of his wanderings across the country and through Mexico often ended up in zines which, according to

124-561: A model for other seed libraries across the country, including the Hudson Valley Seed Library, the first seed library in a public library in the country. According to Michael Carolan, there are currently more than 660 seed libraries in 48 states in the US. The author Ruth Ozeki drew from DuBrul’s vision of seed activism for her New York Times Notable Book All Over Creation. In 2002, DuBrul wrote "Bipolar World", an article published in

155-569: A network of mentorship to positively transform the mental health system. Dubrul is quoted as saying that “his interests lie at the intersection of the public mental health system and the Mad Underground.” In recent years, DuBrul has focused on his private practice and developing the growing Transformative Mental Health Movement. He is a public proponent and practitioner of the Internal Family Systems therapy model . In 2022, he taught

186-535: A new view of mental illness. DuBrul has been quoted as claiming he has "superpowers" due to his allegedly heightened sensitivity to his surroundings. The Icarus Project is an online, international radical community support network and media project with over 14,000 participants. It has numerous local groups across North America and has released a number of publications. Navigating the Space Between Brilliance and Madness; A Reader and Roadmap of Bipolar Worlds

217-516: A traveling punk circus, which he then wrote about in his first book Carnival of Chaos: On the Road With the Nomadic Festival , published by Autonomedia . For eight years, DuBrul wrote a quarterly column for the punk zine Slug and Lettuce . DuBrul has written and lectured about the perceived relationships between punk, activist culture, racial identity, oppression, and privilege. His memoir Maps to

248-426: Is a "potentially fatal choice" for those with bipolar disorder. While Icarus Project staff have described their expertise in social activism, herbalism, and labour organizing; none of them are licensed medical or mental health professionals. The Icarus Project advisory board members describe their members as educators, artists, activists, writers, healers, community organizers, and other creative types. Some members of

279-474: Is an institution that lends or shares seed . It is distinguished from a seedbank in that the main purpose is not to store or hold germplasm or seeds against possible destruction, but to disseminate them to the public which preserves the shared plant varieties through propagation and further sharing of seed. The first contemporary seed library was created in 1999 at the Berkeley Ecology Center. It

310-538: Is to preserve agricultural biodiversity by focusing on rare, local, and heirloom seed varieties. Seed libraries use varied methods for sharing seeds, primarily by: Seed libraries may function as programs of public libraries , such as the programs of the Richmond Public Library in California (the "Richmond Grows" program is the "unofficial spiritual center of the [public library seed library] movement" ) and

341-477: The San Francisco Bay Guardian , relating his personal experiences being diagnosed with bipolar disorder . Among the dozens of e-mails and other correspondence that he received after this publication was a letter from Jacks Ashley McNamara, an artist and writer who identified strongly with his experiences. DuBrul and McNamara corresponded for a few weeks to form The Icarus Project , devoted to creating

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372-684: The Bay Area Seed Interchange Library (BASIL) (the United States' oldest seed library, which developed from the Berkeley, California Ecology Center); and still others from the Slow Food movement, such as Grow Gainesville 's seed program. While "lending" is straightforward, "returning" or re-depositing seeds presents a challenge, since the new seeds are not necessarily well-described, and may be inadvertent hybrids . Some libraries, like

403-672: The New Port Richey Public Library (Florida). Seed library initiatives in public libraries garner patron participation as a novelty supplement to book check-outs. Seed packets are usually located next to everyday circulated items like books, audiobooks, CDs, and DVDs. Seed libraries in public libraries have been successful because they catch patron hobby curiosities. Public libraries are an appropriate space for seed libraries because they make seeds and plants available to everyone. They are also located in college libraries, such as Hampshire College 's seed library; museums, such as

434-666: The Village Voice , "combine[d] adventure-travel tales with thoughtful observations about the global economy.” DuBrul was the inspiration for singer Jolie Holland 's song Sascha . While interning at a CSA farm in British Columbia , DuBrul became fascinated by permaculture and the genetic relationships that arose when domestic crops intermingled with their wild relatives. Having been raised in Manhattan, his urban sensibilities spawned his thinking about agriculture and what he believed

465-752: The Hull-House Heirloom Seed Library, a program of the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum . or as membership based online programs like the Hudson Valley Seed Library. Some have developed as programs of botanical gardens , such as that of the VanDusen Botanical Garden , or from gardening associations and research institutes, such as the Heritage Seed Library of Garden Organic . Other seed libraries have evolved from community sustainability or resilience efforts, such as

496-736: The Icarus Project to train as a clinician in the public mental health system. He attended social work school at Silberman School of Social Work, which included a year long internship (in dialogic practice) with the Parachute Project, and he was then hired by the Center for Practice Innovations at the New York State Psychiatric Institute as a trainer of Peer Specialists in First Episode Psychosis programs. While at

527-568: The Institute, he was the first author for the Peer Specialist manual for OnTrackNY. During this period, DuBrul also helped to develop the Institute for the Development of Human Arts (IDHA), a training institute for mental health workers. This institute offers training to clinicians and peer workers in order to think about their personal relationship to mental health and illness. It is also building

558-785: The Live Oak Public Library in Savannah, Georgia , do not accept returns or unsolicited donations to ensure quality control. Other libraries, like the Live Oak Public Library in, Live Oak, Florida , ask that borrowers return seeds if possible but there is no penalty for not doing so, and they will not accept hybrid or GMO seeds. Seed libraries complement the preservationist activities of seedbanks , by collecting local and heirloom varieties that might otherwise be lost, and by collecting new local varieties. In theory, lending and returning seed libraries will also promote local agriculture over time, by growing collections of seeds locally adapted to

589-684: The Other Side was released in 2013 and focuses on DuBrul's navigation of the psychiatric system and creative mental health advocacy. In recent years, his writing has focused on drawing links between punk rock, Judaism, and the power and complexities of spiritual community. In his early twenties, DuBrul traveled to Mexico and Central America and worked with the Zapatista Uprising in Chiapas . Inspired by his experiences in Mexico, he went on to participate in

620-533: The founder and deputy director of the ReelAbilities : NY Disabilities Film Festival. His father, Paul DuBrul, was a journalist and speechwriter who died the night before DuBrul's Bar Mitzvah . In an interview with the Village Voice , DuBrul described his childhood: "I was raised by democratic socialists who believed in electoral politics…but my political education happened amidst the Tompkins Square riots of

651-815: The group identify as Latinx, queer, trans, people of colour or mixed race, and trauma survivors. The Icarus Project was under the fiscal sponsorship of FJC, a non-profit 501(c)3 umbrella organization arm of an investment firm, based in New York City. The Icarus Project formerly got the bulk of its money from foundation grants, including the Ittleson Foundation, but it also had many individual donors. Educational materials published by The Icarus Project have been published in Spanish, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Greek, and Bosnian/Croatian. Some of these publications are listed below: Films about Icarus Project members are listed below: Seed library A seed library

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682-672: The late '80s.” In his teens, DuBrul found community among punks and anarchist squatters on the Lower East Side . After attending Hunter College Elementary School and Bronx High School of Science , DuBrul graduated from St. Ann’s School in Brooklyn. He attended Reed College in Portland, Oregon for a year but dropped out after having a psychotic break . In a 2002 article for the San Francisco Bay Guardian , DuBrul wrote: "I

713-437: The medical model that is accepted by mental health professionals. In 2005, journalist Jennifer Itzenson noted that while the Icarus Project may accept those with a wide range of "perspectives" on mental health issues, there is also "an edge of militancy within the group," particularly among those who reject medication. Itzenson also writes that's the group's questioning of medical care is "misguided" and that rejecting medication

744-578: The summers of 2010 and 2012, he co-taught month long seminars at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur . In the Spring of 2013, in conjunction with the release of his book, Maps to the Other Side, DuBrul, along with Icarus Project co-founder Ashley Jacks McNamara, toured the United States giving readings, and conducting workshops and discussions on mental health. After 12 years, DuBrul stepped back from his work with

775-593: The “Severe Mental Illness” course at the Community Mental Health program at the California Institute of Integral Studies . Later that year, DuBrul spoke on a panel hosted by IDHA called “Movement Lineages” where he and other movement leaders reflected “on how radical mental health organizing has shifted and evolved over the past several decades” to “share key lessons that can inform future work.” The Icarus Project The Icarus Project (2002–2020)

806-403: Was 18 years old the first time they locked me up in a psych ward. The police found me walking on the subway tracks in New York City, and I was convinced the world was about to end and I was being broadcast live on prime-time TV on all the channels.” He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder . After dropping out of Reed, DuBrul played in the ska-punk band Choking Victim . In 1995, he co-organized

837-785: Was a network of peer-support groups and media projects with the stated aim of changing the social stigmas regarding mental health. In 2002, Sascha Altman DuBrul wrote an article published in the San Francisco Bay Guardian about his experiences being diagnosed with bipolar disorder . He founded the Icarus Project with Jacks McNamara, an artist and writer. The Project sought to create spaces where people could talk freely about their lived experiences in regards to their mental health . Years later, musician-activist Bonfire Madigan Shive and counsellor/activist Will Hall became key members in The Icarus Project's administration and development. The Icarus Project's stated aims were to provide

868-684: Was called the Bay Area Seed Interchange Library (BASIL). The first seed library to be established in a public library was at the Gardiner Public Library in Gardiner, New York and was developed by Ken Greene in 2004. Since then, the number of seed libraries has grown to over 450 across the globe, with most being established in the United States. Seed libraries usually maintain their collections through donations from members. but may also operate as pure charity operations intent on serving gardeners and farmers. A common attribute of many seed libraries

899-529: Was published by the Icarus Project in March 2004 and is currently in its 10th printing. Shortly after the Icarus launched, DuBrul embarked on a tour of North America, facilitating workshops and leading discussions on alternative conceptions of mental illness and wellness. After the tour, Dubrul worked with McNamara and other Icarus members to create a guide for creating community support around madness and mental health. This

930-553: Was published under the title "Friends Make the Best Medicine." In 2007, DuBrul and a group of fellow Icarus Project members organized the "Mad Gifts Tour." As part of this tour, the group visited Virginia Tech soon after the April 16th massacre of 32 students, which stirred controversy about mental health on college campuses. DuBrul toured Europe in 2011, facilitating workshops and giving talks about radical mental health support. During

961-485: Was the need to revitalize older methods of community seed production. In 2000, he founded the first urban seed lending library : the Bay Area Seed Interchange Library, or BASIL. In an interview with the New York Times , DuBrul said: “An urban seed library is about the relationship between biological and cultural diversity, and people having a direct connection to the seeds that are growing their foods.” BASIL has become

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