As Her Family Grapples With OCD, Author Tackles Stereotypes Through Writing

WUNC | By Frank Stasio,

Published March 21, 2018 at 12:25 PM EDT

Barbara Claypole White always wanted to be a writer. But she put her passion aside when her young son was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Host Frank Stasio talks to Barbara Claypole White about her new book 'The Promise Between Us' and her efforts to combat negative stereotypes about mental illness. Zachariah Claypole White also joins the conversation to talk about his role in his mother’s writing and his own art.

Years later when she picked up the pen again, he became her muse. In her first book “The Unfinished Garden” (MIRA/2012), Claypole White’s leading character was a man who struggled with OCD. In each of her subsequent books, she continued to write about characters with mental illness in an effort to show their strength. Her latest book follows a mother named Katie who has postpartum OCD. Katie is consumed by the irrational fear that she will hurt her newborn daughter, so she leaves her family to protect her child. When Katie accidentally runs into her kid years later, she notices compulsive behaviors. Katie has the power to help, but should she?

Host Frank Stasio talks to Claypole White about her new book “The Promise Between Us,” (Lake Union Publishing/2018) and her efforts to combat negative stereotypes about mental illness. Stasio also talks to her son, Zachariah Claypole White, about his role in his mother’s writing and his own art. Barbara Claypole White will be teaching a writing workshop at 158 Books in Wake Forest on Sunday, March 25. Zachariah Claypole White will be performing as Eden Falling at Second Wind in Carrboro on Wednesday, March 28.