Jan 29
Convocation with Frank Warren
Frank Warren is the most trusted stranger in America. A crisis counselor, in 2005 he created the PostSecret project in which people anonymously mail to him their secrets on a homemade postcard. Selected secrets are then posted on the PostSecret website.
This growing collection of over a million artful secrets quickly became a worldwide phenomenon. Several New York Times best-selling books, national art exhibits and a theatrical production later, the PostSecret website has received more than 825 million views and has become the most visited ad-free blog in the world. Honored with multiple Webbys for “Best Blog on the Internet,” it has also helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. Forbes has called Warren one of the most influential people on the Internet.
Warren’s passionate commitment to mental health advocacy has taken him around the world to deliver keynote addresses at colleges and universities, mental health conferences, and tech events. He has appeared on radio and television, and his work has been featured in multiple publications. The recipient of a Mental Health Advocacy Lifetime Achievement Award, Warren has been invited to the White House to share what he has learned about our secret selves.
At times hilarious and heartbreaking, the secrets reflect complex issues with which many of us struggle. Warren and the PostSecret project demonstrate that by sharing these personal struggles, we can help each other and release our burdens. As Warren states: “It is an illusion that secrets are walls; they are bridges, waiting for us to cross, share and grow.” The title of his presentation is “PostSecret and Mental Health: Sharing Secrets, Reducing Stigma, Building Community.”