“An Unquiet Mind” by Kay Redfield Jamison, who was scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the Senate Plenary this spring before it was canceled, will be the focus of online “couch talks” on Aug. 12, sponsored by the University Senate and the Mental Wellness Book Club.

Jamison is a psychologist who has bipolar illness. In her book, she describes mental illness from both her personal and professional perspectives.

The couch talks about “An Unquiet Mind” will take place via Zoom at noon Aug. 12, although more sessions may be added at other times if there is enough interest. The talks will center on 10 quotations from the book.

Linda Tashbook, chair of the Senate’s Mental Health Task Force, said 66 people have already registered for the noon event. They will be split into two groups, for now, so people will have a chance to talk. More concurrent sessions will be added as needed.

Here's how the couch talk will work:

• Those who register will choose whether they want to present one of the quotes or whether they would prefer to participate without being responsible for presenting anything.

• The program leader will provide all registrants with instructions for accessing the e-book for free via the University Library System. Participants should not feel pressured to read the entire book.

• The program leader will provide a specific quote and range of page numbers to the 10 people who will be presenting quotes.

• During the couch talk, all participants can comment on the quotations.

All Pitt faculty, staff and students are welcome to participate in this event. Register here for the couch talk online.

If you have questions about this event, please contact Tashbook at tashbook@pitt.edu.