Dese'Rae L. Stage

Artist, Writer, and Suicide Awareness Activist in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Dese'Rae L. Stage

Artist, Writer, and Suicide Awareness Activist in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Hi, I'm Des. All those things above? I do 'em.

In 2010, I created Live Through This, a collection of portraits and stories of suicide attempt survivors, as told in their own voices. Live Through This re-imbues the topic of suicide with humanity by putting faces and names to the statistics that have been the only representation of attempt survivors in the past. As of mid-2019, I've collected the stories and portraits of 186 attempt survivors in 36 US cities.

I'm a suicide attempt survivor, myself. I've lived with suicidal thoughts and self-injurious compulsions for more than half of my life. Many of my family members struggle with depression, addiction, and more. I've lost friends to suicide.

I travel the country collecting stories and making portraits of attempt survivors. I speak at universities, professional, and academic conferences nationwide about Live Through This, crowdfunding, and suicide prevention in social media. I've partnered with researchers on a qualitative study based on Live Through This, and we're in the thick of it.

I've provided commentary for The Glenn Beck Program, Fox News, and BBC Radio. In January 2015, I was recognized as NY1’s New Yorker of the Week. I also won the SAMHSA Voice Award and the inaugural Paul G. Quinnett Lived Experience Writing Contest. My writing has been published by Cosmopolitan, CNN, Huffington Post, and XoJane. In 2018, I wrote a monthly column on my experiences with infertility for Romper.

Live Through This has received extensive media coverage, including features in the New York Times, Associated Press, NPR, and more.

I live in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philly with my wife, kids, and probably too many furry creatures.

  • Work
    • Dese'Rae L. Stage Photography
  • Education
    • BS Psychology, East Tennessee State University