Book signing and reading with Jessica Whitehead July 18

Published 7:00 am Friday, July 4, 2025

By Special to The U-R

Photographer and author Jessica Whitehead stands with a copy of her book, ‘Seeking Asylum,’ in front of the Central State Hospital Powell Building, which is featured several times within the book’s pages. (Gil Pound/The Union-Recorder)

Author, photographer and mental health advocate Jessica Whitehead will sign copies of her work, “Seeking Asylum”at Allen’s Market, 101 Floyd L Griffin Jr. St. July 18 at 5:30 p.m. 

The content inside serves a dual purpose as the author’s personal journey and struggles with mental health are laid bare on the pages. By telling her story, Whitehead wants people who are struggling to see there can be a way through and to encourage others to be the helping hand that could save a life.

Intertwined with the words are photos of a fitting subject, the former Central State Hospital on Milledgeville’s south side. Once the world’s largest mental institution, the buildings have fallen into disrepair after being abandoned by the state when the hospital was shuttered over a decade ago. In her book, Whitehead says their condition is a representation of the mental healthcare system today — “broken and decaying.”

“Seeking Asylum” can be purchased online at seekingasylumphotography.com and by clicking on the “Seeking Asylum Book” tab at the top of the page. That link goes to the website for Parson’s Porch, the book’s publisher, where orders can be completed. “Seeking Asylum” retails for $24.95.

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