“The insane asylum on Blackwell’s Island is a human rattrap. It is easy to get in, but once there it is impossible to get out”. So begins the saga of Nelly Bly. In 1887, Bly was given an assignment by Joseph Pulitzer to go undercover at Bellevue Hospital, a woman’s insane asylum, to experience firsthand just how horrible the conditions were. Although we know Nellie Bly for her record-breaking trip around the world, her story about her ten days faking insanity is truly a tale of horrors.

Subject: history

Kim Murphy has served as a life enrichment coordinator for older adults for more than 30 years. She enjoys inspiring lifelong learning and finding joy in everyday moments. A writer, speaker, teacher, and event coordinator, she has taught classes for CALL and was the 2022 winner of a Brilliance Award from West Michigan Woman magazine.