A collection of poetry, prose, photographs, and archived material on grief, loss, survival, and ultimately healing. I Kept Things I Did Not Need was born out of the great personal loss of Jenna’s Aunt Anne to suicide during the summer of 2015. The tragic loss of someone so close to her became a catalyst for Jenna’s own mental health struggles. She was soon hospitalized for suicide ideation. That hospitalization led to anti-depressants, that triggered an onset of mania, her bipolar diagnosis and the beginning of her recovery. Through medication changes, different diagnoses, a second hospitalization, and intensive outpatient programs, and a growing support system, Jenna gained control of her life.