Moment Magazine and The Andrew Kukes Foundation For Social Anxiety announce Amy Bearmon, a writer, wife and mother from Kenmore, as a winner of a contest designed to initiate public conversation about an important subject that is too often kept quiet. Readers were asked to write about anxiety as part of the magazine’s Elephant In The Room Essay Contest.

The contest, designed to foster discussion about important but seldom-discussed topics, asked: How has anxiety affected you, your family or the Jewish people in general? The winning essays, along with excerpts from finalists and other submissions, are published in the January/February issue of Moment and online.

“These essays were selected for their depth of thought, their eloquence and their straightforwardness in addressing a difficult topic that many people are afraid to take on,” says Nadine Epstein, editor and publisher of Moment.

Bearmon discusses how anxiety has been passed down from generation to generation in her family, as embodied by frantic telephone calls from her mother.

“Growing up, I was bathed in this undercurrent of nervous energy,” Bearmon writes. “I now do my best to honestly confront those things that frighten me. In doing so, I leave a good chunk of the family fear legacy behind.”

“An important part of the Foundation’s national mission is to begin the conversation about a common, but often misunderstood, part of so many lives,” said Lori Blumenstein-Bott, MSW, Executive Director of the Andrew Kukes Foundation For Social Anxiety. “This contest has been a way to engage more voices in the discussion, which we hope to continue with the winners as we continue to build awareness.”

Moment Magazine, co-founded in 1975 by Elie Wiesel and Leonard Fein, is the premier independent Jewish magazine in North America, and is committed to presenting high-quality, serious journalism representing the spectrum of the Jewish experience. Moment sponsors several contests annually, including the Moment Magazine-Karma Foundation Short Fiction Contest and the Publish-A-Kid Contest. For more information, visit Moment online at momentmag.com.

The mission of the Andrew Kukes Foundation for Social Anxiety (AKFSA) is to educate social anxiety sufferers, mental health professionals, physicians, teachers, coaches, clergy, friends, family and the general public about the diagnosis and treatment of social anxiety. AKFSA believes that education is the key to helping social anxiety sufferers and empowering those who can make a difference in their lives. The foundation strives to create opportunities, offer resources and provide a forum for those affected by social anxiety. Visit AKFSA online at akfsa.org.