Conal Smiley

Conal Smiley is a 36 year old writer suffering from Schizo-Affective Disorder who has recently begun to write about his experiences and feelings towards Mental Illness. He has managed to reach a healthy place in his life where he is able to hold down a job, and have relationships with friends and family, which has been important to his recovery. Writing has been a key element to his recovery as well, as it gives him a voice and an arena to explore not only his feelings, but his thoughts on the people he sees afflicted around him.

Response to creative prompt: "When I look in the mirror, I see..."

When I look in the mirror, I see...the people who have suffered before me and who suffer around me. In the poem “The Shore”, I have translated their hardships to that of flight and the difficulty of keeping up forward momentum when trying to deal with the symptoms of Mental Illnesses. It is a battle that often feels Sisyphean, and the shore often feels too far away to reach.

When I look into the mirror I see...The way people view my mental illness. Having spent time in Mental Health Facilities I have also gained a view of how I see others that are afflicted. I am both a man within the community and an onlooker. The poem “Release” deals with both how I see myself and how I am seen.