Sea of conscience, the

Spanning thirty years, this collection of poetry and prose documents the discovery of mental illness through writing. It charts the slow crawl of mental decline and the gradual realisation this illness is a background noise that cannot be ignored.It is not a volume defined by mental illness alone; passions for art, literature, opera, and history are here; passions which help us survive when illnesses can be unforgiving and we fail to forgive ourselves. These words explore our perception of ourselves during times of duress and how our passions can be part of our coping strategies, helping us to remain here - embattled - but as survivors.