Agnes McConnel

Agnes is currently reading Classical Civilisations and the Ancient World at King’s College London.

She has been writing poems and short stories for many years with the dream of one day becoming a published author. For many years, writing has been a way to cope with her eating disorders. Agnes' recent struggle with addiction and her diagnosis of manic depression have caused her to put more passion and thought into her writing - this anthology being the initial result.

The anthology begins at the end with The Poetess’ Portrait. It then goes back to her childhood, displaying how not every moment of a young life is happy.

Her life then progresses through the school years, following which comes symptoms of her conditions. These symptoms include unrequited love, simple madness, eating disorders, bipolarity, substance abuse, sex and requited love.

Then, there are the beginnings of a joyous recovery as the poetess finds the pen and begins to write. Once she has found the pen, she is overtaken, as all writers are, by a desire to write like the greats, she writes under their influence while still expressing only herself.

Finally, there is her maturity with the hope that it brings. The poetess realises that despite the psychiatric condition that will never leave her or the mistakes of her past, there is a great future ahead. She will see the next several decades through.