Award-winning writer not shackled by mental illness

St Thomas native Sean C. Harrison is making a name for himself through poetry and creative writing, and not just as a person living with a mental illness.

In this year's staging of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission's Jamaica Creative Writing Competition, Harrison took home 10 awards including the overall Noteworthy Writer prize.

Though Harrison won in the competition on two prior occasions, he said it was important for him to enter this year.

"I entered this year because I really wanted to be a part of the Jamaica 60 celebrations, as I do believe in our country and I know that we are a great people and I know I too have something of worth to offer," he said. Harrison was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia at the age of 19. After he left the medical field following his diagnosis, he struggled for some time, but eventually refocused on his art.

"It's been quite a roller-coaster ride but through the ups and downs and through many mishaps, I've been able to get back on my feet and to get my bearings together and to distinguish myself in a number of ways. These are seven of my eight books," he said gesturing to the mostly self-published poetry books and anthologies.

He said, "I have been working actively to get my work out there. I've been sharing my work freely on almost all major social media platforms and I welcome any dialogue that actually highlights the plight of the mentally ill. And more than anything, I want persons to know that you can struggle with a mental illness as well as other issues and yet you can be great, simply because you do not tell yourself that you cannot."

Harrison said regardless of the challenges he has faced, it is the support of his church and community in Red Hills Pen, as well as the Morant Bay area, that has helped him.

"Because of the love and the support that a number of persons have expressed and have extended to me, I am standing today again and standing stronger than I ever was. Simply because persons were the wind beneath my wings and when I needed help, there were others who were willing," he said.

Standing as a beacon of the potential that those who are mentally ill possess, Harrison is encouraging his counterparts to never be hindered by any obstacles.

"For anyone who suffers with a mental illness or any other challenge, if you are physically challenged, just know that it is not over for you. There is so much more that you can do and especially as the world has opened up with social media and all the different avenues that we can use to expose our stories and our talents, you too can make it and make it better than it ever was, if you just remember me and remember that all you have to do is keep trying and keep doing what you love. Keep pursuing your passion," he said.