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Date: 3/2/2022
EAST LONGMEADOW – Mental health struggles are often shrouded in shame and secrecy, but one local writer is using his struggles to help others see they are not alone.
Vincent Magnani has several mental health illnesses, as he refers to them, including bipolar disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and borderline personality disorder. Rather than a hindrance, he has turned these conditions into fuel for his creativity.
Magnani’s recently published a hardcover version of his 2021 book, “An Inconvenient Attachment: A Love Story or Something.” The book was written with the intention to “connect with people experiencing first love, first anything,” Magnani said. It also “focuses on mental illness and how to cope with life experiences.”
“An Inconvenient Attachment” is composed of several mediums of expressions. While mostly poetry and prose, the pages of the hardcover also contain art, space for readers to write down their thoughts and feelings about what they are reading and a QR code that, when scanned, will bring people to a playlist of music Magnani listened to while writing the book.
Magnani doesn’t have any formal training as a writer. Instead, he said everything around him offers inspiration, but music helps him translate that inspiration into words. Adele, Lana del Ray, classic rock, he said, “Music brings me to Zen.”
The East Longmeadow writer said, “I look at things very differently. My brain doesn’t stop.” He reflected that if he did not have mental health issues, he would not be as good a writer.
Mental health isn’t openly discussed to the extent that it should be, Magnani said. He said when people with mental health conditions read the book, he said, “I want them to not feel alone. Everyone’s a little off-balance. Everyone has been through something,” he said, adding the number one comment in the feedback is that the book is relatable.
While Magnani’s work is self-published, he hired an editorial company to help polish the book before publication. A local artist from American International College (AIC) designed the book and the cover art.
“An Inconvenient Attachment,” is Magnani’s second book. The first was a compilation of poems and short stories titled, “Him: The Hardest Journey.” Magnani said his debut book has been sold in Barnes & Noble stores from Holyoke to northern Connecticut.
Magnani is working on a third book currently, titled, “A Personal Note.” He has no anticipated timeframe for the project. “I’m done when I’m done,” he said.
“An Inconvenient Attachment” is available in eBook, paperback and hardcover formats. Magnani is working with a friend to record an audiobook format. The book can be purchased through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Walmart.