A Story Told from the Inside

When Gail Glotzer began writing what would become Mania and Other Stories, she was not trying to write a clinical account of mental illness. She wanted to write from lived experience. 

Her debut book offers an honest look at life with mental illness through short vignettes shaped by memory, observation, humor, and resilience. The book draws from experiences with hospitalization, nursing homes, housing insecurity, relationships, isolation, and the strength it takes to keep moving forward. It moves beyond symptoms and diagnosis to capture the texture of daily life, offering a personal look at what mental illness can feel like from the inside. 

For Gail, the writing process was both creative and deliberate. She wrote, rewrote, and shaped the pieces into a collection. “Writing is a lot of fun,” Gail shared during a recent reading with fellow Gesher participants. “When they say it’s healing, I don’t know that it was, but it was like a puzzle, sticking the pieces together.” 

She describes the stories less as traditional short stories and more as vignettes, each one capturing a moment, relationship, place, or feeling. She also painted the book’s cover, bringing another part of her artistic voice into the project. 

Honesty, Humor, and Resilience

Throughout the book, Gail writes honestly about painful and complicated experiences, including time spent without stable housing. But the collection is not only about hardship. It is also about individuality, humor, and the strength to keep going. Gail’s voice carries sharp observation, showing a life shaped by mental illness but not defined by it. 

Gail is part of Gesher, The Ark’s program for Jewish adults living with mental health challenges. Through daily therapeutic groups, creative arts, activity-based programming, Jewish connection, and individual support, Gesher offers participants a place to build relationships, work toward greater wellness, and feel part of a community. In Gesher, Gail’s creativity is not separate from her story. It is one of the ways she shares her experience, connects with others, and is seen as a whole person. 

For Gail, who has been connected to The Ark for many years, that sense of belonging is part of a larger story: the importance of being seen as a whole person, with creativity, humor, history, and something meaningful to contribute. 

Sharing Her Story with Strength

Gail is already thinking about what will come next. She has begun writing another book, focused more directly on housing insecurity, and drawn again from personal experience. For her, writing is not about turning away from difficult chapters. It is about returning to them with the perspective of an artist. 

Mania and Other Stories is deeply personal, but Gail hopes its message reaches beyond her own life. Mental illness can be isolating, and stigma can make that isolation even heavier. By sharing her story, Gail offers something different: honesty without shame, struggle without defeat, and a reminder that hope can live alongside pain. 

Her book is about mental illness. It is also about strength. 

Mania and Other Stories is available on Amazon. Click here to learn more or order a copy.