Bio
Mitzy Sky is a Jamaican-born award-winning writer, who writes to transmute pain to love. She’s consciously unlearning messages that once hindered her from living wholeheartedly. Her focus is on the intersections of race and gender. Her work particularly explores the theme of letting go of internalized oppression to move from shame to presence beyond labels. Mitzy finds joy in discovering the power of awareness, granted to her by grace, a second chance at life after experiencing adversities. She enjoys spaces of creativity, traveling, and meeting people but is just as joyful on the couch listening to the rain.
Her achievements include winning first place in the 2023 CT Press Club Communications Contest for her #SupportisNecessary campaign. Additionally, she secured second place for her single-verse poem "What if?" and a special interest video of the same title. Her book of poetry, "Top of the Zinc Roof: Poems Observed from Behind the Veil with a Glimpse of the Light," received an honorable mention in the same contest. In 2021, her poem "Who’s the Boss?" earned third place. She contributed to various publications and events, such as "We Are the Change-Makers: Poems Supporting Drop the Disorder," and was recognized on the Black Movement History Leaders: Past & Present list published by Wildflower Alliance and New Life II. Her academic paper, "Why Beyond the Story?" was published in the AJPR: IRCC Special Issue Boundary Crossings.
Mitzy serves as the Vice President on the board of Picture Social Justice (PSJ) a non-profit founded by the late Paula J. Caplan, Ph.D., a board of director member for the National Association for Rights Protection and Advocacy (NARPA), and a member of the Advancing Peer Support and Lived Experience Leadership: Upward Spiral Summer Series Committee through Let’s LEAD, a Yale PRCH program. She created the Beyond the Story© project, maintains a blog at www.mitzysky.com and a documentary series called Just Doing the Little Things on Substack.com/@mitzysky.
poems
- Who's the Boss? Award-winning poem category Creative Verse/Single Poem at the 2021 Connecticut Press Club's Communications Contest See list HERE
- In This Moment Published in We Are the Chang- Makers: Poems Supporting Drop the Disorder! PCCS Books 2020
- This is My Ode to The Trees
WRITING
- Inner Fire is The Only Place I Would Go for Emotional Distress (Published first at Mad in America on May 3, 2022)
- Shame Resilience: Why Knowing Yourself is Necessary?
- April 28, 2022
- Take Care of Yourself When You Support Others to Help Themselves February 14, 2022
- Soul to Soul, Chadwick Boseman, and James Brown (Published: The Good Men Project, December 31, 2020) Honorable Mention Winner at the Connecticut Press Club 2020 awards
- Creativity and Staying Motivated in Oppressive Environments - Know your worth and purpose (Published: The Good Men Project, August 31, 2020)
- Why Compassionate Activism (Published: Mad in America. May 12, 2020)
- Forgiveness Does Work (Published: The Good Men Project. May 8, 2020
- Meet – Mitzy Sky (Published: Advocacy Unlimited Newsletter. May 2020)
- "Empire," Took A Leap of Faith and Nailed It (Published: The Good Men Project. April 24, 2020)
- Why Beyond the Story (Published: University of Nebraska Press contribution to the American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation (AJPR) 22.1–2 IRCC Special Issue Boundary Crossings: Systems, Communities, and Expertise - Volume 47: 1-2 (Spring-Summer 2019 Published in 2020)
- Remembering Deron Drumm: The Vision and the Hope for Healing and Connection (Published: Mad in America. April 28, 2019)
- Something About Chloe (Published: Inner-City News. June 13, 2018)
- Nothing Real Can Be Threatened (Published: Advocacy Unlimited Newsletter. March 2017)
- Dear Son: A Mother's Experience of Psychiatry, Racism, and Human Rights (1st Published: Mad in America. September 20, 2016 2nd publishing The Good Men Project June 3, 2020)
- Where Would I Be If I Didn't Believe In Me (Published: Absolute Prohibition: Campaign to Support CRPD Absolute Prohibition of Commitment and Forced Treatment. March 21, 2016)
- Just Me: A Series of Reflections on Trauma, Motherhood, and Psychiatry (Published: Mad in America. January 9, 2015)
- The Curve (Written 1998 Adapted 2008 by Original Works Inc/Youth Art Work with Donna Sue DeGuzman and Luther Blackwell, Jr. (Writer/Actor - Teacher's voice)
BOOKS - Journals - Magazines - websites - Radio - podcast - festivals
- Yale Writers's Workshop, Summer Session 2023 - Reading on 6/16/23
- COMMITTABLE Podcast May 2, 2023 with Jesse Mangan and Kathy Flaherty CT Legal Rights Project (CLRP)
- Radio interview with Ras Imel Radio 1400AM 11/19/2022 - The Sound of Peace and Love®
- Caribbean Books Foundation - Author Feature - Mitzy Sky Published on August 16th 2022
- All Mind: The Influencer received semin-finalist for the 2022 Bridgeport Film Festival
- We Are the Change-Makers: Poems Supporting Drop The Disorder! - Poet/Contributor In This Moment (Editor & Contributor Jo Watson, Published: PCCS Books U.K. 2020)
- Imagining Monsters Anthology - Author/Contributor All Mind: The Influencers (Editor & Contributor Alison McBain l Published: WestportWRITES and Fairfield Scribes. 2019)
- American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation (AJPR) 22.1–2 IRCC Special Issue Boundary Crossings: Systems, Communities, and Expertise - Volume 47: 1-2 -Writer/Contributor Why Beyond the Story I Published: University of Nebraska Press (UNP) (Spring-Summer 2019)
VIDEOGRAPHY
Short Films/Video
- BEYOND THE STORY: Letting Go of Internalized Oppression/Plunging to Unplug - Sharing my experience of taking a cold morning plunge into the ocean on 3/5/2022, the lessons learned, and why it is important for Black women to share their stories! ©2022
- Happy Holidays/Merry Christmas 2021 - I promised a blog was coming soon and it turned into a book. Also check out, When A Blog Turns into A Book!
- I Am Not Your Mental Patient from Shame to Presence Looking back at a painful moment and how support was crucial but labels hindered me for too long. ©2021
- Letting Go of The Pain of Internalized Oppression - Beyond the Story Presentation at Yale Divinity School (February 24, 2020)
- Awareness is Necessary – Beyond the Story Presentation at Yale Divinity School (February 24, 2020)
- Movement is Necessary – Exercise Goals (Created January 2020)
- Facing Internalized Oppression – Recognizing and Moving Forward (Created January 2020)
- Working to Live – Creator, Videographer, Director, and Editor (Created at American View Productions with Frank Borres, CEO, Bridgeport, CT 2011)
Beyond the story PRESENTATIONS
ProHealing Festival at Toivo by AdvocacyUnlimited
In a world where we are often divided by what we stand for and what we are against, this festival serves as an opportunity to put aside our differences and come together to be Pro Healing.
Karuna Conference by Advocacy Unlimited : Compassionate Activism ZOOM Event April 28. 2021Mainstream mental health care often leads to frustration and burnout – The Karuna Conference offers holistic, innovative, and effective alternatives. Reframe emotional distress as a pathway to cultivating a life of purpose. The ideas and approaches offered are relevant to everyone. You can make a difference, today!
2020 Bi-County Empowerment Conference
Online - Friday October 30, 2020
Elm City NAMI Affiliates at Yale School of Divinity,
New Haven, CT - February 24, 2020
New Haven, CT - November 1, 2019
NARPA's 2019 Annual Rights Conference, Moving Forward with Hope,
Hartford, CT September 19, 2019
Alternatives 2019 Conference, Catholic University of America,
Washington DC, July 11, 2019
Karuna 2019 Conference, Advocacy Unlimited, Inc.
Rocky Hill, CT April 13, 2019
3rd Annual Holistic Healing and Recovery Through Integrative Medicine Conference Holistic Healing
Cromwell, CT December 7, 2018
SPREAKING ENGAGEMENTS
National Association for Rights Protection and Advocacy
NARPA's 2022 Annual Rights Conference
Presentation on the Compassionate Activism training at NARPA
Newark, New Jersey October 26 - 29, 2022
Upward Spiral Summer Summit - Let's Talk Spirituality: Multiple Pathways to Wellness & Recovery
Presentation on the spirituality aspect of the Compassionate Activism training. The power of forgiveness, building awareness for transformation, and practicing the present moment for overall wellbeing. Virtual July 13, 2022
A Disorder 4 Everyone! Online Festival 2021. The Panel Discussion
Vesper Moore, activist, Sanah Ahsan, liberation psychologist, and award-winning poet
Mitzy Sky, writer, video creator, Dainius Pūras, Former Special Rapporteur for the United Nations Human Rights CouncilJacqui Dillon, activist, trainer, and writer key figure in the international Hearing Voices Movement, Peter Kinderman, Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Liverpool and author of A Manifesto for Mental Health: Why We Need a Revolution in Mental Health Care
The panel was chaired by Lucy Johnstone, UK clinical psychologist, trainer, speaker, and writer
A Disorder 4 Everyone Online Festival September 17, 2021 over 18 Countries joined - AD4E Fest -Mitzy Sky & Vesper Moore; If you’re not part of the solution you’re part of the problem!
A Disorder For Everyone online global 14 hour festival
People who do not accept the pathologising of emotional distress shared their stories in all sorts of creative ways. 14 hours of talks-poetry-interviews-presentations-videos-drama-panel- music etc.
Women’s Mental Health, Racism, and Working in Mental Health Advocacy
ZOOM Event June 24, 2020
When They Hear Us: Voices in Color, Sponsored by We Rise Storytelling
We currently find ourselves at an existential crossroad, in conflict with a system that targets and perpetuates violence toward people of color and those who would stand up for them. Many of us are at a loss for how to respond so, naturally, We Rise: Storytelling Collective thought we’d create a platform for the voices being silenced to speak their truths.
ZOOM Event June 19, 2020
Presentation on Compassionate Activism and Beyond the Story for the 2nd Year Psychiatry Residents with Asti Jackson, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Billy Bromage, Community Organizer, Yale/CMHC, Dr. Chyrell Bellamy and Dr. Flavia De Souza
New Haven, CT April 9, 2019
Karuna 2018 Conference by Advocacy Unlimited, Inc.
Presentation on Compassionate Activism with Greg Benson and Latosha Taylor
Rocky Hill, CT April 28, 2018
Presentation - Healing within Social Action: Diversity, Inclusion, and Intersectionality Atty. Tina Minkowitz, and Yvonne Smith
Boston, MA August 20, 2017
Presentation CT-Hearing Voices Network by Selina Grover-Welborn and Jenna Rai Miller
Hartford, CT May 6, 2016
The Connection's Agency 2015 Conference, at Wesleyan University
Presentation on the 5 R's with Claire Bien and Daryl Mcgraw
Middletown, CT October 29, 2015
PERFORMANCES
In This Moment with The Luther A. Blackwell, Jr. Project for Black History 2022 Concert at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church March 27, 2022
Who 's the Boss? Performed at the Poetic Soul Arts presents The Dragonfly Poetry Exchange The Bridgeport Art Trail , Master Technical Design is provided by OpenRoad Poetry! Hosted and curated by Shanna Tanika Melton of Poetic Soul Arts!! November 13, 2021
Who’s the Boss? - Performed at the
Drop the Disorder poetry evening online global event July 23rd 2021
In This Moment - Performed at the 3rd Drop the Disorder poetry event with host Jo Watson and Lucy Johnstone in association with Onlinevents (John Wilson)
The Vagina Monologues - The Westport Library (Performer) with Director Kerri Gawreluk (Created by V (formerly Eve Ensler)
Westport, CT February 21, 2020
We Rise Storytelling Collective/The Fall - The Westport Library (Performer) with creator Will Diaz and Kerri Gawreluk
Westport, CT October 30, 2019
The Westport Library's Saugatuck Storyfest – (Creators Alex Giannini and Cody Diagle-Orians) (Author/Contributor/Performer)
Westport, CT September 27, 2019
In This Moment – Karuna 2019 Conference (Writer/Performer/Video creator)
Rocky Hill, CT April 13, 2019
My Ode to The Trees – Karuna 2019 Conference (Writer/Performer/Video creator)
Rocky Hill, CT April 13, 2019
The Curve – (Written 1998. Adapted 2008 by Original Works Inc/ Creative Youth Art Work with Donna Sue DeGuzman and Luther Blackwell, Jr. (Writer/Actor - Teacher's voice) Bridgeport, CT 2008
Not So Sweet Sixteen – Original Works, Inc./ Creative Youth Art Work with Donna Sue DeGuzman and Luther Blackwell, Jr.(Actor - Mother)
Bridgeport, CT 2007
Colors of The Heart - An Original Play at Housatonic Community College - First Theater Program (Songwriter - I Don't Wanna Cry No More - Contributor/Writer/Actor) with Instructor and Director Donna Sue DeGuzman
Bridgeport, CT May 1998