He was Chair of Survivors’ Poetry from 2000–2005, an Arts Council funded charity that promotes the writing of survivors of mental illness. He has had two collections of his own poetry published, Letter to Lord Rochester by Waterloo Press (2005) and The Beach Generation by Pighog Press (2007).

John O’Donoghue’s journalism, poetry and fiction has appeared in The Observer, The TES, The London Magazine, PN Review, Ambit, Acumen, Orbis, Aesthetica and Poetry Express. John now lives in Brighton with his wife and four children.

His memoir, Sectioned, was recently acquired by John Murray, and will be published in February 2009.

Often, on Brighton beach at midnight, as the moon casts her searchlight onto the restless sea below, illuminating the lovers by the strand in a glow straight out of the Blitz, this poet will stroll to some midnight cafe to doodle his thoughts on a napkin, and by the break of dawn come home again, poem in his pocket to sleep the morning away, and wake once more and go out for brunch, never letting up, until he has eaten his favourite meal and can face once more the day, and the night that’s coming in from the shore.