Welcome to the website of Daniel Hoeweler. I am a Cincinnati based writer and poet with a severe sleep and mental disorder who focuses on topics related to technology, artificial intelligence, mass surveillance and the psychotic experience. My writings have appeared in many street papers, magazines and blogs including Street Sheet, Street Vibes and The Contributor. They have also been used in various plays, song lyrics, museum exhibits and textbooks such as a recent performance by Inversion Ensemble, a chapter in a Danish psychology textbook and a sound exhibit at the Origins Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa.
My works are influenced by authors, activists and movies like “George Orwell”, “Charles Bukowsky”, Edward Snowden, “Mr Robot” and “The Matrix”, but nothing has influenced my work more than the paranoia and psychosis I experienced throughout my twenties as a result of a sleep and mental disorder. In 1999 I experienced a series of psychotic breaks while studying Computer Science at Boston University that left me crippled, impoverished and at times homeless. It wasn’t until eight years later, in my early thirties, that I began to recover after the administration of anti-psychotics and sleep therapy. If it wasn’t for that treatment I wouldn’t be here writing to you this day.
Most of my writing is either partially or wholly built around my personal experiences, giving it a more authentic taste than purely fictionalized representations of mental illness produced by Hollywood. Readers should note however, that nothing I write is meant to be interpreted as medical advice or a replacement for a good therapist.
Over time I have been able to piece myself back together, evolving from a nomadic, unemployed alcoholic to a self sufficient and reasonably stable individual. The combined effects of sobriety, diet, exercise, sleep therapy, surgery and medication gave me the opportunity to live a relatively normal life despite my disabilities. A meaningful life with severe mental illness is possible.
I am an active participant in the local Cincinnati art scene, frequently performing live readings at coffee shops and bars across the city. You can also find me at bars singing karaoke, writing in local coffee shops or camping at Red River Gorge. When I am not pursuing my creative interests and hobbies I work as a business owner and cook.
Currently I reside with two dogs, a bird and my lovely friend Christina in a peaceful part of the city, living a life I never thought possible.
I’d like to thank the Ohio Arts Council for a recent grant and the National Writers Union for their continued support.
