I’m Susanne Paola Antonetta. Welcome! I write fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. My books deal in psychiatry, neurodiversity, madness, and science, especially physics and consciousness. And memoir. I contribute to media like the Huffington Post, Ms., the New York Times, The Hill, and currently write a blog/column for Psychology Today called Mad Woman Out of the Attic. And I serve as nonfiction editor of the awesome Orison Books.

Some things I believe, in no particular order: that literary citizenship extends beyond me; that science is amazing and has more to say about our daily dilemmas and deep fears than most people think; that action movies rule; and that cats may be God’s best shot at perfection.

My current big news is that my new book The Devil’s Castle: Nazi Eugenics, Euthanasia, and How Psychiatry ’s Troubled History Reverberates Today is OUT, as of late September 2025. It has gotten a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly, a “most anticipated” book listing from Publisher’s Weekly and the UK’s Our Culture, and wonderful reviews from Kirkus, the Jewish Book Council, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and other places.

Neuroscientist Anil Seth wrote of The Devil’s Castle, "Poetic, shocking, darkly illuminating and deeply optimistic–The Devil's Castle offers a powerful rallying cry for us to cherish the diversity of minds that enrich our societies and our worlds. An important and timely book." I love this quote, especially the “deeply optimistic.” It is.

And speaking of literary citizenship: Part of my latest project has been uncovering and sharing the life of Dorothea Buck, a German woman diagnosed schizophrenic and sterilized by the Nazis at nineteen. Buck was an activist fighting psychiatric abuse, biological psychiatry and related psychiatric reductionism. She wrote a brilliant autobiography, On the Trail of the Morning Star: Psychosis as Self-Discovery. The book is now out in English. It is Open Access so you can buy a physical copy for $24 or download a free copy.

I have an irregular blog that mostly talks about writing and publishing (sign up here), some strategies to succeed, and honest talk about living as a writer. Each of my books represents dozens of rejections and re-toolings. You can make all this easier and increase your chances.

You can contact me here with requests for readings or class visits, or with your own rejection stories. Or tell me about you and your work.

For my book A Mind Apart I asked random people how they think. Not the what—the how. And the answers were fascinating. One person had an inner elevator that stopped at certain floors for particular topics, eg, family problems might be fifth floor. Another person had an inner government that actually debated. And yet another passed thoughts through differential equations.

Write me if you want to share how you think. I’m always collecting answers. I’d love to know.

The Latest