Written by Will Jones
Blending spoken word, poetry, music, and memoir, Tableman turns an intensely personal mental health story into an invitation for listeners to feel less alone.
Some albums introduce themselves with a hook. My Manic Maze opens more like a curtain rising on someone’s private thoughts.
The new EP from Mikey Tableman draws from his experiences with anxiety, depression, addiction, mania, and a mental health breakdown that forced him to confront what he had spent years avoiding. Built from poetry and supported by cinematic music, the autobiographical project invites listeners into difficult emotional territory without presenting pain as spectacle.
Instead, Tableman uses the album release to offer recognition. For anyone who has struggled to explain what is happening inside their mind, hearing another person say the words aloud can create an unexpected point of connection.
When Music Becomes Another Character
Tableman does not describe himself as a traditional musician. He is a poet, author, mental health advocate, and founder of A Mind’s Pursuit, a 501c3 nonprofit centered on storytelling, creativity, advocacy, and community.His path to the EP began after more than 20 years in nightlife, hospitality, and live events, including work as a director for a major music festival company. Beneath the lights, crowds, and pulsing sound of festivals, he was privately struggling.
Writing initially served as a means of survival. Journal entries became poems, and the poems gradually formed a larger story about shame, addiction, recovery, and self-discovery. Music entered later, giving those words rhythm, tension, silence, and emotional movement.
“The music in My Manic Maze isn’t there as background noise; it’s another character in the story,” Tableman said.
That approach places the project somewhere between spoken word, poetry, theater, and music. Producers Jerry Lang and Nathaniel “Nate Sounds” Alford helped shape its sound while allowing Tableman’s words to remain central.
Speaking to Men Who Stay Silent
The release arrives within a broader conversation about men’s health and the cost of mental health ignorance. Nearly one in 10 men experiences depression or anxiety, yet fewer than half receive treatment. More than 6 million men experience depression each year, though male depression often goes undiagnosed. Men also die by suicide at more than four times the rate of women.Those figures give urgency to removing the stigma surrounding emotional vulnerability. Tableman extends that advocacy through “Conversations With The Boys,” a podcast he co-hosts as a roundtable space for discussions about masculinity and mental health.
His work does not suggest that an EP can replace professional care. It shows how art, conversation, and the mental health community can provide outlets that help people recognize their feelings and begin speaking about them.
From Headphones to the Page and Stage
The project now extends beyond streaming. The book release of My Manic Maze combines memoir and poetry, pairing each spoken word piece with the personal story behind it. The book is available through Amazon and other major online book retailers.Live performances add visuals, lighting, animation, and carefully timed musical cues, creating an immersive format influenced by Broadway and one-person theater. Tableman and his collaborators are also developing a visual album and exploring future live events and college appearances.
For listeners facing their own maze, the project offers no tidy ending. Its value lies in its honesty and its reminder that overcoming challenges rarely begins in silence.
The My Manic Maze EP is available on major streaming platforms. Readers can stream the release, find the book online, and follow Mikey Tableman at @mikeytableman to learn more about A Mind’s Pursuit and its mental health advocacy.
