Author: Belo Miguel Cipriani

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My Son Has an Invisible Disability. On Mother’s Day, I Celebrate Seeing Him.

By Stephanie Duesing

Mom and son, 18-year-old, purple-haired Sebastian and Stephanie Duesing smile at the camera together.

I didn’t know my son Sebastian until he was 15. That was the year we had our first real Mother’s Day celebration. We lived in the same house together for 15 years, so don’t misunderstand. I gave birth to him. I changed his diapers and taught him to ride a bicycle.

I was a stay-at-home mom, and he was my only child, but I didn’t know him. We spent hours together every day playing and doing crafts together. He painted the most extraordinary pictures, even as a toddler. His existence filled my imagination from the moment that I looked at the faint blue positive mark on the pregnancy test, but I still didn’t know him until he was a sophomore in high school. Continue reading “My Son Has an Invisible Disability. On Mother’s Day, I Celebrate Seeing Him.”

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How I Found My Voice and Learned to Thrive

By Mannette Morgan, Author of Finding Your Voice: A Path to Recovery for Survivors of Abuse

As a little girl, I knew I wanted to be a writer “when I grew up.” The problem was, I couldn’t read or write. I realized at a young age that I didn’t learn like everyone else. I felt stupid, different, and disconnected from others. I struggled to read, write, and spell for the entirety of my childhood. Continue reading “How I Found My Voice and Learned to Thrive”

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Book Review: Put Your Feelings Here by Lisa M. Schab

By Christina Pires

Author Lisa M. Schab smiles at the camera, standing in front of a brick wall. She has shoulder-length, curly, blonde hair, and is wearing a black shirt.
Pictured: Put Your Feelings Here author Lisa M. Schab

Everyone remembers being a teenager. Those seven years of adolescence filled with new friendships, endless possibilities and emotions — intense emotions. Emotions that are so frustrating one is at a loss as to how to express them, much less control or work through them. Continue reading “Book Review: Put Your Feelings Here by Lisa M. Schab”

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‘See’ Review: Apple TV Series Depicts Disability as Just a Fact of Life

By Robert Kingett

Actors Jason Momoa and Hera Hilmar from the show See stand together, draped in furs in a rustic, mountain setting.
Jason Momoa and Hera Hilmar in See. Photo courtesy of Apple TV+.

“Books are in the holy shape. They are silent, and yet, speak directly into the imagination,” says Maghra, played by actress Hera Hilmar, in episode two of See, a science fiction drama produced for Apple TV+. Continue reading “‘See’ Review: Apple TV Series Depicts Disability as Just a Fact of Life”

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Black Journalist, Poet and Activist Leroy Moore

By Jacob Lesner-Buxton

Leroy Moore sits, looking off to the side, wearing a shiny black tux jacket, with purple vest and bowtie.

 

Leroy Moore identifies as a black journalist, poet and activist with a disability. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, his work addresses important issues, such as the marginalization of Black people in the disability rights movement, as well as the relationship between racism, ableism and police brutality. Additionally, Moore is also one of the founders of Continue reading “Black Journalist, Poet and Activist Leroy Moore”

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Blind Bay Area Author Discusses the Disability Experience in Literature

By Belo Miguel Cipriani

Caitlin Hernandez is beaming as she wears rainbow face paint with stars, dots, and flower petals, and a rainbow dress.
Photo: Jack Sanders/Face paint: Haley Brown, www.haleybrown.org.

Award-winning author and pansexual, blind writer Caitlin Hernandez grew up in the 1990s — a time when adaptive technology, such as electronic Braille notetakers, were in their infancy. The web was just budding and digital accessibility was not in the forefront for many organizations. Continue reading “Blind Bay Area Author Discusses the Disability Experience in Literature”

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Disability Anthology Receives a Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal

For immediate release:

Readers’ Favorite recognizes “Firsts” by Belo Miguel Cipriani in its annual international book award contest, currently available at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GWYBRMT.

The Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Contest featured thousands of contestants from over a dozen countries, ranging from new independent authors to NYT best-sellers and celebrities. Continue reading “Disability Anthology Receives a Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal”