Excellence in Disability Literature
By Belo Miguel Cipriani
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”
By Belo Miguel Cipriani
Not quite seeing or hearing artist and author Terry Galloway ambled through early childhood with mixed emotions. On one end, she was arrogant. In fact, she would even describe herself as “a little shit,” yet she also sought physical approval from the people around her. Continue reading “An Interview with Mean Little deaf Queer Author Terry Galloway”
By Belo Miguel Cipriani
Some books become classics because they bring to the forefront new ideas, while others are imprinted in our consciousness because they shine light on a little known world.
Resistance and Hope: Essays by Disabled People, edited by Alice Wong, is one of those rare anthologies that both highlights new ways of examining disability, as well as raises the profile of the disability community. Wong, a San Francisco-based disability rights activist and journalist, has gathered 16 essays from some of the leading voices in disability advocacy, to shed some light onto disability issues in the Trump era. Continue reading “Book Review: Resistance and Hope, Edited by Alice Wong”
By Belo Miguel Cipriani
On a chilly November afternoon in 2008, I tapped my white cane down Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley, California and entered Pegasus Books. At that time, I had only been blind for a year, and often found a lot of my questions about disability answered by disability stories.
A charismatic woman greeted me, and I explained I was looking for books written by people with disabilities. “You want Crip Lit,” she said, helping me walk to another section of the store. Continue reading “Disability Literature: The Rise of D Lit in Publishing”
By Caitlin Hernandez
Oleb Books author Andrew Gurza, a self-identified “queer cripple,” not only writes, speaks, and tweets about his experiences, but also hosts a podcast about disability and has become well-known for his ability to spread awareness about the intersection between the queer and disabled communities.
Having earned his masters degree in legal studies from Carleton University in 2013, Gurza, who has cerebral palsy, switched from writing stories and imitative newspaper articles as a child to writing about his experiences as a man who is both queer and disabled. Continue reading “Meet Author Andrew Gurza: Shining a Bright Light on Sex and Disability”
A very wise and famous man once wrote a note to a friend: “The man who looks at the world the same way at sixty, as he did at thirty, has wasted thirty years of his life.” That man was Muhammad Ali.
Now I am not 60 yet, though not that far off, but I now look at the world in a very different way than I did 30 years ago. I’d like to say this is due to some epiphany of my own volition, but no, it was forced on me.
Five years ago, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. It is probably best I didn’t know then how much this would change my life. Continue reading “Tips for Writing with a Brain-Related Disability”
By David-Elijah Nahmod
Heidi Johnson-Wright, author of the leading story in the collection Firsts: Coming Of Age Stories By People With Disabilities, has lived with the complicated effects of rheumatoid arthritis since around the age of 9. The condition made it necessary for her to use a wheelchair and curtailed her ability to perform simple, everyday tasks. When she began college in the 1980s, she needed a caregiver to help her dress and get to class on time. Johnson-Wright quietly accepted her situation, excelling in her studies. She even had a boyfriend. Continue reading “Meet Attorney and Award-Winning Writer Heidi Johnson-Wright”
By Christina Pires
Before his mid-40s, Oleb Books author Nigel David Kelly — a contributor to Firsts: Coming of Age Stories by People with Disabilities — lived by the old Greek saying, “A healthy mind, a healthy body.” Born in Belfast, Ireland, Nigel was a National Champion powerlifter and took pride in maintaining his physical health. He also enjoyed engaging and maintaining a healthy mind, which is why, in 1987, he began his college undergrad studies in computer programming. When asked if that field of study was his first choice, Nigel replied, “I sat a college aptitude test, which showed a high level of analytical ability. This suggested computers, which I’d never touched. I lapped it up, studying for the next 14 years.” Continue reading “Meet Author Nigel David Kelly: The Belfast Champion”
Our debut title, Firsts: Coming of Age Stories by People with Disabilities, was released in October 2018.