I'm a blind poet, musician, and English instructor, living in Jacksonville, FL. I enjoy reading, writing, gardening, singing, and cooking. When I'm not involved in academic pursuits, I work with blind and visually-impaired people and their families, teaching self-advocacy and independent living skills. I advocate with humor and compassion.
I am no stranger to the dread of poetry. When my students enter class and see “Poem of the Week” emblazoned on the warmup slide, the groans and sighs begin. “Poetry? I hate poetry!” Many students fear and despise poetry because it makes them feel stupid. They imagine, or have been led to believe, that … More #TLC: Rigor, Energy, Delight: A Poetic Practice
So much of modern advice for teachers involves tuning in to students’ anxieties, fears, and moods in such a way that you are told, “Never cold-call a student,” or “Don’t give a student anxiety by asking them to read an unfamiliar passage out loud.” I think this is a misdirected or perhaps misapplied approach to … More #TLC: Bravery in the Classroom
I’m excited to announce that the Winter 2023-2024 issue of Wordgathering: A Journal of Disability Poetry and Literature is live. This issue boasts reviews for 11 books, and included among these is my review of Clark A. Pomerleau’s Every Day, They Became Part of Him. I first encountered Pomerleau’s exceptional poetry when he submitted to … More New Book Review for Wordgathering
Dear faithful readers: It’s been a long time since I’ve updated this blog, but I am happy to write today with an exciting announcement. I have decided to promote other valuable writers’ work alongside my own. Today, I bring to you the work of John Lee Clark, a treasured friend and colleague who has always … More New Book by John Lee Clark
I am so thrilled to be part of the Arts Society of Kingston’s Poetic License exhibit! In this exhibit, Poetry Barn editors offered ASK artists a selection of poems to turn into works of art. I submitted in March, and my poem “Deficiencies” was chosen by the editors — and chosen again by artist Pamela … More “Deficiencies” featured in ASK exhibit!
Hello and happy summer to all my readers! I’m excited to share that one of my poems is featured today as Split This Rock’s Poem of the Week. The poem, “Blindness Locked Me Out,” first appeared in my book, Neoteny, back in 2019. You can read the poem and listen to me reading it here. … More Split This Rock features my poem!
I am excited to report the release of Welcome to the Resistance: Poetry As Protest, a new poetry collection from Stockton University Press. This collection was edited by Taylor Savath and Ona Gritz, and it includes three of my poems: “A Phenomenology of Blindness,” “Strangers at the Coffeeshop,” and “I Bless Our Daughter.” Order your … More New Poetry Out in Anthology
It’s never too early to start celebrating National Poetry Month! I’ll be reading at this fun event from the National Braille Press! All the info is below. It’s been a tough year! In honor of National Poetry Month, the National Braille Press is offering a poetry circle by Zoom with the theme of “Poems of … More Virtual Poetry Reading in April
What a year it’s been! I am happy to report on the books I read. As you can expect if you’re a regular on this blog, my list includes books about food, animals, psychology, and writing. Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? by Frans de WaalYet another wonderful text from renowned … More 21 Books in 2020
In the midst of these hot July days, I am writing with some cool news! A few weeks ago, I did an interview with Pat York of Arts4All Florida as part of their month-long celebration of disabled artists. My interview was remotely recorded over Zoom, which is definitely a new experience for me! Here’s the … More Interview and Audiobook!
Sherwood Smith’s Danse de la Folie is one of my favorite Austen-inspired novels. I was so excited to review it for the Jane Austen’s World blog. This blog is an extraordinary resource for historical and confemporary articles, book reviews, and Austen announcements. Here’s how the review begins: Lovers of Austen novels will find much delight … More Book Review: Danse de la Folie
April has been a busy month, even though I’m working from home. I have two new items to share with you, my lovely readers! First, I’ll share the shorter of the two items. Neoteny has a new review! Jennifer R. Jackson reviewed the book on her site, The Handy Uncapped Pen. She wrote some kind … More New Video & New Review
To celebrate poetry month, I was featured on today’s episode of BirdNote! BirdNote is a podcast all about birds. The episodes are short and very informative, covering birds from biological, literary, and even cultural angles. In today’s episode, I got to read my poem “Trading Threes,” which appears in Neoteny: Poems. This poem is about … More My poetry on BirdNote!
Today’s post is a wonderful contribution from my friend and fellow poet, H.K. Rainey. H.K. and I have performed at poetry readings together, and she has visited—and transformed—my classes many times. She provides the following commentary and poetry for us: Poetry Appreciation A poem is the ripples created by the stone as it disturbs the … More Celebrating Poetry with H.K. Rainey
Let’s continue our celebration of National Poetry Month with poet and storyteller Darlyn Finch Kuhn. Darlyn offers three poems on the theme of relationships. Darlyn describes poetry in this way: I believe that poetry begins with concrete images and ends by evoking emotion. My poetry tends to be narrative; that is, it tells a story. … More Celebrating Poetry with Darlyn Finch Kuhn
On the Blink 