October Interview: Love, Work, Play, and Pray Like Everybody Else

October 1, 2016

Welcome to October, and welcome to Blindness Awareness Month! On the Blink is celebrating blindness with a second round of October Interviews. In the coming days, you’ll hear from blind friends and colleagues as they describe their passions, their challenges, and their perspectives on disability. Our first October conversation features Katherine Schneider, Ph.D., a retired … More October Interview: Love, Work, Play, and Pray Like Everybody Else

Poetry as Activism, The Rhetoric of Empathy, and The Breaking of Beliefs: My interview with Primal School

September 26, 2016

I am honored to be featured on Hannah Lee Jones’s fabulous poetry blog, Primal School. Her blog is designed as a place to discuss poetry outside the academy, to go back to basics and understand what makes a poem tick. In this interview, she asked me to describe my motivation and process for “A Phenomenology … More Poetry as Activism, The Rhetoric of Empathy, and The Breaking of Beliefs: My interview with Primal School

Sacred Space Interview: Calling for Balance with Faith, Hope, and Love

September 25, 2016

We’re starting the week off right with a luminous interview from Elizabeth L. Sammons. Elizabeth’s interview bridges the Sacred Space series and the October Interview series—opening a dialogue about faith and disability that is rich and rewarding. I know you’ll enjoy this extended conversation! Elizabeth L. Sammons, age 50, is a Program Administrator with Ohio’s … More Sacred Space Interview: Calling for Balance with Faith, Hope, and Love

Sacred Space Interview: God Is the Beauty in All Things

September 23, 2016

Kathy, age 59, is a retired radiologic technologist from Jacksonville, FL. She loves reading, cooking, gardening, doing crafts of all kinds, and caring for her family. Today she is speaking with On the Blink about her Catholic faith. Do you believe in a God, gods, or other spiritual forces? If so, what name(s) does your … More Sacred Space Interview: God Is the Beauty in All Things

A Day in the Life

September 8, 2016

Today an instructor I’ve never met before walked into our shared office. We had the following exchange. Colleague: Hello. You teach here? Me: Good morning. Yes. I teach writing. Colleague: And you’re blind? Me: Yes. Colleague: So…do you have any assistance in the classroom? Me: No, not really. Colleague: Wow, that’s just incredible! I really … More A Day in the Life

“Sketching the Rose” in the September issue of Wordgathering!

September 5, 2016

Today the September issue of Wordgathering is live, and my essay, ‘Sketching the Rose,” is the sole piece in the Music section! Here’s how the piece begins: Summer can be a slow season for my barbershop chorus. We enter regional competition in April, and if our scores are good enough, we’ll compete on the international … More “Sketching the Rose” in the September issue of Wordgathering!

Announcing Sacred Space, a new interview series at On the Blink!

September 3, 2016

I’m delighted to announce the launch of a new series of interviews here at On the Blink. The series is called Sacred Space, and it will feature short interviews with people about their spirituality. I was inspired to create this series for several reasons, but I can trace bright lines of inspiration to two figures … More Announcing Sacred Space, a new interview series at On the Blink!

Honorable Mention in The Hopper’s Prize for Young Poets!

August 19, 2016

In June, I entered The Hopper‘s Prize for Young Poets. You remember The Hopper, the Vermont-based ecologically minded magazine that published one of my essays in May?  This contest called for a chapbook, a collection of 20-50 poems by a “young poet” (under 35) who had never published a collection before. So I shuffled and … More Honorable Mention in The Hopper’s Prize for Young Poets!

Answering Blindness: A Poet Makes Amends – guest blog post by Emily K. Michael

July 10, 2016

Thanks to Trish Hopkinson for hosting my essay “Answering Blindness” on your fabulous writing blog! Trish Hopkinson Today I am preparing submissions for two local venues — an online journal and a quarterly print magazine. Each publication asks for a brief cover letter: Introduce yourself and describe your publication history. Introducing myself is easy. I’m … More Answering Blindness: A Poet Makes Amends – guest blog post by Emily K. Michael

Access at the Outset

June 18, 2016

My last few days of calm are dwindling: the summer semester begins next Tuesday. I’ve finished my syllabus and course schedule, plugged in all the links and files on Blackboard, and gathered up the necessary textbooks. I’m putting the finishing touches on my Welcome Letter, a document I email to my students a few days … More Access at the Outset