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 sat down with Karen Rieley of the Resident Community News for a conversation about disability, family, and education. We talked about the importance of mentors and the value of passing along we learn. Read the full story here.
A few weeks ago I was interviewed by Rance Adams of WJXT’s River City Live, and I am so excited to share the feature. Rance asked insightful and empathetic questions, and he created a wonderful segment about my work, even including clips from my TEDx presentation and JaxbyJax readings. The feature aired today at 11AM. … More My feature on River City Live
Dr. Carol Dweck’s research on fixed and growth mindsets applies to accessibility. A fixed mindset is when someone assumes that a situation cannot be changed or improved while a growth mindset moves forward with the belief that a situation can be improved. So if I am in a meeting and someone hands me a document … More Fixed vs. Growth Mindset: Accessibility
I am excited to introduce you to my friend and colleague, Chris Gabbard. A month ago, Chris published his first book, a memoir called A Life Beyond Reason. After reading the book, I wanted to interview him to hear about his motivations and his writing process. I hope you enjoy this conversation! If you want … More Chris Gabbard discusses his new memoir, A Life Beyond Reason
Today my essay, “Remaking the Ideal Teacher,” goes live in the Disability Futures series of How We Get to Next. This piece is among a series of essays written by disabled writers and curated by Kenny Fries. Here’s how my piece begins: Two weeks into my summer writing course, I stare down a class of rowdy … More “Remaking the Ideal Teacher” published in How We Get to Next!
As a professional woman, I often receive praise for overcoming my disability: “I admire how you don’t let blindness get in your way.” “You are where you are because you overcame your vision loss.” “You show that with hard work, anyone can overcome a disability.” “You’re an inspiration because you don’t let blindness stop you … More To Overcome or to Flourish? There Is No Question.
Below is a call for submissions from Nine Mile Magazine. Call for Poetry Nine Mile Art & Literary Magazine Special Issue: Neurodivergent, Disability, Deaf, Mad, and Crip Poetics Publication Date: Fall 2019 Guest Editor: Diane R. Wiener Background Nine Mile‘s Fall 2018 issue (Vol. 6, Issue 1) included a section called “Other Engines,” devoted to the … More Nine Mile Magazine Seeks Work by Disabled & Neurodivergent Poets
I have been rereading Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, as it’s one of my favorites — and one of my few digressions from contemporary nonfiction or poetry. I first encountered this book in an AP Literature course and fell in love with its humbler characters. I love and hate Pip, of course, as I expect most readers … More Inclusion Unknown: Revisiting Great Expectations
Last night, I attended the final event of FSCJ’s 2016-2017 Author Series: a live presentation by Dr. Temple Grandin! If you’re not familiar with Dr Grandin, she is an autistic animal scientist, famous for her humane redesign of U.S. slaughter plants. She has written several books on animal behavior, such as Animals Make Us Human and Animals in Translation. She has also written several … More Temple Grandin Live at FSCJ!
In November, I participated in the Brown Bag Series hosted by UNF’s Sigma Tau Delta (English Honor Society). I had the opportunity to read my work and discuss the challenges and joys of writing as a blind poet. Here’s what it’s about: As a blind poet, Emily K. Michael understands the politics of disclosure. Publishing … More Watch my presentation: “Creative Activism: The Poetry of Disability and Disclosure”
About a month ago, I gave a talk as part of TEDxFSCJ: Engage. The process involved a lot of work—rehearsals, revisions, workshops—but it was an incredible experience. I was blessed with the TEDxFSCJ crew to guide me, including a test audience and awesome speech coach! Here’s how the video is described on YouTube: Today one … More Watch my TEDx Talk, “The confluence of disability and imagination”
On Saturday, November 5, my colleague Michele Boyette and I will present the workshop “Insensible Paradise, Invisible Nightmare: Complicating Embodiment in the 21st Century Classroom” at the 88th SAMLA conference! We’re looking forward to an exciting 90 minutes of analyzing disabled character tropes, evaluating accessibility statements, and brainstorming effective communication strategies. Want to see what … More Presentation Notes for SAMLA 88!
My Dear Readers: I was accepted to speak at TEDxFSCJ here in Jacksonville on October 8. However, Hurricane Matthew came to town (I guess he heard about our impressive lineup of speakers), so our event had to be postponed! TEDxFSCJ has been rescheduled for Saturday, November 5, but I will be speaking at SAMLA 88 … More I’ll Be at TEDxFSCJ in an Unconventional Way!
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
On the Blink 