Tag: disability

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

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

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

Poem Published!

June 8, 2016

My poem, “Crushed,” is live in the June issue of Wordgathering: A Journal of Disability Poetry and Literature. Click here to read it—or listen to me read it for you!

Appearing at SAMLA 88!

June 8, 2016

Literary scholars, mark your calendars for SAMLA 88! The South Atlantic Modern Language Association’s annual conference is coming to Jacksonville in November—with the theme of Utopia/Dystopia: Whose Paradise Is It? And guess what? They accepted my workshop proposal! Michele and I will be presenting a fabulous workshop you won’t want to miss! Don’t believe me? … More Appearing at SAMLA 88!

Why We Still Need Literary Spaces for Disabled Writers

May 24, 2016

In spring of 2012, I was preparing to graduate with my M.A. in English. I was teaching with a respected professor and touching up my first real CV. Terrified of the great blankness that would follow graduation, I planned to teach, but I had no idea how I would continue to meet intelligent and fascinating … More Why We Still Need Literary Spaces for Disabled Writers

Exceptional Fallacies

May 18, 2016

At the beginning of my classes, I ask students to define rhetoric. I teach one of two classes—Rhetoric & Writing and Rhetoric & Narrative. And even students who have taken one of these can’t voice a handy definition for the term in the title of their class. They’re not alone. This is not an exercise … More Exceptional Fallacies

Essay: “Stylish Negotiations”

March 7, 2016

My latest essay, “Stylish Negotiations,” was published in the March issue of Wordgathering: A Journal of Disability Poetry and Literature. This essay decodes the submission guidelines of several disability-related journals and magazines and offers a course of action for handling stories of disability. It begins as follows: “Submission guidelines rarely make me angry. Perhaps because … More Essay: “Stylish Negotiations”