Dec 8, 2021Shooting Your Shot with Atypical DepressionMy uncle took his life in 1989 when I was seven years old. He was the epitome of a “starving artist” and a wildly talented painter and photographer. He was also an addict and lived with mental illness. He took his life during a bout of depression because, as the…Depression7 min readDepression7 min read
Aug 16, 2021The Dogs Who Made MeWhen my Basenji/Beagle mix Dewey died, it felt as though I would die right along with him. My constant companion during some of the most difficult times in my life, Dewey had to be euthanized just two months after my partner of ten years died suddenly. …Dogs9 min readDogs9 min read
Jul 10, 2021Five More Ways Video Games Can Make You a Better WriterFor the last several months, I’ve been using Red Dead Redemption 2, a 2018 video game from Rockstar Games, to teach creative writing. Every week, students are assigned part of the game to play, along with a corresponding lesson and writing assignment to go with that game section. …Fiction Writing8 min readFiction Writing8 min read
Feb 2, 2021Everyone is Welcome…Except YouOnline events and the barriers to networking when you’re disabled — You have just graduated with your MFA in creative writing! Congratulations! The world is now yours to do just as your professors advised you to do and network, network, network. The global pandemic means all networking events have shifted to online events and that means you can attend all of…Accessibility5 min readAccessibility5 min read
Jan 10, 2021Accessible PublishingThe inherent ableism of traditional publishing “You must write Every. Single. Day. You will never make it otherwise!” “Start your query with a personal connection!” “Writers hustle! Good writers must love the hustle!” These were the lessons taught over and over throughout all of my writing education. Repeated to the point one might wonder if instructors…Publishing4 min readPublishing4 min read
Oct 11, 2020Pride and Resilience in a Rainbow MohawkFor nearly a decade, I’ve been walking my dog around my Chicago suburb donning a rainbow dyed mohawk. What began out of boredom and on a whim one day has, over the years, become something of a signature look. It’s how people know me, how people spot me from the…National Coming Out Day4 min readNational Coming Out Day4 min read
Aug 7, 2020Easy Captions for Content CreatorsOn any platform — You made a video! Maybe it’s your first, maybe it’s your 500th. Whatever the case, you have a video and now it needs captions. But…how do you get captions? And why do you need them? And if you’re uploading it to YouTube, surely the auto-captions provided by YouTube will suffice…Tutorial5 min readTutorial5 min read
Published in Age of Awareness·Jul 26, 2020How Educators Can Support AccessibilityEven When Their Schools Don’t — All three of my degrees — a BA in sociology, an MA in English and literature, and an MFA in fiction writing — were earned online, from the same university. Having had lupus since the age of four, traditional school has always been inaccessible to me and because of this…Accessibility6 min readAccessibility6 min read
Apr 16, 2020Grief-Gaming: Exploring Fallout 4 Through My Partner’s EyesGrief-Gaming is a series in which I will explore video game worlds playing as my deceased partner’s avatar. Games have been a gift in my life. They’ve not only given me a career but after my partner’s first stroke in 2017, they served as the greatest tool in her recovery…Grief6 min readGrief6 min read
Oct 20, 2019What They Don’t SayThey don’t tell you at the hospital after you’ve unplugged your partner from the machines keeping her alive, that you’re expected to leave the dark room and go back home, and unlike in the movies and on TV, the halls aren’t empty. No, there are dozens of people there waiting…Life5 min readLife5 min read
