Hilary Brown joins us with fabulous new work!

Dawn Took shares the story of finding out she contracted HIV while Rae Rose explains bipolar insomnia and its dangerous repercussions. We're digging deep, people.

My girls reach new milestones this week and I AM NOT OKAY WHY ARE YOU SO OKAY WITH THIS?

Nothing I write -- especially in this little block somewhere on the internet -- can do justice to the friendship I have with our guest, Lisa Albright Ratnavira. But showcasing her poetry must be some kind of beginning?

In this episode, Lisa Albright Ratnavira serves up poem after poem about the complicated mother and daughter relationship and I totally forget what I am talking talking about, which is funny because it is because of my traumatic brain injury that was making me not remember the words "traumatic brain injury."

Lisa's book is located here: Grief's Labyrinth and other poems https://a.co/d/0QKUZ7v

and work is located on GaminiRatnavira.com

xoxo

A DISASTROUS trip to the ER, a trip with Aunt Freaking Gladys to the doctor's office -- oy vey. Shame and disability.

Poetry and essays about disability with Jim Ferris, Andrew Palasciano, Christine Kalafus and Ginger Carlson!

Transcript: Jim Ferris:
Talking with the President of the United States

this must have been a dream

but it feels like a memory

because when you meet the President

of the United States you would remember it,

at least a guy like me would, or should,

unless he has dementia or something,

but the President, he’s looking at

my shoes, I mean everybody looks

at my left shoe because it’s so

built up and everything, but

the President of the United States

wants to talk about my shoes,

and I know I should feel

embarrassed or something because

my shoes don’t even come close

to matching, when a kid on the street

says How come your shoes don’t match

I tell ‘em Because my feet don’t match,

no wonder they didn’t want me

in the army, but all the Commander

in Chief wants to talk about is my shoes,

he even notices my right shoe,

that’s probably why he’s President,

now I have to look at his shoes too,

and soon enough one of his

Very Important Handlers

shoos him off to somebody

more consequential, but I met

the President of the United States

and we talked, for a moment,

but probably it was a dream,

maybe for both of us

Transcription:

Send your Aunt Gladys stories to oddandglorious.com !