The Power of Creativity and the Disabled Writing Community
Activism and Advocacy / Anxiety / chronic fatigue / chronic pain / cons / Fibromyalgia / internalized ableism / Living fully

The Power of Creativity and the Disabled Writing Community

I spent 2014 in an acute state of fear. Yeah, I know that seems hyperbolic, but I was quite terrified. The chronic pain I had been experiencing from the neuropathy of fibromyalgia had levelled up to a state where it felt like someone had injected several areas of my body with burning hot, vibrating curling … Continue reading

Drawing Me Out: How DisArts Tells My Story
art / Arthritis / Crafting characters / depression / Fibromyalgia / mental health

Drawing Me Out: How DisArts Tells My Story

If you’ve ever encountered me through video or in real life, the word most associated with my personality is “bubbly.” I love engaging with people and get energized by them. Making people laugh drives my joy. If you’re following me on Twitter, I’m also quite open about how I manage mental illness, such as agoraphobia … Continue reading

Featured SpAN Author: Talia Johnson
Autism / Featured Author / Fibromyalgia / Spoonie Challenges / Writing journey

Featured SpAN Author: Talia Johnson

Talia Johnson is a multi-faceted woman who is transgender, autistic, Jewish, queer, and more than the sum of her parts. She is an ordained Kohenet priestess, and her work centres on bridging faith and queer communities, educating, counselling, and mentoring. She has done freelance editing for queer and trans representation and is Chair of the … Continue reading

Internalized Ableism, Week 1: I’m Too Young for a Mobility Device
Accessibility / chronic pain / Fibromyalgia / internalized ableism

Internalized Ableism, Week 1: I’m Too Young for a Mobility Device

Welcome to our first series of 2020: Internalized Ableism. In the upcoming weeks, a SpAN contributor will share about how ingesting ableist narratives has affected their life. So, a general content note about this series is that it includes themes of internalized and externalized ableism. For decades, I’ve managed some type of chronic pain. I … Continue reading

Even friendly-neighbourhood Spoonie editors experience burnout.
Autism / Fibromyalgia / Spoonie Challenges

Even friendly-neighbourhood Spoonie editors experience burnout.

I love the Spoonie Authors Network. It’s been a blessing since its inception and continues to inspire (in a healthy way) wonderful things. The SpAN allowed me to gather up people who experience disability and chronic conditions in various ways. Sometimes it allowed the creatives to come to terms with the fact that they are … Continue reading

Remembering I’m Disabled
chronic fatigue / chronic pain / Fibromyalgia / Spoonie Challenges / Working

Remembering I’m Disabled

I use a mobility device. I’m on the autism spectrum. I manage mental illness, chronic pain, and chronic fatigue. I’m the creator of the Spoonies Authors Network and co-editor of the Nothing Without Us anthology. A huge part of my existence is now about promoting the works and voices of disabled/Deaf/neurodiverse folks and those who … Continue reading

I Built My First Disabled Community With a Fictional Character
Author image / body celebration / chronic fatigue / chronic pain / Crafting characters / Fibromyalgia / Living fully / Spoonie Challenges / Writing journey

I Built My First Disabled Community With a Fictional Character

I’m sure many of you will read that title and think: One too many cupcakes, Cait? Is all that sugar affecting your perception? Nope. It’s true. My first entry into feeling in community with a disabled person was when I bonded with Noola Quirk from Life in the ’Cosm. Okay, yeah, I know it seems … Continue reading

You must write every day—my favourite BS notion.
chronic fatigue / chronic pain / Fibromyalgia / Living fully / Spoonie Challenges / Writing journey

You must write every day—my favourite BS notion.

I have been trying so hard to stay out of social media arguments these days, stopping myself from reading or writing comments. Mostly because I find it comes to nothing in the end and drains my spoons. But then a thing happened this week I couldn’t ignore. A quote appeared on my Twitter timeline from … Continue reading

Super Spoonie Mom!
chronic fatigue / chronic pain / Fibromyalgia / Living fully / Parenting / Spoonie Challenges / Writing journey

Super Spoonie Mom!

Super Spoonie Mom. Yeah, that’s me. I have chronic pain and a fatigue that has never gone away. I’m also the mother of a two-year-old who, I swear, is nuclear powered. Most kids, when they have run around for three hours, crash and sleep. NOT THIS CHILD. Nope. She keeps going.  If I could only … Continue reading