WordgatheringA Journal of Disability Poetry and Literature |
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Essays in this IssueA quartet of essays in this issue illustrate the two major essay forms by which Wordgathering seeks to build a store of disability-related literature. On the one hand, the journal is interested in scholarly commentary about disability in literature. Filling this role, Saloua Ben Zahra's "Speaking Volume" teases out the relationship between deafness and colonialism in Samuel Shimon's autobiographical novel "Iraqi in Paris". At the other pole, the journal is also interested in personal essays that contribute to disability literature by offering up the lived experience of disability in interesting or unexpected ways. Representing the personal essay in this is issue is Emily Michael's description of participation with her service dog as a blind member of a choral quartet music competition. The final two essays are something novel for Wordgathering, a pair of essays exchanged as letters. The exchange, describing the first in person meeting by the two young writers, is initiated by playwright Caitlin Hernandez whose work has previously appear in Wordgathering and resciprocated by Mel Finefrock.
Readers who enjoy non-fiction prose also have several other options in this issue. In the "Arts" section, is a companion piece to the essay by Emily Michael above in which she discusses the concept of the Parachorus and an essay by Alexandra Kadec discusses the performance art of Raphaelle DeGroot. The Reading Loop in each issue is also an extended essay. In this one Lizz Schumer asks why disability literature is not gaining greater acceptance in the publications world. Return to Top |
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