Poets With Disabilities Are Making Worlds Through Words

People have visions of art and what art could be. It could be in drawings, what they see in the picture and what it makes them feel. It can be different colors or patterns. It can be poetry.

Poetry can be anything. It can be a play. It can be a song. It can be an instrument. One of our authors at Cow Tipping Press, Netta Hardin, wrote, “I’m honest to sing a song… I’m honest to be myself.” Poetry can be something that you see, or a painting, or a story about poetry, about anything. What poetry means to you, and what kinds of things are you feeling in your mind.

If you’re a person with a disability that can get your poetry out there, people can understand how important it is to you and your life. People with disabilities don’t get heard from a lot.

It’s good to read poetry out in the community. People can come and support people with disabilities, to hear some of the writings. It’s a great opportunity to get the community to come together. It’s good for people, and how they express themselves, and to send a message.

Cow Tipping author Kyle Geurts wrote about “being a strong person looking on the bright side surviving everyday with and without complications to me and my world making sure I stay safe hanging out with friends who have similar disabilities and being a man in my own world.” It says a good message to me, being safe and being a stronger person in your life, and seeing what opportunities there are. He’s talking about his own world. Some people like to be in their own world sometimes.

Here’s part of my poem, “I Praise Life and the World.”

I praise the stars in the sky and I praise the planet earth and

I praise the whole world and joy and happiness

And I praise jazz music

I also praise people who follow their dreams and their passions

I praise people who are kind to each other

I praise people who are in shelters

That they get the help and housing

I praise people who go to church

I praise all the classes that I’m taking

I really like being an author with Cow Tipping. I was a student that took the classes, and I was able to become a Fellow. It was a great experience. I learned a lot about writing stories that are important to me. It makes me feel good that I’ve had lots of opportunities to have my voice heard. Being an author is amazing. It has changed my life a lot. I’m not afraid anymore. I have a lot to say when I’m able to write my stories. And other people can buy the books and read them. And being part of the disability community, it’s amazing to see how many people are so proud of people with disabilities or without disabilities who are expressing themselves. Doing events, we have fun and let people know how people with disabilities are important. That we’re living our best lives.

Cow Tipping Press teaches and publishes writing by people with intellectual/developmental disabilities, giving audiences a new way to think about this rich form of human diversity in practice and in print.