Brianna Albers,  —

Brianna Albers (she/her) is a crip-cyborg storyteller living in Minneapolis-St. Paul. She was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy type 2 in 1996 and lives with co-occurring physical and mental health conditions. By day she works as an advocate, bridging disability and mental health awareness to empower people to live their best lives; by night, she dabbles in imagination, and is currently writing "An Angel in the Garden," an adult space fantasy with #OwnVoices disability representation. Find her online at briannahopealbers.com and on social media @briehalbers.

Articles by Brianna Albers

When Vulnerability Is Harder Than Usual

I’ve always been a fan of vulnerability, I think because the concept is intrinsic to who I am as a person. I can’t leave the house without accepting vulnerability. To be seen like this, with my wheelchair and bony wrists and abdomen bloated from stomach breathing,…

Letting My Body Be a Body

Along with all my other health problems, I’ve been dealing with cystic acne since high school. At the time, I hoped it was nothing more than regular acne that would run its course and become a non-issue…

A Decision Made

Earlier today, I signed the paperwork that will officialize my change in major. It wasn’t that big of a deal. It involved two minutes of my time, most of which was spent trying to figure out my projected graduation date, and a quick email to…

I’m Right Where I’m Supposed to Be

One of the hardest things about going through a crisis is feeling like you’re five years behind everyone. Facebook is dangerous because people are getting engaged, Twitter is depressing because writers are finishing their manuscripts, and Instagram is a precarious combination…

Finding Joy Amid Career Changes

It’s been a hard week. Half because I’m an emotional kiddo who takes everything twice as seriously as I should, and half because my life is changing in some very big ways. Just now, I told my Google Home to play…

I’m Ready for Whatever the Future Brings

I sat down this morning with the intention of writing a completely different column. Something about tattoos. I’ve been trying to get one since 2015, and finally, after years of searching, I’ve found an artist with my dream art style who works in a semi-accessible building…

My Journey Toward Greater Independence

A few weeks ago, a friend told me I had to see “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.” It was everything I loved, with amazing graphics, she said, so I couldn’t just rent it when it releases on DVD. I had to see it in theaters.

With the New Year Comes Home Renovation

I’ve mentioned a couple of times that I don’t think I could live in the middle of nowhere. My parents want nothing more than to raise a few goats in rural Wisconsin, where they recently bought their “forever home,” a small farmhouse with decent acreage. I, however, would…

A Surprising Start to 2019

Professional writing has always been a bit of a dream job. As a college freshman, I realized that my idea of writing didn’t exactly coincide with academic writing, which had me taking juvenile literature classes and, the bane of my existence in 2013, British literature courses.