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…
The Wolf Finally Frees Itself - a column by Brianna Albers
Brianna Albers (she/her) is a crip cyborg storyteller living in Minneapolis-St. Paul. In 2016, she founded Monstering, a magazine for disabled women and nonbinary people. She consults as a patient ambassador for SMA My Way and writes the column “The Wolf Finally Frees Itself” for SMA News Today. She is currently revising THE SAINT AND THE SPIDER, an adult space fantasy with #OwnVoices disability representation. Find her on social media @briehalbers.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.
The Year of the Philosopher King
Just like every year, I spent the last few days of 2018 and the first few days of 2019 reflecting on life; specifically, what my life has looked like until this point and what I want it to look like going forward. It seems like every…
Balancing Brain and Body
It’s only 5:30 p.m., but it feels later, probably because I’m writing this in the back of my family’s van, the pitch black of Minnesota’s winter broken by car headlights and the occasional billboard. We’re on our way to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where we’ll be…
