‘(L)INK: The Write Disability’ Features UNM Alumni

The Local Poets Guild, in col­lab­o­ra­tion with Base­ment Films, presents “(L)INK: The Write Dis­abil­ity,” a week­end of read­ings and work­shops by authors with dis­abil­i­ties designed to expand under­stand­ing of dis­abil­ity cul­ture Fri­day, May 11-Saturday, May 12. The event fea­tures UNM alumni Teresa Blankmeyer Burke and Lisa Gill.

“(L)INK” kicks off with “Beauty is a Verb: Poetry and Prose by Writ­ers with Dis­abil­i­ties” fea­tur­ing Gill, Denise Leto, Natalie Illum, Kenny Fries, Mary McGin­nis and Emily Rapp on Fri­day, May 11, at 7:30 p.m. at the Out­post Per­for­mance Space, 210 Yale Blvd. SE. Tick­ets are $15 gen­eral or $10 for stu­dents and Out­post members.

Work­shops on Sat­ur­day, May 12, are at the Trick­lock Per­for­mance Lab­o­ra­tory, 110 Gold Ave. SW, 9 a.m.-noon and at the Main Library audi­to­rium, 501 Cop­per Ave. NW, 2 p.m.-5:45 p.m. Top­ics include “Writ­ing to Heal & Writ­ing for Joy” at 9 a.m. and “Per­for­mance Strate­gies” at 10:30 a.m. After­noon ses­sions fea­ture keynote speak­ers Blankmeyer Burke, Fries and McGin­nis. Events close with a round­table dis­cus­sion and open mic at 4 p.m. These events are free and open to the public.

The coor­di­nat­ing orga­ni­za­tions also have a UNM con­nec­tion. Gill is founder and co-artistic direc­tor of the Local Poets Guild and Bryan Konef­sky, UNM cin­e­matic arts lec­turer, is pres­i­dent of Base­ment Films.

Spon­sors include the New Mex­ico Human­i­ties Coun­cil, National Endow­ment for the Human­i­ties and McCune Char­i­ta­ble Foundation.

For more infor­ma­tion, visit “(L)INK: The Write Dis­abil­ity.”