Super excited for my first @BareLit panel of the day: (Em)Bodying Lit: d/Deaf and Disabled Poetics, with Raisa Kabir, Kuli Kohli, Mark Mace Smith, and Khairani Barroka! 
2/ Moderator Khairani begins by referencing STAIRS AND WHISPERS, the anthology that features today’s panelists. The book is available as an e-book and includes links to audio descriptions of the text. #BareLit18
3/ The session features a video from Scottish artist Bea Webster, who performs in British Sign Language. #BareLit18
4/ Moderator Khairani Barokka notes this panel is important because a 2016 study noted the ppl who are most likely to be disabled and impacted by disability in the UK are the South Asian and Black communities. #BareLit18
5/ The anthology draws connections between literature in the UK and BIPOC disability activism. #BareLit18
6/ poet Raisa Kabir reads from a set of poems that explore the ways that disabled people of color deal with and resist oppression. “Aware of the state’s hands on my disabled body.” #BareLit18
7/ Next, poet Kuli Kohli reads from her poetry. From her poem “Equilibrium”: “I barely look forward or above; all I have to lose is my balance”. #BareLit18
8/ from Kuli’s poem “Survivor”: “Entered the world like an uninvited guest / I hid away, embarrassed — I was a disgrace”. #BareLit18
9/ Moderator notes that the anthology is “by us, for us” — made entirely of works by disabled people. This is important bc works written by non-disabled people abt disability are often not realistic, & it was important for contributors that the anthology be authentic. #barelit18
10/ Khairani begins the discussion by asking: how do you feel about disclosure as a disabled artist in your work? Disability and craft are inextricable from one another in many ways. #BareLit18
11/ Raisa: even if I do disclose, sometimes people refuse to see it. I have a written piece that is titled “My Disabled Body” and people thought I was just going into the poem, that it wasn’t really about me specifically. #BareLit18
12/ Kuli Kohli notes that, as someone with a visible disability — cerebral palsy — she is often overlooked and people think she can’t do anything. #BareLit18
13/ Mark Mace notes that he considers himself “culturally disabled”, being born Black in England in the 1970s. He also has mental health issues. #BareLit18
14/ Khairani notes that it is common for audiences to impose their own ideas of disability into disabled artists. Mark Mace notes that it is culture which perceives ppl as disabled/Black etc. #barelit18
15/ Khairani notes that disability, as with all things, is not a monolith. This is why disabled Poetics pushes this discussion further. So, she asks: what do the panelists wish ppl asked them about their work?
16/ A from Kuli: i wish people would ask me what goes on in my work. on paper, people can feel and view more about what I am. A from Raisa: I wonder if ppl see how painful disability can be, and wish they would ask about the emotion involved in creating art. #barelit18
17/ Next question from Khairani: what do you aspire to in your work? A from Mark: I take the effort to put my mind into the page so that it expresses how I perceive existence. I use poetry to communicate so I can get my point of view to the world. #BareLit18
18/ A from Raisa: I’m a textile artist first and foremost. Much of my work is about being South Asian and negotiating the history of colonial violence, and readdressing the violence of nationhood. One of the ways the poems work is they work with Bangla language. #BareLit18
19/ Answer from Raisa continued: I want to reach my community and share my knowledge around textile history. #BareLit18
20/ Answer from Kuli: I want the world to know that I have a story, and that people like me with physical disabilities have stories to tell. #BareLit18
21/ Next question from Khairani: how are you as an artist fed by your different communities? POC communities can often be ableist, and the disability community can often be racist/overwhelmingly white. Where do you find yourself in here? #BareLit18
22/ A from Kuli: I think being able to communicate over common areas is really important. Being a woman, a mother, a feminist. It’s scary for some people to talk to me at first, because of my physical disability, but once they get to know me it’s a different story. #BareLit18
23/ A from Raisa: to add to Kuli’s answer: I feel very held by my queer POC community. I wouldn’t be able to do the work I do without them. #BareLit18
24/ A from Raisa continued: I think ableism is very prevalent wherever you go. There is a dearth if accessible spaces, and disability gets pushed to the wayside. But it’s an ongoing conversation and process.
25/ A from Mark: the community which feeds my work is the artist community, which for me doesn’t differentiate between race and ability. But I am trying to speak for those who can’t speak, and my art is inspired by what I see around me at all times. #BareLit18
26/ Khairani: ableism is still very persistent in society. What do you wish would change about the publishing/arts industries? What are the distinct challenges that BIOOC disabled ppl face? #Barelit18
27: Kuli: I wrote a novel and it took me 20 years. It’s difficult to get it published because publishers wonder if it will sell. It’s hard work. But my poetry pamphlet, when that got published—that was a journey. #BareLit18
28/ Khairani: publishers do t realize that disabled people are the largest minority in the world. Publishers don’t realize that this is a huge market they need to be aware of. #BareLit18
29/ A from Raisa: I think orgs want to help, but they don’t have a full understanding of the intersections of disability. How physical disability exacerbates mental health conditions & vice versa. Also not having to perform your disability in order to get the care you need.
30/ Khairani references Mia Mingus (US) and her work around disability access. #BareLit18
31/ A from Mark: I published my own book. So to some extent, I say “fuck the publishers”. But there are changes happening in society. I think if we as a group recognize what binds us together, and look past our differences, that will help us move forward together. #Barelit18
32/ Audience Q: How do you reconcile your different identities when they’re not recognized in other spaces? A from Raisa: you have to make your own spaces. When I speak of my identities, I hold them all together. when you find that space, that’s crucial. #BareLit18
33/ A from Kuli: yes, finding a space for yourself is vital. Without that, you can’t connect with yourself OR others. #BareLit18
34/ Audience Q: what brings you the most joy as a writer? A from Mark: just getting it out! A from Kuli: it’s about yourself, and showing the world what you can do. #BareLit18
35/ Raisa notes that making space can be really hard, but you don’t have to do it alone. The key is to find your people and those who uplift you. #BareLit18
36/ Khairani: writing can be a very solitary act and we can sometimes forget that community is there. Periodically reminding yourself that you have community is important. #BareLit18
37/ Raisa notes that self care and feeding yourself however you need to be fed is crucial to the creative process. Don’t be punitive. Give yourself as much space as you need. #BareLit18
38/ Audience Q: as someone with invisible disabilities I often feel uncomfortable taking up disability activism space, as though there are others who deserve it more. What can you say about how to find space for oneself with an invisible disability? #BareLit18
39/ Raisa: I think recognizing that you don’t get the space and help you need if you don’t identify is important. You deserve the care and resources that you need to live as full a life as possible. You can be mindful of your privilege at the same time. #BareLit18
40/ Raisa with a great point about invisible disabilities: ppl often have to *perform* their invisible disabilities because ppl don’t believe them, which adds another dimension to the situation. #BareLit18
41/ Khairani with a great closing point: comparing disabilities is in fact ableism. It’s not about who is more disabled than the next person. We need to talk about the complex, hard realities of all our lives. Nobody knows anyone else’s lives to that degree. #BareLit18
42/ And that’s a wrap! Thanks to all of the panelists for a wonderful discussion and to @mailbykite for such a fabulous moderating job. #BareLit18
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