Douglas E Kidd, whose essay, "Collide," appears in SCARS: An Anthology, will present his paper "Belonging, Meaning, and Identity: Living with Severe Traumatic Brain Injury" at the Third International Disability Studies Conference ‘The Art of Belonging’ on 12/1 in Amsterdam. Congratulations, Doug!

Paper Summary: With his life trajectory profoundly altered by a catastrophic automobile accident, the physiological separation Douglas Kidd’s brain experienced from time and reality for 65 days while in states of coma and amnesia produced complete social disconnection. . . . During his recovery from the severe traumatic brain injury he acquired, Douglas found acceptance and forged community with other impaired individuals. These disabled communities provide him with opportunities for advocacy, vocation, and artistic expression by presenting to conferences, and composing essays, articles, and poetry. Douglas’s life and connection to disabled individuals, as well as the larger disabled community, lead him to experience a profound sense of belonging.

Doug is also the founder of UDA (Undistracted Driving Advocacy).

Douglas Kidd's car following a distracted driving accident that led to his traumatic brain injury, which has led Doug to become an undistracted driving advocate. Read Doug's essay, "Collide," in Scars: An Anthology.

The inaugural CD Wright Women Writers Conference at University of Central Arkansas in Conway, AR on November 2 and 3 was a smashing success.

Below, Et Alia's Erin Wood visits ESSE Purse Museum in Little Rock's SoMa District on Friday with Emily Shearer of Minerva Rising Press. The two became friends at AWP 2017 in D.C. in February.

Erin participated in an engaging writing workshop at ESSE along with a dozen other women, who grew to know one another and each other's writing through the contents of our purses.

Tayari Jones was Friday's keynote speaker, who captivated the audience with a reading from her forthcoming novel, An American Marriage.

Below, Eliza Borne, senior editor of The Oxford American Magazine, speaks on "The Topography of Contemporary Publishing," and Poet/Memoirist Jo McDougall speaks as part of the panel "A Call to White Women: Because the Warp is Everywhere."

During the conference, McDougall joined Erin's Women Makers of Arkansas project.

Below, Erin Wo-mans the Et Alia booth at left, and gets a shot with friends Emily Shearer and Kim Brown at Minerva Rising at right.