Claire Lacey

My article on tramping, backcountry huts, invisible disability, and the accessibility of nature is now available online for free, thanks to 1964 Magazine. Link below.  --- A BACKCOUNTRY TRAMP TAKES CAREFUL PLANNING. EVEN MORESO IF, LIKE ME, YOU ARE DISABLED. I HAVE AN ACQUIRED BRAIN INJURY, SUSTAINED IN MY LATE 20s. It’s not just the headaches, or the brain fog, the memory loss, or the fatigue; it’s the way I feel like I have to justify my presence. When I move through spaces with very active people, I feel the loss of what my body used to be able to do. I am wary of the way other people judge and respond to me and my disability. Sometimes that judgement takes the form of pity. Sometimes, disgust or anger. I have experienced being excluded from spaces, being disbelieved because I don’t “look” disabled, and being expected to do things I don’t have the capacity to achieve. We won’t get into the slurs, though I’ve heard those too. This is a bummer of a way to start a story. Let’s try agai

Join me Thursday, September 29th from 1-3pm at Te Whare o Rukutia, Ōtepoti for a free workshop that explores sound, movement, and collaboration.  

I have an article in the new issue of 1964 magazine that describes my experience tramping on Rakiura/Stewart Island as a disabled person. It is also the first time I have had one of my photographs published, an adorable toutouwai!

 I have two new poems published in the online edition of takahē . I made a video reading to accompany the poem "You know I can't grab your ghost apples, Taika."

I wanted to embark on a project of reading more non-contemporary Kiwi literature, so I started a podcast. The first two episodes are up; one is a deep dive into Witi Ihimaera's novel The Whale Rider , and the second is a reading of the prologue to Julius Vogel's novel Anno Domini 2000; or, A Woman's Destiny .  You can subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, or listen on the website  https://www.readingkiwi.com If you enjoy listening, you can help pay for the podcast's hosting fees by donating at  https://ko-fi.com/readingkiwi

 I was asked to contribute a video for Brain Week by the Neurological Foundation of New Zealand. I appreciate the opportunity to chat about my work writing and thinking about concussion. This video is also hosted on the Otago Museum's Brain Week page  alongside some really fascinating talks about neurological research around Aotearoa New Zealand