Zoeglossia names fellows for 2021 NMSU Conference
Zoeglossia has selected 13 disabled poets as fellows for their 2021 conference. The fellowship provides poets with the opportunity to attend an annual retreat/conference and work with established writers who are also disabled. This year the event, hosted by New Mexico State University, will be held entirely online May 20-23 due to restrictions required by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The NMSU College of Arts and Sciences is excited to have the opportunity to assist Zoeglossia and its NMSU-based co-founder Dr. Connie Voisine in providing this important venue for poets living life with disabilities to develop and share their voices to a national and international audience,” said James Murphy, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “We look forward to the conference, to the pubic readings it will present, and to the intellectual and emotional growth we can each achieve when all voices are nurtured and displayed.”
Zoeglossia, founded by poets Jennifer Bartlett, Sheila Black, and Voisine, NMSU Professor of English, is an emerging literary organization that dedicates itself to providing inclusive space for poets and writers who identify as disabled. Through an open and supportive membership, year-round online programming and annual retreats, Zoeglossia offers them community and mentorship.
“Zoeglossia is the first organization of its kind and the partnership with New Mexico State University came at a time when we were looking for a home for our upcoming virtual conference for our new and returning fellows this spring,” Voisine said. “Our first conference (in 2019) made it clear how necessary coming together is for our fellows and teachers.”
Zoeglossia’s fellows include Sylvia Chan, Ava Cipri, Jim Ferris, torrin a. greathouse, Kimberly Jackson, Karl Knights, Sean Mahoney, Liv Mammone, Maurice Moore, Leslie McIntosh, Alayna Powell, Ricky Ray and Rae Rose.