Music to Our Everything
Tuesday night we gathered at Moon Palace Books in Minneapolis to celebrate May Tomorrow Be Awake. The audience was made up of writers, teachers, artists, autists, activists, and above all: beloveds.
The night began with offerings from nonspeaking siblings Mark and Max Eati, including this poem they wrote for the occasion:
Our Love for Alapa
We wake up each day
to the sound of birds and kittens
to neurodivergent laughter in our community
Music to our EARS, what a way to live.
We observe our morning staff
scrawling in our rooms
offering personalized choices
Music to our EYES, what a way to live.
We attend training programs
where we are taught to
fully be ourselves
Music to our HEALTH, what a way to live.
We return home to immerse
in our sensorial homes
to breathe out the day’s stresses
Music to our BODIES, what a way to live.
We hear family and friends
Asking we join for a meal
or do an activity together
Music to our HEARTS, what a way to live.
A request for crisis help
brings together multiple helping hands
to recharge us inside out
Music to our WELL-BEING, what a way to live.
When life challenges repress us
we conceptualize solutions
with our inner circles of trust
Music to our SPIRITS - MAY TOMORROW BE AWAKE!
This poem sums up so much of what made this night special. Through the readings and the q&a that followed, we listened to stories of resolve, care, trust, and joy. After the reading someone asked, “How many neurotypicals do you think were in the audience?” Neurotypical voices, even at so-called autistic events, are often foregrounded, so this type of question is rare indeed. Having listened to autistic voices most of the evening, we weren’t sure how many neurotypical people were there, but we agreed that less walked out than had walked in.
To learn more about Alapa and the practice of neurodiverse living, explore here!
A short roundup of May Tomorrow Be Awake news and notes:
An excerpt in LitHub on the joy of working with neurodiverse writers.
An episode of the Curious Man’s Podcast you will not soon forget.
An article in the Star Tribune (paywall) featuring interviews with Mark, Max, and Indu Eati.