In his late twenties, poet Russell Brakefield was diagnosed with keratoconus, a degenerative eye condition causing progressive loss of sight. His new collection, My Modest Blindness, traverses this blurry landscape, connecting art, literature, natural history, and pop culture. In her late twenties, poet Katie Hartsock was diagnosed with late-onset Type 1 diabetes. Her new collection, Wolf Trees, meditates on this chronic illness and its daily demands alongside motherhood, mythology, and Midwestern woods. UM MFA alums Brakefield and Hartsock will share how their poems both celebrate and lament life years after their diagnoses, and how disability can reshape personal poetics.

This event included a signing with books for sale.