Donna Williams

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“Butterflies”: A beautiful poem (and painting!) by Donna Williams

Thursday, November 26th, 2009
Filed under: Regular ContributorsDonna WilliamsThemesAuties & Aspies

butterfly

By now, you all know Donna Williams. Here’s a poem called “Butterflies” that Donna wrote recently.

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if someone takes your disabilities and makes them your
gilded cage
then you take charge of your disabilities like never before
for they are your fallibility, the keys to your cage

a key you allowed someone else to call theirs
because they taught you this was love and caring
and in the light of day you realise it had nothing to do
with you

so you look in the mirror and say, wow, there’s a fool
and brush off the dust and say, ok, so the world is full of
fools so I’m in good company

and you look at your life and say, wow, there’s an island
but islands can build bridges

and you look at your smile and say
wow, I’d forgotten I could wake up with this

and you look at your time and say
you ain’t Florence Nightingale, so follow that smile
because a heart shouldn’t be heavy
it should be light
because a heavy heart will never fly
and butterflies can.

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Buy Donna’s gorgeous (and reasonably priced!) paintings

(Holiday tip: Nothing says "I love you" like original art!)

Check out Donna’s band

(With a name like Donna and The Aspinauts, how can you resist?)

Read Donna’s blog and visit her website

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If you live in Canada, you can support Donna and Irked SIMULTANEOUSLY:

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Read Irked posts tagged “poetry”
Read Irked posts tagged “painting”
Read Irked posts tagged “autism”

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Donna Williams and Dr. Stephen Shore featured on the new Autism Hangout webinar

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009
Filed under: Regular ContributorsDonna WilliamsThemesAuties & AspiesInterviews, Irked Videos

Remember Craig Evans, the wonderful man behind autismhangout.com who interviewed Donna Williams via Skype earlier this year? Well, Craig recently interviewed Donna and Dr. Stephen Shore for his new “Thriving with Autism” webinar.

Here’s the absolutely remarkable, riveting interview:


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Learn more at:
autismhangout.com >>
autismasperger.net >>
&
donnawilliams.net >>

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Then…
Read Irked posts tagged “autism”
Read Irked posts tagged “interview”

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Donna Williams biopic in the works

Saturday, October 17th, 2009
Filed under: Regular ContributorsDonna WilliamsThemesAuties & Aspies

Donna_side_graphic_headshot_and_nobody_nowhere_book_cover

According to beverlyneroproductions.com, the upcoming biopic about Donna Williams’ life—titled “Nobody Nowhere,” based on Donna’s international best-selling autobiography of the same name—is officially “in development”!!!

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Sign up to receive email updates about the film

Then…

Read all Irked posts by Donna

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Donna Williams’ One-Woman Rock Musical, Footsteps of a Nobody, goes to the USA in 2010!

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
Filed under: Regular ContributorsDonna WilliamsThemesAuties & Aspies

Donna_Williams_performing

Quoting the Footsteps of a Nobody promotional flyer:

[Footsteps of a Nobody is] a powerful one woman rock-musical both written and performed by Donna Williams, author of the international best seller, Nobody Nowhere: Autobiography of an Autistic Girl. This is a unique opportunity to witness the author herself perform a story that has changed the lives of millions. Through vibrant song, characterisations, gestural signing, evocative spoken word, and musically supported by the band, The Aspinauts, Donna takes us on a journey from a seemingly deaf, psychotic, ‘feral’ child to life on the streets and ultimately on to her fight for equality among others.

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Quoting Donna Williams:

I’m really buzzed at the news that I’ll get to perform my one-woman-musical, Footsteps of a Nobody, in the US in Jan 2010. With musical support from a wonderful accomplished pianist, David Moscoe, it looks like I’ll be able to bring the show to Long Beach, LA and then I’ll fly on to New Jersey to perform it with the support of a second pianist. Whilst not musically supported by The Aspinauts this time around, it will be a great chance to bring the show to hundreds of people who’d otherwise not get to see it. I know the first performance will be on January 10th 2010 in Long Beach as part of a whole day conference hosted by Rita Rubin, the mother of Sue Rubin whose groundbreaking documentary, Autism Is A World, made it to the Oscars and broke down many myths about Facilitated and Augmented Communication used by people without functional verbal speech.

WHEN: Saturday and Sunday January 9-10, 2010

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TOPICS: “A Glimpse Into the Autistic Mind” – (People with autism describing their experiences & researchers explaining how & why these occur.)

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WHERE: Long Beach Memorial Medical Center 2801 Atlanatic Ave., Long Beach, CA 90806

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TIMES: 8:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.

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ORGANISER: Greater Long Beach/ San Gabriel Valley Chapter Autism Society of America

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FOR MORE INFO: brubin698@earthlink.net or ca-longbeach@autismsocietyofamerica.org; 562 943-3335 or 1-877-AUTISM9; www.greaterlongbeach-asa.org

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PLEASE NOTE: There will also be a theatre show in LA on the 12th and 13th of Jan 2010 and a show at a conference in New Jersey which I think will be on the 16th Jan.

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Read all Irked posts by Donna

And…

Learn more at donnawilliams.net

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The 2009 Homeless World Cup starts TODAY! So why not watch this grassroots TV interview, commissioned by Irked last December and filmed at the Channel 31 studios in Melbourne, Australia

Sunday, September 6th, 2009
Filed under: Regular ContributorsDonna WilliamsThemesAuties & AspiesBum DealInterviews, Campaign Watch, Irked Videos

Screengrab_from_Donna_Williams_2008_Homeless_World_Cup_Interview

A doozy of an interview…after the jump!

Click to continue »

SKYPE INTERVIEW! Donna Williams hangs out with Craig Evans of Autism Hangout

Tuesday, June 16th, 2009
Filed under: Regular ContributorsDonna WilliamsThemesAuties & AspiesInterviewsIrked Videos

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“The 3 basic political roads one can go in the autism world,” an opinion piece by Donna Williams

Thursday, March 19th, 2009
Filed under: Regular ContributorsDonna WilliamsThemesAuties & Aspies

A portrait illustration of Donna Williams

Political Correctness in 3 Different Autism Worlds

An op-ed by Donna Williams

Click to continue »

An Autie Christmas Poem, by Donna Williams

Saturday, January 3rd, 2009
Filed under: Regular ContributorsDonna WilliamsThemesAuties & AspiesIrked Videos

Here’s a little Christmas poem Donna Williams put together last year, featuring some of her paintings.

The accompanying music is called Is He Home, which belongs to one of Donna’s songs of the same name. It’s played here by a pianist named David Moscoe.

 

www.donnawilliams.net

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The Streets of Melbourne Come Alive with the International Homeless World Cup, an Irked Magazine exclusive by Donna Williams

Friday, December 5th, 2008
Filed under: Regular ContributorsDonna Williams, ThemesAuties & AspiesBum DealInterviews, Campaign Watch, Irked Videos

An Irked Magazine exclusive by Donna Williams

[Ed's note: Donna Williams is Irked Magazine's Melbourne correspondent. She's an internationally best-selling author, painter, sculptor, and composer. She has autism, and a "fruit salad" of other disorders. Mel Young is one of the planet's leading advocates for the homeless. In addition to being co-creator and President of the Homeless World Cup, he's also co-founder of The Big Issue Scotland, co-founder of the International Network of Street Papers, author of "GOAL: The story of the Homeless World Cup," founder of New Consumer Magazine, and a Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship Outstanding Fellow.]

Melbourne came alive this week to the glory and spectacle of the International Homeless World Cup and even I got swept up in it. Sacha Vais, founder and editor of Irked Magazine, contacted me offering me the opportunity to interview the founder of the HWC, Mel Young (also co-founder of The Big Issue Scotland in 1993). He arranged for a TV interview to be filmed with Mel Click to continue »

Donna Williams on TV in Nevada!

Friday, November 21st, 2008
Filed under: Regular ContributorsDonna Williams, ThemesAuties & AspiesInterviews

Donna Williams on KRNV TV in Nevada

Donna Williams is an internationally best-selling author, painter, sculptor, and composer. She has autism, and a “fruit salad” of other disorders.

Donna’s one of Irked Magazine’s most cherished Regular Contributors and most irreplaceable interviewers.

Donna was recently invited to give a series of talks throughout the United States (Philadelphia, Dallas, Nevada, LA…).

Click the link below to watch a truly fascinating interview she gave to KRNV TV in Nevada:

Click here to watch Donna’s TV interview.

 

For more, please visit http://www.donnawilliams.net.

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