AUTISTIC + PHD

Humaness: A gloriously queer transfeminine author, professor, transdisciplinary scholar, futurist, and aikido teacher.

Passions and expertise: My driving passion in life is for processes of positive human transformation and the blossoming of positive human potentials. In the course of pursuing this passion, I’ve practiced and taught aikido for more than four decades, explored a whole bunch of other transformative embodiment practices, picked up a master’s degree in Somatic Psychology and a PhD in a field called Transformative Studies, helped lay the foundations of the emerging field of Neurodiversity Studies, and written a book called Neuroqueer Heresies.

I also have a great passion for good stories, especially speculative fiction. I’ve written and published a handful of speculative fiction stories, and have more in the works, and I’m co-creator of an ongoing urban fantasy webcomic called Weird Luck (which is my favorite of all the projects I’m involved in).

Autistic joys: I find joy in a great many things. I love physical movement practices like aikido that allow for a lot of spontaneity and a sense of connection to that-which-is-beyond-the-self (e.g., other people, the surrounding space, the divine). I love stories, in any medium, with good long-term character development and intricate long-term plots (which is what I’m creating with the Weird Luck webcomic). I’m also one of those autistics who thrives on intense sensory experience (loud music, spicy food, lots of physical contact).