A place for stories about chronic illness, disability, mental health, and neurodivergence.

depression

  • A white woman with short, white hair sits on a black couch with two small dogs in her lap. She wears a tank top with a leaf pattern and turquoise pants.
    By

    “Poetry found me/aching for a voice.”

  • A white woman with short, white hair sits on a black couch with two small dogs in her lap. She wears a tank top with a leaf pattern and turquoise pants.
    By

    In her newest poem, Knee Brace veteran Diane Funston writes about arthritis, family, and the darkest time of year.

  • A white person with short, light brown hair and black, rectangular glasses smiles with their mouth closed. They wear a black T-shirt. The background is cream colored.
    By

    In their first poem for Knee Brace Press, Taylor Kovach writes about self-hatred and passive ideation.

  • A white woman with gray hair smiling with her mouth closed at the camera.
    By

    “I make light with a lantern made of papier-mache/It burns me as it shows the way/To a one-star resort with a welcoming glow/Leave the light on for me/Thinking makes it so.”

  • A photo in black and white. A white man wearing a hat with a moustache gazes at the camera. There are water droplets on the lens.
    By

    “I certainly can be guilty of black-and-white thinking at times, which is a common neurodivergent trait: something is ultimately right or wrong. Writing is a way to help me question that and find the gray in-between.”

  • A white woman with dark hair tied back into a bun. She wears a blue dress with a black belt. She is speaking or singing in front of a music stang.
    By

    Imagine a world where suicide can be simulated through virtual reality. This is the context of Ericka Russell’s short story, Suicide Simulation, and the basis for the ethics the main character must grapple with.

  • A person with long, brown hair, bangs, and black rimmed glasses hides half their face behind a black and brown cat with blue eyes.
    By

    “I lose sight of my body/And I fear not recognizing/The girl looking back at me/Inside the cheap mirror in my room.”

  • A woman with brown skin and shoulder-length black, curly hair wearing a blue shirt under a white and blue checked quarter-sleeve sweater. She is smiling at the camera with her mouth closed. The background is of trees and a brick building, all blurred.
    By

    We spoke with author Diya Abdo about her book American Refuge, the impact of resettlement on the mind and body, and how to write a story with compassion and empathy.

  • A tabby cat sleeps on a purple shirt. Her paws are tucked under her head. She might just be the cutest cat ever.
    By

    EJ Croll’s speculative short story, Spoons, is about their own experience of chronic fatigue, chronic pain, and the frustration of living with these limitations.

  • A person with long, brown hair, bangs, and black rimmed glasses hides half their face behind a black and brown cat with blue eyes.
    By

    “And yet sometimes, I feel cold./There’s a deep void in my chest/No matter how much I try, it remains bare.” In this poem, AM Rodriguez details what it’s like to struggle with depression and grief, even when the rest of the world appears full of light.