KNEE BRACE PRESS

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

neurodivergence

  • An Asian man smiling with his mouth closed and looking at the camera. He has short, black hair and is wearing a black shirt and glasses. He is standing against a white wall.

    When I Was A Monster

    By

    “I saw all the lights in my dreams/But nobody dared to approach me/Because I didn’t know how/To use my words.”

  • A white woman lays on the ground with her eyes closed. She is covered in turquoise petals. The fabric she lays on is also turquoise and covered in flowers.

    Down with me in the ditch

    By

    Karlen Lambert is a writer and an artist, currently studying for a BFA in 3D art at UNCC. Her work explores grief and neurodivergent presentation.

  • An Asian man smiling with his mouth closed and looking at the camera. He has short, black hair and is wearing a black shirt and glasses. He is standing against a white wall.

    The Trees

    By

    In his poem, The Trees, Brian Lee muses on questions of nature, the human mind, and neurodiversity.

  • 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.

    An interview with Colin Dardis

    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.”

  • An interview with Priyanka Taslim

    By

    While Bangladeshi teen Zahra Khan’s plans for financial security this summer involve working long hours at Chai Ho and saving up for college writing courses, Amma is convinced that all Zahra needs is a “good match,” Jane Austen-style. We spoke with author Priyanka Taslim about her debut novel, The Love Match.

  • A white person with yellow-rimmed glasses and long, blonde hair. Their shirt reads, "THE FUTURE IS NONBINARY."

    I was not fine

    By

    “I resent being 34 with no sense of self/beyond the trail of burned bridges,/broken trust,/and unfinished dreams.”

  • A white person with yellow-rimmed glasses and long, blonde hair. Their shirt reads, "THE FUTURE IS NONBINARY."

    another existential crisis

    By

    “I thought the pills would help/Ignore it/I see no reason/to pretend I am okay.” Poet Jess Barselow writes about masking and the tediousness of small talk.

  • An art piece that blurs a lot of colors together.

    Numb

    By

    Numb, by Kerri Curtis, refers to feeling of wanting to be numb after having too much outside stimulation and everything feels like it’s too loud, too bright, too much. Mix in anxiety, which can be equally tiring, and this piece is the safe cocoon to hide away in.

  • A white person with short, pink-tinted hair, smiling with her mouth closed at the camera. Her shirt reads, "You'll all float, too" and has the baloons on it from IT by Stephen King. The background is of pine trees.

    Be Your Own Warrior

    By

    From debut poet Bex Houde comes a story of mythology, mental health, and the choices we make to free ourselves.

  • An Asian person with black-rimmed, rectangular glasses and short black hair against a black background. They wear a blue vest and are smiling with their mouth closed.

    An interview with Quinton Li

    By

    We spoke with debut novelist Quinton Li about their novel Tell Me How It Ends, writing a series, and their queer and neurodiverse cast of characters.