KNEE BRACE PRESS

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

Poetry

  • A white person with long, blonde hair smiling at the camera. She is wearing a red and white plaid shirt.

    Let Down

    By

    Sarah Steinbacher is a disabled nonbinary author, poet, disability advocate, instructor at The Writing Barn, and member of both SCBWI and Storyteller Academy.

  • The photo is in black and white and depicts a white person with long, dark hair smiling to the right of the shot.

    Box-bed in a Doorway

    By

    Mandy Beattie’s poetry’s been published in Poets Republic, Drawn to The Light, Lothlorien, Ink, and now, Knee Brace Press!

  • A white woman with dark hair is smiling and looking off-camera. She wears a white, long sleeved shirt.

    Temporarily non-disabled

    By

    “My body holds a secret. It demands/to tell me, but won’t whisper it to you.” Poet Christa Fairbrother is back with a piece about invisible illnesses and the pressure to hide them.

  • A white person with long, blonde hair smiling at the camera. She is wearing a red and white plaid shirt.

    All In My Head

    By

    In her poem, Sarah Steinbacher writes about medical gaslighting, invisible disabilities, and the link between mental and physical health.

  • A white woman with dark hair is smiling and looking off-camera. She wears a white, long sleeved shirt.

    A Villanelle for the Utensils

    By

    Christa Fairbrother’s poem A Villanelle for the Utensils is an ode to spoonies everywhere – and the effort it takes for us to complete the tasks others finish so easily.

  • A white person with dark, curly hair smiling at the camera with her mouth closed. They wear a black shirt.

    A Day in the Life With EDS

    By

    “My chest aches. A deeply centered tightness. A pain in the bones./I fight to breathe, bend or twist.” Poet Hannah Frost lets us in on her life with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

  • The photo is in black and white and depicts a white person with long, dark hair smiling to the right of the shot.

    How Many Steps in a Stairwell

    By

    In her newest poem for Knee Brace Press, the prolific Mandy Beattie asks, “How many footsteps in a full stop?”

  • A white woman with light brown hair smiling with her mouth closed. The photo is a selfie. Also pictured: a bookcase in the background and a (really cute) brown and black cat.

    Our Disabilities

    By

    In her new poem, April McCloud describes her experience as a disabled person having disabled friends.

  • A white person with dark, curly hair smiling at the camera with her mouth closed. They wear a black shirt.

    The Drake Passage

    By

    Hannah Frost is poet and volunteer with The LUNA Project and Migraine World Summit.

  • The photo is in black and white and depicts a white person with long, dark hair smiling to the right of the shot.

    Stuck on That Ledge

    By

    “He squats undercover/beneath unlit lintels, mantles, dust mites/spores.” Poet Mandy Beattie writes about the trauma of war in her first poem for Knee Brace Press, Stuck on That Ledge.