This week, I released my new book, Weirdos Like Me. It’s a collection of art, poetry and surrealism. And, so, dedicated to all of you living with snow up to your eyeballs, here’s one of the works from the book, entitled SNOW.
SNOW
Confetti soft, it fell, calling me, the girl from a land of sun.
From the window it took my heart.
My feet ran me down the stairs.
I turned, music box dancer in a world of falling sky
And I knew snow. Read the rest of this entry »
Some of you may remember the Autie Christmas Poem I did on YouTube a few years ago
Well, it got turned into a song called “Merry Christmas” over on
Win Win by Donna Williams 09
Compete, compete, I watch my feet, I watch my back, I watch the cracks.
Delete, delete, me from your Facebook, behind the curtain, steal my jacks. Read the rest of this entry »
Just got back from doing the Footsteps of a Nobody show in Wodonga at the Wodonga Civic Centre. It was hosted by Cooinda who did an incredible job flying 5 musos from Melbourne to Wodonga, sorting out all the equipment, theatre, ticketing, accommodation, transport, food, hospitality. And the show was really well received with a good turnout. Read the rest of this entry »
FOOTSTEPS OF A NOBODY Sat 12th Sept, Wodonga Civic Centre, 106 Hovell St Wodonga,
Footsteps of a Nobody is a powerful one woman rock-musical from Donna Williams, author of the international bestseller, Nobody Nowhere; Autobiography of an Autistic Girl. Musically supported by The Aspinauts and told through characterisations, gestural signing, evocative spoken word and song it traces Donna’s pivotal experiences from a meaning deaf, meaning blind feral child to life on the streets and on to her ultimate fight to claim a place of equality among others.
REVIEWS OF DONNA WILLIAMS’ WRITING:
THE NEW YORK TIMES: She allows us to understand our own perceptions as never before. PEOPLE MAGAZINE: By turns fascinating and harrowing.
WEEKEND REVIEW: Evocative, poetic, compelling, shocking, gut-wrenchingly moving.
DAILY TELEGRAPH: Powerful and unique.
MODE: Powerful enough to make one reassess what it means to be human.
GOOD HOUSEKEEPING: Extraordinarily gripping.
THE GLOBE AND MAIL: Deserves every superlative a reviewer can muster.
BOOKINGS: Ph: (02) 60564844 or EMAIL: cooindawodonga@optusnet.com.au COST: $15 concession $25 others.
TIME: 7.30pm for 8pm start (show runs 8-9pm and after the show there will be a discussion forum with Donna).
Event sponsored by Cooinda.
Disabled access available
Suitable for teens and adults
Instruments kindly supplied by Custom Music of Albury
To learn of all future shows please visit http://www.aspinauts.com
Donna and The Aspinauts have an adult version of the Barbie song, but I’ve reworked the lyrics for a kids version. Enjoy Read the rest of this entry »
Footsteps of a Nobody is getting a 2nd showing!
Footsteps of a Nobody is a powerful one woman rock-musical from Donna Williams, author of the international bestseller, Nobody Nowhere; Autobiography of an Autistic Girl. Through characterisations, gestural signing, evocative spoken word and song it traces Donna’s pivotal experiences from a meaning deaf, meaning blind feral child to homelessness and life as a domestic prostitute and on to her ultimate fight to claim a place of equality among others.
REVIEWS OF DONNA WILLIAMS’ BOOKS:
THE NEW YORK TIMES: She allows us to understand our own perceptions as never before.
PEOPLE MAGAZINE: By turns fascinating and harrowing…
WEEKEND REVIEW: …evocative, poetic…compelling, shocking, gut-wrenchingly moving…
DAILY TELEGRAPH: Powerful and unique.
THE GLOBE AND MAIL: deserves every superlative a reviewer can muster.
BOOKINGS: 9329 8821
In 1985 I wrote a song called Not Just Anything. In 2009, I rewrote the lyrics to form the song A Room With A View. Unlike the award winning Merchant Ivory film of the same name (adapted from the 1908 novel by E.M Forster) my song is not a about an Edwardian romance. In 2007, I had written a filmscript, Mc Reedy’s Christmas (represented by Bicoastal Talent) about a post apocalyptic society and related to climate change in a world where we did nothing to stop it. The lyrics to A Room With A View were based on Mc Reedy’s world. Here’s its lyrics: Read the rest of this entry »
I recorded the song Boulevard of Broken Dreams back in 2005. It was written 15 years ago in 1990. In fact, before Green Day put out their version in 2004, there had been 5 other songs with the same title in the years of 1954, 1958, 1957, 1984 and 1989. In my version, there is mention of Marilyn (Monroe), James Dean and Elvis, referring to the painting by Gottfried Helnwein also titled Boulevard of Broken Dreams. My version of the song is basically about our the ‘irrational rationality’ we take for granted in affluent Western societies. Read the rest of this entry »
For anyone who has been a Baa Baa Black Sheep, you can hear this gothic blues version by Donna Williams and The Aspinauts on our music page. Read the rest of this entry »
Donna Williams is an Australian born adult with autism who was assessed as psychotic at the age of 2 in 1965, labelled disturbed in the 1970s and diagnosed as autistic in her 20s in 1991.
She acquired functional speech in late childhood and went on to become a qualified teacher with an honors degree in Sociology and a degree in Linguistics. She is the author of two international bestselling autobiographies and has 10 published books including 4 text books widely used in autism education and two books of poetry and prose.
As a screenwriter, she wrote the screenplay to “Nobody Nowhere“, the first book in her 4 book autobiographical series. That screenplay is currently under option to become a Hollywood film. She is an professional artist, singer-songwriter and published poet as well as a world renowned public speaker on autism now living with her husband in Australia. In her presentations she draws not only on her own experiences but on international experience as a professional autism consultant since 1996.
Donna’s is a speaker in demand around the world due to her unique perspective and ability to share her feelings and experiences on a very personal level. More information about her and her life’s work can be found on her website at http://www.donnawilliams.net .