If art expresses the cognition, perception, social emotional, communication and personality states of the artist, what are we learning from artists with autism?  Are we learning about autism at all through their art, and if so, which facets of their autism?  Are we in fact learning more about the diversity of autism through the array of works by people with autism and how does this stir up fiercely defended old and new stereotypes? Read the rest of this entry »

It was 1996, a time when the rate of autism was still thought to be 1 in 10,000 people, high functioning people with autism were still thought to be rare and it was still believed that around 70% of people with autism were severely mentally retarded.   In that year my honors year that the Sociology lecturer mentioned in my first book, Nobody Nowhere, story writer, Dr Chris Eipper of La Trobe University, got involved with journalist, Kathy Gollan at ABC radio with a story.  With no qualification in child development, psychology or psychiatry (nor any medical qualification whatsoever), he was going to deliver to her people who would dispute my formal diagnosis of autism by one of Australia’s leading autism specialists, Dr Lawrie Bartak.  To back himself up, he would: Read the rest of this entry »

This month’s featured art work is titled “Eleanor“.  It’s title comes from the Beatles song Eleanor Rigby which I feel is a song that captures aloneness.  I have rarely felt lonely but I experience aloneness all the time.  I’m solitary by nature and by choice and I cherish my solitude enormously, often too much Read the rest of this entry »

   Welcome to the May 2009 poetry challenge.  Tou can send in your poetry challenges for the April 09 poetry jam.  So off you go – feel free to send me a TITLE or THEME to write to in the comments section and up to the end of April, you’ll find I’ve responded by posting a poem here addressing it.   Come on, give it a try.  And don’t forget, any of you coming to see us at any of the upcoming gigs for Donna and The Aspinauts may actually see some of the poems performed, complete with gestural signing and characterisations.

Here’s the poems so far… Read the rest of this entry »

  The stereotype of Aspergers is of relatively emotionally unexpressive people who lack empathy and imagination.  When I met Anthony, he struck me as the closest thing to a walking cartoon.  He’s a formally diagnosed Aspie, a fellow ticcer, and one of the most surreal humans I know.  His capacity for imagination is broader than most humans can get without psychedelic drugs.  He’s also someone naturally empathic whose quick to help or lend an ear.  Here’s our interview. Read the rest of this entry »

  Welcome to the April 2009 poetry challenge.  Who knows, any of you coming to see us at any of the upcoming gigs for Donna and The Aspinauts may actually see some of the poems performed, complete with gestural signing and characterisations.  But right now, you can send in your poetry challenges for the April 09 poetry jam.  So off you go – feel free to send me a TITLE or THEME to write to in the comments section and up to the end of April, you’ll find I’ve responded by posting a poem here addressing it.   Come on, give it a try. 

Here’s the poems so far… Read the rest of this entry »

This month’s featured artwork is titled Blah Blah Blah.  It’s a painting about meaning deafness Read the rest of this entry »

   With his very first art show coming up this April 16th (opening is 1-3 Saturday April 18th 09 so hope to see you there!) I interviewed my lovely, shy techie husband, Chris, on his upcoming exhibition, “Wonderment”, at Jarmbi Gallery at Burrinja Cultural Centre in Upwey, Victoria, Australia.  I asked him how his own Wonderment manifests and how he, as a techie, discovered he was also an artist.  Here’s the audio interview.

Enjoy,

Warmly,

Donna Williams *)

http://www.donnawilliams.net

A reader from Aspergers Parallel Planet, Alyson Bradley, sent me interview questions about the fourth book in my autobiographical series, Everyday Heaven (published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers).  A brave woman indeed for she is diagnosed with Asperger’s, is Dyslexic with learning difficulties and cognitive challenges and not a big reader.  Her questions are interesting.  Here’s our interview. Read the rest of this entry »

  Heidi Everett is an awesome performer so it was a great honor to get this review from her.  Enjoy.  Here it is:

“The gig – ‘Rock and Rebuild’ benefit concert for Victoria’s bushfire crisis, was organised and promoted by Kaine Marsh, head of Finbar Production.  The bands – A very eclectic yet thoroughly charismatic line up of artists who have some sort of connection with the towns affected by the fires. The location – Hurstbridge Oval, an iconic picture of pure Aussieness.

Tigger-dog and I had a visual introduction to Rock and Rebuild as the officially on-time Connex rolled into Hurstbridge station. A sun dried brick of a country oval transformed wonderfully into a fruitful orchard of stalls and country folk milling around a flat bed truck pumping out music with a whole lotta heart. As we lounged around in front of the stage, Donna and the Aspinauts sauntered into their first number and had the audience looking up from their snags to see what the hell had hit them front and centre between the eyes and ears.

A-ha! These were no ordinary folk songs to be kum-by-ya’d around the campfire, no way! As the guys in the Aspinauts band changed gear quicker than a red Ferrari, front-woman Donna kept apace brilliantly with her phonetically charged lyrics and mesmerizing hands shaping the melody like an artist at the easel. I watched, captivated like the crowd around me. Each song blurred deliciously into the next with Donna’s spoken word etching out the poetry of human condition, always so very eloquent and astutely connected to the song the band was about to launch into, such a poignant moment when Donna painted the scene of a blackened landscape, burnt by the very fires this benefit concert set to quell.

The set itself was just the right amount of time for Donna and the Aspinauts own musical genre to be smacked firmly into the hearts and minds of the audience. As a muso myself, I intuitively looked around to see the reaction of people who might not have had the chance to experience such a richly flavoured ensemble before, and as a muso, I can confidently say that The Aspinauts had the crowd in the rather elusive ‘palm of the hand’.

I’ve seen this band a few times now and I thoroughly recommend an audience with a Donna and the Aspinauts event if you are ever given the chance. I say event because they are so much more than just a band playing music, each of your five senses will be buzzing before the end of the first song, and by the end of the show, you’ll be definitely Aspi-fied.”

Heidi Everett

http://www.heidieverett.com.au/Home.html