Polly's pages (aka 'Donna Williams')

Ever the arty Autie

Sculpture and capturing the autistic moments we all have

September26

In the deep sml When an artist has a condition there is always the question of how or if that condition influences their work.  I was sent an interview about my relationship to sculpting, particularly the relationship of my autism to my sculpting.  Thought I’d share it. Read the rest of this entry »

Photos of Donna Williams and The Aspinauts from Footsteps of a Nobody

September22

band wodonga best 6 sml I’ve made a slideshow from the photos from the shows of Footsteps of a Nobody.  Hope you enjoy it.

Donna Williams, Dip Ed, BA Hons.
Author, artist, singer-songwriter, screenwriter.
Autism consultant and public speaker.

http://www.myspace.com/nobodynowherethefilm
http://www.donnawilliams.net
http://www.aspinauts.com

posted under arts and ARTism, Australia, Autism, autism politics, Donna Williams, music, psychology, sociology, theatre, Uncategorized | Comments Off on Photos of Donna Williams and The Aspinauts from Footsteps of a Nobody

Autism and personal space

September22

personal space sml The term autism is highly politicised with some claiming their child as THE face of autism or desperately clinging to sinking stereotypes disappearing until the waves of diversity within the label itself.  One of the face of that diversity is the aspect of personal space.  Read the rest of this entry »

Getting kids to wear shoes in the context of autism and agnosias

August25

coversation sml I was never one to wear shoes as a kid and didn’t think much of socks either.  I felt they were suffocating my feet.  It was like being blindfolded or having your hands in gloves all the time.  So whether the ground was covered in frost or the Australian summer tarmac so hot the tar stuck to your feet, those shoes came off!  Read the rest of this entry »

posted under Autism, autism politics, Donna Williams, health, psychology, sociology, Uncategorized | Comments Off on Getting kids to wear shoes in the context of autism and agnosias

Melbourne Children’s Theatre: rock musical, BALOOMBAWOP, by Donna & The Aspinautsn’s

August3

baloombawop

Written and produced by Donna Williams

and performed by Donna and The Aspinauts

TONYBROWNbest1sml Once upon tough time, there were Grumpy Gallumphies who didn’t like strangeness it made them quite grumpy. Then a magical train arrived from a dream and those who could dare, they had dared to get in. It was off to Baloomba-wop where they had purple rain, and a shop that even sold new replacement brains!

They would meet Charlie Warmton whose best friend was a blanket, and the Brookenstein Fox who lives up on a shelf, and Bluster-McFluster with his technical gadgets and the Gimmety-Gimme with everything for herself. They’d meet Booger-Looger who picks his nose to perfection and the Whirly-twirl-girl who lacks any direction. And Gadoodleborger who runs a magical shop which just happens to be where the train is to stop.

But deep in Baloomba-wop, a Grumpy Gallumphy, the notorious Dame Grumpty-Doo-bee-the-Fourth. She is looking to change Baloomba-wop for forever. She’s determined to make all these weirdoes quite plain. Will she be stopped before everything’s ‘normal’, I wonder. Or succeed making all be exactly the same? Read the rest of this entry »

Mr Toast, Peter Gzowski, and a CBS interview with Donna Williams

July31

peter_gzowski_big Once upon a time I was in Toronto, a place with icy ponds and mother of pearl rainbows sparkled in frost.  I was taken to CBS radio station to meet with a journalist, Peter Gzowski.  He was a toasty man, a voice like an open fire, a manner like Read the rest of this entry »

Artism Blog – artwork of the month: July 09 “Life On Earth”

July31

Life on Earth sml This month’s art work is titled “Life on Earth”.

It features two of my faceless people standing in a forest at ‘the edge of the earth’.  Whilst they are grounded in a tangible reality, beneath them is a realm of intangible emotions.  One is tentatively asking the other a question but the other person is unable to answer.  The work is acrylic on paper, 31cm x 41cm.

I hope you enjoy the painting.  It is one I did last week, the rest of which you can see in my online gallery.

Warmly,

Donna Williams *)

http://www.donnawilliams.net

Let’s Stop Calling it ‘the Autism’ – Autism and poo smearing

July24

Morph by Donna Williams  Now the topic might totally turn you off, but a percentage of so called ‘low functioning’ kids with autism engage in this obsessively, occasionally even into adulthood.  In fact Temple Grandin cites herself as having been one of those children Read the rest of this entry »

Nobody Nowhere author, Donna Williams has a Melbourne Musical

July23

Donna Williams performing Footsteps of a Nobody at The Carlton Courthouse 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

www.spenserslive.com.au
www.aspinauts.com

That Tony Attwood Controversy – Donna Williams interviews Tony Attwood

July12

Circus Tightrope by Donna Williams  Following the recent incendiary theatrics surrounding international autism expert and author, Tony Attwood, I invited him to a Skype interview.  I recorded the hour long interview in which I asked Tony about his involvement with FAAS, his take on CAAD, his view on autistic culture and the autistic pride movement, about the concept of hate groups and whether he does farcical characterisations of non-spectrum people too.  The result was an amusing interview over on my podcast site, Odd Pod. Read the rest of this entry »

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