Suzanne Edison, MA, MFA

Poet • Educator

  • Suzanne Edison, MA, MFA
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March 15, 2018 By Suzanne

The Effects of Misdirection

My daughter was diagnosed in 2007 with a rare autoimmune disease, Juvenile Myositis (JM). Since then I’ve been writing poetry about my journey, teaching writing workshops for parents and teens who live with, or care for others, living with autoimmune diseases, and working with a national foundation that supports research and awareness for JM.

Over the past few years I have received artist grants to interview parents of kids with a variety of autoimmune diseases and I wrote a book of poems based on those conversations. This led to the publication of my chapbook, The Moth Eaten World, Finishing Line Press, 2014.

Now, I am embarking on The Effects of Misdirection: a poetry and visual art project on the psychosocial, scientific and medical aspects of autoimmune diseases that I dreamed up a couple of years ago. I have received grants from 4Culture; City Artists: Office of Arts and Culture, Seattle; and Artist Trust to pursue this project.

In my work supporting Seattle Children’s Hospital (SCH) Rheumatology Department and as a board member of the Cure JM Foundation, I was fortunate to meet a forward thinking scientist and doctor, Jane Buckner, who is the Executive Director of the Benaroya Research Institute (BRI) in Seattle, Washington. BRI’s mission is to find the causes and cures of autoimmune diseases, including diabetes, multiple sclerosis, allergies, and rheumatoid arthritis, to name a few of the 80 diseases. Dr. Buckner became excited about this project and subsequently I am partnering with BRI to bring this project to fruition.

I have conducted 28 interviews of scientists, doctors / nurses, patients (both adult and teens) and their caretakers/parents. Currently, I am writing poems, organizing artwork for the final publication of a poetry and art book, and setting up reading venues for the fall. The books will be available in clinics and hospitals locally that see patients with autoimmune diseases and the readings will be free and open to the public. For more information and to be put on a mailing list for notification of the readings, please contact me.

Filed Under: Art & Writing, blog

Events & Workshops

Town Hall-2019 The Body Lives Its Undoing

Where to find Since the House Is Burning + Readings

Interview: Health Central–Expressive Writing for Caregivers

SEE MORE

Recent Posts

Ekphrastic Review poem

June 17, 2022

March 2022- Autoimmune Awareness Month

May 7, 2022

MoonPath Press announcement

April 28, 2022

Since the House Is Burning-book and audio of 3 poems

April 27, 2022

Writing Workshop for Parents of Kids Living with a Chronic Illness

February 18, 2022

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