About/Masthead

About:

The Handy, Uncapped Pen is a blog/community for disabled and neurodivergent creatives started in 2016. The blog side has interviews, poetry, reviews, giveaways, visual art, and more. Our mentor program for disabled/neurodivergent writers is free but intermittent as we rely on volunteers. The Cripendy Contest (our newest endeavor) is a tiny, fee-free contest for all types of art and creativity.

Masthead:

Jennifer Ruth Jackson - Curator

A headshot of Jennifer: A plus-size, white woman faces the camera with a small smile. She is wearing a black and white sunhat and a paisley shirt in cool tones with stripes. She has glasses and brown, curly hair. One eye faces forward and the other to the side.

Jennifer Ruth Jackson (she/her) is a poet and fictionist with cerebral palsy. Her work has appeared in Strange Horizons, Algebra of Owls, Apex Magazine, Vinyl Poetry and Prose, South Florida Poetry Journal, and more. She is a passionate activist for the disabled/neurodivergent community and attempts to be a good ally to other marginalized groups. When she isn’t writing or curating HUP, you can find her creating a variety of things or playing video games with her husband. 

Val Vera - Interviews

A headshot of Val: He is a lightly-tanned male with short, dark hair and beard.
Val has a slight grin and his eyes are shifted towards the camera to their left. He is wearing a gray blazer with a white buttoned down dress shirt.

Val Vera (he/they) is a Disability Justice Activist, Speaker, Organizer and Poet. Originally from Chicago, Val’s leadership on several coalitions focused on disability culture and equity is well-noted. His intersectional experience as a Disabled Latinx, coupled with his Disability Justice work, is revealed through the imagery and passion in his writing. His work has been published by New Mobility Magazine, Latino Rebels, Rooted in Rights, POOR Magazine, and the National Coalition for Latinxs with Disabilities.

Val’s debut book, Crip Lyrics: the Unapologetic Poetry of Disability, is available now at https://www.poorpress.net