Sarah Wilson is creating writing
Writer and poet. Feminism, politics, social justice, New Zealand poetry. I have Ankylosing Spondylitis.
22
$106.75
Milestone Goals
Independence
I want to be an independent writer.
About
I am a columnist who writes about politics, feminism, chronic illness, social justice, and poetry.
You can find me at www.writehanded.org
You can find me at www.writehanded.org
Location
New Zealand
Top PatronsSee all 22
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My writing - my work - is about a multitude of things. Raising awareness about disability and the realities people with disabilities face. Welfare and politics in New Zealand. Feminism and feminist issues. And poetry.
I don't consider any of these things mutually exclusive.
When I became suddenly and seriously ill three years ago, the way I thought my thought was going to be got drastically changed. Suddenly I wasn't me as I had known myself. I was this woman, with this illness no one could pronounce, and I had to do one of the things I had considered the worst thing ever - go on welfare.
Why did I consider going on welfare the worst thing ever? I paid taxes. I'm unwell. This is the way the system works in New Zealand. So why did I feel ashamed?
That shame is one of the things that started this project. Because I shouldn't feel it. No one should.
I started writing about my experiences to reveal the reality. The socialised negative beliefs around beneficiaries in New Zealand are 99% bullshit.
My frustration with the WINZ system grew. I could never get a consistent answer. I felt powerless and furious. So I fought back the only way I could.
My writing is strongly influenced by the New Zealand political landscape, and explores the real impact of ideological decisions on vulnerable people living with chronic illness and/or disability.
I share my experiences of living with Ankylosing Spondylitis, which is autoimmune arthritis in my spine. I also write about being a writer, books, and poetry, which I am incredibly passionate about but try my best not to bore people to death with.
As well as writing at www.writehanded.org, I am studying poetry at the Institute of Modern Letters in Wellington, and I sit on the Governance Collective for the Nelson Women's Centre.
My current independent project is a collection of short stories that explores physical and mental health, politics, and being a woman.
Your support helps me do all of these things, and I am incredibly grateful. My patrons mean so much to me. Without you, living would be quite a lot more difficult. So, thank you. Really, really, thank you.
I don't consider any of these things mutually exclusive.
When I became suddenly and seriously ill three years ago, the way I thought my thought was going to be got drastically changed. Suddenly I wasn't me as I had known myself. I was this woman, with this illness no one could pronounce, and I had to do one of the things I had considered the worst thing ever - go on welfare.
Why did I consider going on welfare the worst thing ever? I paid taxes. I'm unwell. This is the way the system works in New Zealand. So why did I feel ashamed?
That shame is one of the things that started this project. Because I shouldn't feel it. No one should.
I started writing about my experiences to reveal the reality. The socialised negative beliefs around beneficiaries in New Zealand are 99% bullshit.
My frustration with the WINZ system grew. I could never get a consistent answer. I felt powerless and furious. So I fought back the only way I could.
My writing is strongly influenced by the New Zealand political landscape, and explores the real impact of ideological decisions on vulnerable people living with chronic illness and/or disability.
I share my experiences of living with Ankylosing Spondylitis, which is autoimmune arthritis in my spine. I also write about being a writer, books, and poetry, which I am incredibly passionate about but try my best not to bore people to death with.
As well as writing at www.writehanded.org, I am studying poetry at the Institute of Modern Letters in Wellington, and I sit on the Governance Collective for the Nelson Women's Centre.
My current independent project is a collection of short stories that explores physical and mental health, politics, and being a woman.
Your support helps me do all of these things, and I am incredibly grateful. My patrons mean so much to me. Without you, living would be quite a lot more difficult. So, thank you. Really, really, thank you.