289: Victoria Rocha and Michael Is Gone

Victoria Rocha! Story-teller! Writer! Friend! Delight! More! You can find her first-ever published creative non-fiction work, "Michael is Gone" in the online journal, Untenured, listen to her perform on the storytelling show Risk!, and hear her read from her childhood diaries on episodes 102 and 204 of Mortified. Here is the op-ed she references on the show. And here is a message from Victoria that I read in the show's intro and also think it bears repeating, so I'm including it here as well: "Please remember that people with disabilities are people first with desires for love, acceptance, education, jobs, true friendships, and opportunities. They are not angels or exist on this Earth for your inspiration; instead support them in their inspirations and aspirations. A good starting point is Best Buddies International, a nonprofit focused on creating lasting one-to-one friendships between people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and neurotypical individuals, in addition to getting people with IDD into integrated employment and leadership opportunities (bestbuddies.org)." We have a really meaningful, enjoyable chat! I hope you enjoy! AND THAT'S NOT ALL! This is only part ONE. For part TWO of our chat, click here for Patreon! Thanks for being here and doing all that you're doing!