Words in the Woods: Eli Clare

White, disabled, and genderqueer, Eli Clare lives near Lake Champlain where he writes and proudly claims a penchant for rabble-rousing. He has written two books of essays– Exile and Pride: Disability, Queerness, and Liberation and the award-winning Brilliant Imperfection: Grappling with Cure–and a collection of poetry, The Marrow’s Telling: Words in Motion. His newest book, a mixed genre volume titled Unfurl: Survivals, Sorrows, and Dreaming, was released in September 2025. Additionally he has been published in dozens of journals and anthologies. Eli works as a traveling poet, storyteller, and social justice educator,  speaking and teaching all over the United States and Canada. He currently serves on the Community Advisory Board for the Disability Project at the Transgender Law Center and is also a Disability Futures Fellow. Among other pursuits, he has walked across the United States for peace, coordinated a rape prevention program, and helped organize the first ever Queer Disability Conference.