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[Staff ] [Ongoing Contributors]
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SACHA VAIS is the award-winning director of the ground-breaking documentary Home Movie of Us Going to the SPCA to Adopt a Puppy, which his mother recently had transferred to DVD. His other films include Evidence That Someone Hit my Front Bumper (winner of the Small Claims Court Award for Excellence), the short film Holy Shit, Look, That Guy’s Got No Pants On!, and his most recent documentary If We Bring a Video Camera With Us and Pretend We’re From One of Those Decorating Shows, Maybe We’ll Get a Better Deal on Our Couch? He toyed with the idea of becoming a journalist or a teacher or a librarian, but went with agoraphobe instead because the hours are better. He uses humour as a defence mechanism, but also because apparently you live longer that way. He holds a Communications & Cultural Studies degree from Concordia University, and is a features writer for BBC Ouch!, a blogger for The Huffington Post, and a columnist for Big Medicine. He can also be found on the web here.
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Filmmaker, writer, radio show host, web designer, teacher, photographer, blogger, mentor to the weak-minded, and (finally!) University Graduate are all titles that PAUL AFLALO has had in pursuit of his long-sought career, yet undetermined. While he remains troubled and confused as to what that might be, you will likely find him doing something random or completely illogical to that of the “normal” person. Not to say that he doesn’t like “normal” people, it’s just that being normal isn’t right for him. At the tender age of ten he tried speaking only in iambic pentameter, when he was sixteen he decided speech was useless and communicated solely through hieroglyphics, and when he was nineteen he briefly took up the accordion. His therapist says that when he can’t think of anything to write he has a tendency to make things up. His most recent film, Jahsun, was an official selection for Radio Canada International's Digital Diversity Competition. No, that one’s actually true, I swear… You can watch all of his other films, and take a peak at his other works over at www.paulogic.com. Oh yeah, and Oprah’s his cousin. |
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JUDITH KOVALSKI was the first Irked staff member who didn’t have to make up accomplishments for her bio. She has more university degrees than most people have old issues of National Geographic. Her “religious work” stage, at Concordia University, landed her a BA in Religious Studies, an MA in History and Philosophy of Religious Studies, and part of a PhD in Religious Studies/Ethics. Her “social work” phase, at McGill University, snagged her a BSW, and then an MSW. She has been working as a social worker/crisis counselor ever since – for CLSCs, teen shelters, hospitals, community organizations, and in private practice. She has guest lectured on Death and Dying, and taught elementary and high school ESL. The most amazing thing about Judy, though, is that she’s an incredibly nice person who really cares about the people she’s trying to help. Also, she has been known to sign her emails: Love and knishes, Joodles. |
When David Roche walks on stage, the audience says with one voice: “What happened to your face?” He has encouraged them to say this, so he can then explain that he was born with a severe facial disfigurement.
David considers his face a gift, because “my shadow side—my difficulty and challenge—is on the outside, where I have been forced to deal with it.”
He believes in the healing power of humor and storytelling.
For more, visit www.davidroche.com.
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Joci Caven is Irked Magazine’s first Music Critic. She’s deaf, and just about the coolest kid ever.
She totally digs her iPod, which she plugs right into her Cochlear Implant. She likes bands with strong beats, ’cause she’s “able to pick up on their frequency.”
She’s about to take the music scene by storm.
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Stuart Baker-Brown is set out to become the world's first person with paranoid schizophrenia to ascend Everest. But he very much needs your help to do it. PLEASE join Stuart on his amazing expedition at Onemansmountain.com.
Stuart is also an emerging documentary photographer. Check out his beautiful work at http://www.stuartbakerbrown.co.uk.
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Debbie RedWine lives in the Atlanta suburbs. She is the creator of the website Reaching Up For Air.com, a recovery website for women. She is also the creator of the project One Voice, One Word. She is a health educator and works with teens preparing for childbirth and parenting. Debbie is also a professional photographer who specializes in pregnancy portraits. Married for more than 15 years to her soul mate, she is the mother of 4 young adult men and a teenage daughter. Debbie holds an advanced degree in Life and is “Still Reaching.” And yes, RedWine really is her last name.
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I’m a kid with Asperger Syndrome and a lot of other disabilities like Anxiety Disorder, Sensory Integration Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Learning Disabilities, Non-Verbal Learning Disabilities, Severe Allergies and Asthma.
Like my mom says, just because I have an alphabet soup of disorders doesn’t mean that I am alphabet soup. I’m a professional kid with Asperger’s and cool ideas.
Meet Lewis Schofield at www.thisislewis.net.
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Brian Segal is living in the country north of Montréal. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis about 16 years ago and, when asked, tells people he is retired (It sounds a lot better than telling people you are on disability insurance). He is happily married, no children, but one very friendly husky cross. He also has the good fortune of living in his own home, not a home.
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Mara McWilliams is an artist and writer who has dedicated the last six years of her life to sharing her experiences as a woman with bipolar disorder. Mara uses art therapy as a key component in her recovery, and believes that by “owning one’s illness” and “coming out of the closet” we can help educate our society so that mental illness is no longer stigmatized.
Check out Mara’s work at www.RecoveryThroughArt.com.
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Lynne Murray is the critically-acclaimed author of the Josephine Fuller Mystery Series (about a “sleuth of size who doesn't apologize”). She is also Irked Magazine’s first Book Reviewer.
When not writing fiction or essays, Lynne spends a lot of time catering to the needs of a small group of very spoiled cats, and working at her day job—providing editing and office support services. Her business doesn't have a web page, but she works a lot with Tigerfish, which does.
Meet Lynne at http://www.maadwomen.com/lynnemurray.
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Donna Williams is an internationally best-selling author, painter, sculptor, consultant, public speaker, and composer.
She also has Autism, and a “fruit salad” of other disorders.
Her first autobiography, Nobody Nowhere, spent 10 weeks at number one on the New York Times Bestseller List, sold over half a million copies worldwide and has been published in over 20 languages.
Donna can be found at www.donnawilliams.net and www.auties.org.
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Jameson Jones-Doyle is a recent graduate of Concordia University’s Advanced Experimental Psychology program, and also holds a minor in Business from the John Molson School of Business. Jay, who has cerebral palsy, regularly presents motivational speeches and workshops at the National Stuttering Association conferences across the United States.
Currently running a small web-design company, Jay is in the process of applying to several Master's programs in Montreal, Canada. In his spare time he coaches junior hockey.
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