My Baby Rides the Short Bus / Gravity Pulls You In

Please join us for a reading of two groundbreaking anthologies on parenting kids with special needs:

My Baby Rides the Short Bus:The Unabashedly Human Experience of Raising Kids with Disabilities, and, Gravity Pulls You In: Perspectives on Parenting Children on the Autism Spectrum.

Featuring readings by contributors from both books: co-editor Jennifer Silverman and essayist Sierra-Marie Gerfao of My Baby Rides the Short Bus, and co-editor Kyra Anderson of Gravity Pulls You In.

Jennifer Silverman is an optimist in a pessimist's clothing, and "mama" to two boys, one of who has autism. She lives, writes and agitates in New York City.

Sierra-Marie Gerfao ("Maria June") lives in New England with her wife, their son, foster daughter, and one sweet old dog. Vocationally she serves full-time in a family ministry at a church.

Kyra Anderson chronicles life as a homeschooling mom and writer in New England on her blog, thismom.com. Her work has appeared in several small presses. Her memoir, How My Son's Asperger's Saved My Ass, is in progress.

About the books:
In lives where there is a new diagnosis or drama every day, the stories in My Baby Rides the Short Bus provide parents of "special needs" kids with a welcome chuckle, a rock to stand on, and a moment of reality held far enough from the heart to see clearly. With over 30 contributors from professional writers to novice storytellers this assortment of authentic, shared experiences from parents at the fringe of the fringes is a partial antidote to the stories that misrepresent, ridicule, and objectify disabled kids and their parents.

Within the accounts of fierce love and keen regard for their unique children in Gravity Pulls You In lie moments of exceptional clarity and transformation. These pieces are sure to resonate with parents, caregivers, and anyone who's interested in the world of autism. Their slice-of-life depictions are a refreshing departure from the usual diagnosis/grief/acceptance arc of many autism accounts, and serve as a reminder that life is lived in the many small, everyday moments.