TRAVERSE CITY — Columnist, disability activist, college instructor and blogger Susan Odgers will receive the Bill Montgomery Literary Service award from the National Writers Series at its April 7 author event, featuring international bestselling author Don Winslow.
 
Susan has served as host for the NWS multiple times, most recently for Jeannette Walls, bestselling author of The Glass Castle. Susan is known for being a courageous interviewer who asks questions that get to the heart of an author's writing. When she’s not moderating, you can always count on Odgers to ask a penetrating question on behalf of the Michigan Writers for which she serves as president.
 
NWS director Anne Stanton highlights that Susan most notably writes poignant columns about challenges disabled people face in her Traverse City Record-Eagle article titled “Adapted in TC,”  which has been published weekly since 2008. 
 
“Her columns are real and honest and reflect both her resilience and humanity. She doesn’t pull punches. Susan goes way beyond the issues of wheelchair access, helping you think about everyday life and assumptions in a way that you might otherwise never think about,” Stanton said. “Now she is writing a blog about fighting breast cancer and courageously talks about the financial challenges and nightmare of health insurance."
 
This is the sixth year NWS has given out the honor, which includes a $500 financial award for the first time. It’s awarded in memory of Bill Montgomery, a businessman and author who wrote a heartfelt book about his valiant battle with cancer. He gave the NWS wise guidance as a board member and made significant contributions to the Traverse City community. He was awarded the honor posthumously in January 2018. 
 
The award will be presented prior to the stage conversation with Don Winslow and bestselling author and NWS founder Doug Stanton, who will serve as guest host.
 
Susan Odgers is a past president of RPM's Keeweenaw Storytelling Center and a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. She's also taught psychology at Northwestern Michigan College since 1989. Twice, she was awarded the Wayne State University Thomas Rumble Doctoral Fellowship. In 2020, she ran for the Board of Governors for her alma mater, and earned just shy of 100,000 votes statewide. A psychology professor and counseling psychologist by training and experience, she’s a social justice activist in her community. A Ragdale Fellow in 2017 and 2019, she’s currently working on a nonfiction book. 
 
About the National Writers Series
The National Writers Series is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing world-renowned authors to Northern Michigan. Founded in 2010 by reporter Anne Stanton, New York Times bestselling author Doug Stanton, and attorney Grant Parsons, NWS has hosted more than 250 authors including luminaries like Margaret Atwood, Tom Brokaw, Alice Walker, Scott Turow, Gillian Flynn and Ann Patchett.
 
Over 70,000 people have attended our events throughout the years, and we’ve helped sell over 20,000 books through local bookstores. Most of our live events take place at the historic City Opera House in Traverse City, while our virtual events are available around the world via YouTube live-streaming.
 
Our author events fuel our Raising Writers programs, which help students express themselves, explore the world through reading, develop their imaginations, and think critically. NWS also awards scholarships each year. Learn more at nationalwritersseries.org.

With financial support from the Leuthold Family Foundation, the Michigan Arts and Culture Council,, and private donors, Real People Media was able to complete phase II of our men and women's public restroom and commercial kitchen build out in 2023. This was a build step forward for the organization which has been operating at half capacity for events such as The Red Jacket Jamboree due to the shortage in restrooms.   To be included in the women's restroom will be an ADA compliant shower to accommodate visiting performers who may need these accommodations.  We are very grateful to our donors AND volunteers who have made this possible.   We are now fundraising for stage III of our project which includes electrical wiring, tiling and stall installation.  Our target deadline is March 1, 2024.  You may donate to this campaign at the link below. 

​The Red Jacket Jamboree invites Copper Country residents and visitors to be part of the live studio audience for the recording of two new radio episodes: “Hemingway Vs. Leopold” and “Mighty Giants” with singer-songwriter John Davey as the musical guest. 

The Red Jacket Jamboree is a NEW old-time radio variety show sharing stories, songs and history from Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula.  Hosted by Lena Dorey, the show is performed/recorded in front of a live audience inside the RPM studio at the Keweenaw Storytelling Center in downtown Calumet. The show also features Martin Achatz, two-time Poet Laureate of the U.P.,the Red Jacket Actors and music by the Copper Cats, with Jerry Younce on guitar, Bill Carrothers on piano, Harry South on bass and Jonathan Taylor on percussion. Tickets/Information online at www.redjacketjamboree.org 

The Red Jacket Jamboree is produced by Real People Media, a nonprofit helping people share their stories through the literary, visual, performing and media arts. The 2022 season is sponsored by Copper Country Preservation with financial support from the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs, Arts Midwest, the National Endowment for the Arts and private donors.  For more information about the nonprofit visit: www.realpeoplemedia.org.

(This article first appeared in the Traverse City Record Eagle on June 29, 2020)

Ten years ago, I awoke long before sunrise, in preparation for an early morning meeting. I felt queasy from taking a new medication. It was February, piercingly cold, dark. Several inches of fresh snow covered my long wheelchair ramp and path to the driveway. Lying on my side, I wondered why my prior requests to attend some meetings by phone or computer had been met with such resistance. I knew there were many other people who couldn’t work and volunteer because of their health challenges, lack of transportation or childcare. The clock ticked. I could call-in sick or get out of bed. I went to the meeting.

Now, like many people sheltering at home, I’ve embraced Zoom, Google Chat and Jitsi Meet. These platforms have given me a way to see my health care provider, stay connected to family and friends and meet my work and volunteer responsibilities. These include completing my teaching for the spring semester at Northwestern Michigan College, participating in the five-day Interlochen Writers Retreat and interviewing National Writers Series author, Elaine Weiss.

For these, and other reasons, I’d add tech professionals to our long list of COVID-19 essential workers.

There are numerous advantages to these platforms; audio descriptions for sight impaired folks, closed captioning and the wide use of ASL interpreters for the hearing impaired, recordings of missed meetings/classes and increased opportunities to interact with lots of people in diverse settings. For example, on any given day, I can offer public comment at a variety of public meetings, as well as observe court proceedings. Geography or commuting time are no longer barriers. I can also register for free training webinars on countless topics; from human rights to leadership.

In addition to work and board meetings, I’ve had great fun virtually attending the Cannes Film Festival, touring the Louvre Museum and singing along in concert with performer, Neil Young.

Since May 17, I’ve participated in “Crip Camp: The Official Virtual Experience” — the professionally led virtual camp follows ideas from the 2020 documentary film “Crip Camp” and runs every Sunday until August 30, 2020.

Topics span “Disability Community Culture & Identity” to “Disability, Race, Class, & Gender: Intersectionality,” to “ADA 30 Celebration” and “Let’s Talk About Sex: Our Bodies, Our Lives & Reproductive Justice.”

We, the campers, listen to speakers, process the material through guided exercises and live chat during the gathering. There often is a question and answer section and then the PeoplesHub lead an after-party where attendees assemble to further discuss the content and share thoughts, feelings and connect with others in the national disability community.

The following week on Tuesdays, I’ve continued the week’s theme with the Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living Crip Camp Club discussion. From there on Thursdays, I’ve often joined our local Disability Network’s Peer Advocacy meetings. Some weeks, I’ve even been able to add an international related disability group discussion, such as with the International Disability Alliance.

Through each version of Crip Camp I’m learning a great deal about the topics and myself. My community of people with disabilities is now more global and vastly diverse.

By way of these platforms, the world feels both larger and more intimate. And, I never had to leave my house.

Contact Susan Odgers at [email protected].
She is a 33-year resident of Traverse City and has been using a wheelchair for 44 years. She is a faculty member of Northwestern Michigan College and Grand Valley State University.