May Tomorrow Be Awake: On Poetry, Autism, and Our Neurodiverse Future
“May Tomorrow Be Awake is a stark and touchable portrait of tenderness -- one that doesn't treat living and loving as a challenge, even when it might be challenging. From sinking into this book, I learned how to be a better and more thoughtful steward of the world and the people closest to me. And there is no greater gift than this one, to depart from a text with a cleaner, more generous view of living.”
— Hanif Abdurraqib, author of A Little Devil in America and A Fortune for Your Disaster
“By forming meaningful connections with non-speaking autistic poets and coming to understand the distinctive ways they employ the architecture of language to express themselves, Chris Martin has returned poetry to its primordial function—as a domain of soul-making that can transform society.”
— Steve Silberman, author of NeuroTribes
“near great understanding for so many if they are willing
great near meaning of seeming contradictions unmasked”
— amelia bell, poet featured in May Tomorrow Be Awake
“Every poem is deep with philosophical intuition from productive minds. I am so glad the poets have found an outlet in this book to be heard.”
— Tito Mukhopadhyay, author of Teaching Myself to See and Plankton Dreams
“A wondrous exploration of autistic creativity, and the mutual learning that becomes possible when we let go of ’normal’ and aim for authentic connection.”
— Nick Walker, PhD and author of Neuroqueer Heresies
“Martin braids contemporary neurological research and literary theory in this eloquent reflection on his experience teaching poetry to neurodiverse students…. [his] narration is empathetic and charming, and his students’ writings combine to offer moving, intelligent, and insightful pathways for understanding different minds. The result brilliantly proves that nonverbal doesn’t always mean voiceless.”