Introducing our newest contributor, Ferris Knight!
Ferris Knight is a queer and disabled writer, producer and advocate from Melbourne, Australia.
They mainly write about their lived experiences with mental and physical health conditions, as well as queer politics, poetry and fiction. They have also worked with organisations such as Arts Access Victoria, The Dax Centre and Women with Disabilities Victoria. In 2019 they produced the show LEtGao of Stigma in conjunction with Melbourne Fringe Festival and The DAX Centre. They have completed the Nexus professional development course from Arts Access Victoria, were an Artist in Residence at The Other Film Festival, recipient of a fellowship from Being Enough, and were Highly Commended for the WWDA Lead Art prize in 2021. Ferris completed the Diploma of Professional Writing and Editing in 2021. They have been published in a variety of places such as Closet Cases: Queers on What We Wear from Et Alia Press anthology and Village Views anthology and was the editor for Backstory Journal.
Says Ferris, by way of introduction:
If we were at a party right now, I’d be the strange person in the corner, a drink in one hand and patting the family pet in the other. Someone has to be that person. Opening statements are just always so awkward. Do I say,
‘Hello. I’m Ferris. Your cat is awesome. I have cats too. One is a bit weird and wanted to play fetch with a razor blade the other day. Don’t worry, I took it off her. What else do I do? Uh… I decorate my walls with things I need to write… um… *insert more nonsense here until you walk away or my drink runs out and I walk away for a refill*’
Or,
‘Hello. I’m Ferris. I mainly write about lived experience, such as health - I live with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and am an ambulatory wheelchair user, and bipolar disorder - and queer topics. I’m currently mainly writing about marriage equality, ECT, and how chronic illness is affected by the rental crisis.’
That one is at least more fitting here.
You might be under the impression that, when introducing myself as a writer, that a writer sits in front of a screen, somehow able to just pump out words or, if you’re slightly more realistic, wants to throw the laptop across the room because writer’s block should be a diagnosed medical condition. Instead I’ve found it to be quite different:
- broken my scaffold and lunate bones in my wrist by handwriting - got a cool camo cast out of that one. But that’s a story for another day
- taken a photo series of a chair I made to show how inaccessible the community can be, such as public transport, hospitals and retail
- opened myself up to answering your questions about ECT. I am writing about this stigmatised treatment based on lived experience. If you’d like to ask a question about ECT and perhaps see it published, email sincerelyferrisknight@gmail.com
- walked across Lego to draw a parallel between stepping on a Lego (a bad day) and not being able to get off the track (mental health) as part of Melbourne Fringe Festival
- taking eight hours to transcribe a five minute clip (in my defence, he has a strong Scottish accent and is manic at the time)(check out ‘Takin Over the Asylum’)
- sorting my books in Dewey Decimal order (not particularly artsy, but I did get a toy seal as a ‘seal of approval’ from my librarian friend)
and now, the opportunities Geelong Cereal offers.
Conclusions are as awkward as introductions. I can’t promise to stop being the strange person hiding in the corner with the aforementioned cat or dog, but I’d like to end by sharing two of my favourite book dedications. This article is dedicated to all the new Geelong Cereal readers - come enjoy the ride - and all the old readers - we’ll try and live up to your expectations.
TO MY MOTHER, BELZIE.
I WOULD HAVE MADE A TERRIBLE DOCTOR, MOM.
PEOPLE WOULD HAVE DIED.
From The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Phillippe
And
For Mom (Just skip over the sex scenes, please)
From No Way Back by Matthew Klein
