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Featured Writer
Ken Kirkland
On a day like any other, Ken Kirkland’s life changed forever: relaxing with friends, he dove into the McKenzie River and, instead of deep water, crashed head-on with a rock. He was instantly paralyzed. He was 16 years old.
Ken, now 36, has lived for twenty years as a quadriplegic, learning to navigate the new shape of his life in and out of a wheelchair. Ken recently joined Write Around Portland for the first time as part of the Legacy Emanuel Hospital’s Burn Concern group for burn, wound and trauma survivors. Out of that workshop, Ken produced Don’t Define Me, a powerful poem exploring themes of identity and a life full of possibility in the face of disability.
You can read his poem and an interview with Ken below.
Don't Define Me
by Ken Kirkland
This chair has opened more doors
than it has closed.
This chair has been places many people
do not dream, nor dare, to go.
This chair has surfed above the crowd.
This chair has been on stage, front row,
VIP backstage after the show.
This chair has tumbled down the
hillsides of Washington Park.
This chair has been to the emergency
room too many times.
This chair has frequent flyer miles.
This chair operates in an optimal manner
in mild climates.
This chair missed the summer we did
not have.
This chair is already looking forward to
spring.
This chair is already dreading the upcoming
winter.
This chair gets talked to like it’s vacant.
This chair does not define me.
© Ken Kirkland & Write Around Portland
Interview with Featured Writer Ken Kirkland
Interview by Write Around Portland volunteer Graham Murtaugh
This was your first experience with Write Around Portland. What did you get out of the workshop?
Camaraderie. I made connections with people in the group and the workshop facilitator. I scratched the surface on some things that I have been working on and I expanded my horizons as a human being. I focused on my creative energy. In the past it has been hard to physically get out the story I wanted to tell fast.
You mentioned camaraderie. Can you explain that a little?
All of us in the group had personal knowledge of pain and having to persevere to go on with life. It was nice to know that they were going to be there every Thursday with you no matter what. Sometimes scribbling silly things, it didn’t matter.
When you go through tough situations you build up a fierce independence. It was great to see the strong personalities in the group feed off one another and work in a group setting.
What was it like reading your poem at Write Around Portland’s anthology release party? How did it make you feel?
I was a little anxious at first but seeing others up there [to the podium to read their writing] reinforced with me that it was going to be okay. I felt the strength of those in the group. It was very empowering and moving to watch other people read. I felt the strength of those in the room grow throughout the night.
There was one reader who I did not know that made a point of telling me he liked my reading. We were perfect strangers but it was a very supportive environment. I didn’t realize I was a part of such a diverse group of writers.
Did you learn anything about yourself from the workshop? About others?
Absolutely. I learned that the writing energy that I had when I was younger did not go away due to my circumstances. It was still there and I was able to pick it back up quickly. For someone who has little control in life, writing has been a great discovery.
Is there anything you'd like to tell us about your writing?
The workshop is more than a support group. I would encourage anyone with a voice to get it out there. There is a lot of mutual respect in the workshop which is empowering.
"[In the workshop], I scratched the surface on some things that I have been working on and I expanded my horizons as a human being."
--Ken Kirkland
Featured Writer
Ken Kirkland