s.e. smith

Profile Photo

s.e. smith is a National Magazine Award-winning Northern California-based writer who has appeared in The Guardian, Rolling Stone, Esquire, Bitch Magazine, and numerous other fine publications. 

Stories

Cover Photo: Photograph by Thomas Chun/Unsplash
Are We Ever Disabled ‘Enough’ When You Don’t See Our Disabilities?

It is not so much that these things are invisible as it is that people are trained to hide them, and society is conditioned to look away from them.

Jul 17, 2019
Cover Photo: Illustration by Sarah Robbins for Catapult
What It Means to Be Trans in My Tiny Town

My trans friends rarely come home, and when they do, it is for brief bursts of time. They question why I’ve chosen to keep living here.

Jun 10, 2019
Cover Photo: Photograph by Diana Parkhouse/Unsplash
When Disability Is a Toxic Legacy

Disability is not wrong or tragic or bad, but sometimes it is a symptom of a grave injustice.

Apr 23, 2019
Cover Photo: Photograph courtesy of ian dooley/Unsplash. Edit by Matt Ortile
Skin Hunger and the Taboo of Wanting to be Touched

How can I say that I fear I’ll never date again without feeding the monster? No one owes me their touch; I am starving for it just the same.

Feb 05, 2019
Cover Photo: Photograph by Hugo Glendinning and the Stopgap Dance Company/Flickr
The Beauty of Spaces Created For and By Disabled People

It is very rare, as a disabled person, that I have an intense sense of belonging, of being not just tolerated or included in a space, but actively owning it.

Oct 22, 2018
Cover Photo: Art by Tallulah Pomeroy
Cripple Perks: The Unreasonable Luxury of Living While Disabled

“Accommodations are things that we need, and deserve, in order to lead our lives. But they’re treated—we are treated—like we’re trying to pull one over on the rest of society.”

Aug 15, 2018
Cover Photo: Tallulah Pomeroy
Why Can’t We All Get Along: Disagreement Within the Disability Community

I want to surround myself with people who argue with me, for I learn so much more from these conversations.

May 31, 2018
Cover Photo: Tallulah Pomeroy
How Disability Helps Me Find Life in Death

“If losing your friends all the time is a dismal way to live, closing yourself off from humanity is even more grim.”

Mar 21, 2018
Cover Photo: Tallulah Pomeroy
What My Godfather’s Glass Eye Taught Me About Disability Humor

“When is disability humor appropriate and when isn’t it?”

Feb 22, 2018
Cover Photo: Tallulah Pomeroy
Bad Genes: On Fertility and Disability Rights

Living with an unquiet mind is like living with a noisy, restless, anxious human who tugs on your sleeve for attention.

Jan 24, 2018