Don't Kill the Birthday Girl - Book Trailer
Sandra Beasley has had severe allergies to certain foods her entire life. When butter is deadly and eggs can make your throat swell shut, cupcakes and other joys of childhood are out of the question—and so Sandra's mother used to warn guests against a toxic, frosting-tinged kiss with "Don't kill the birthday girl!"
From her short-lived gig as a restaurant reviewer, to the dates that ended with trips to the emergency room—Sandra Beasley, an award-winning poet and former American Scholar editor— shares her captivating memoir about growing up and coming to terms with a potentially deadly disorder.
Photography credit: Rachel Beamer, Rory White, Matthew Worden.
Music credit: Bell Plaines, "Saw a Face."
For more information please visit: www.SandraBeasley.com
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About Sandra
Sandra Beasley won the 2009 Barnard Women Poets Prize for I Was the Jukebox, selected by Joy Harjo. Her first collection, Theories of Falling, won the 2007 New Issues Poetry Prize judged by Marie Howe. Her most recent book, Don't Kill the Birthday...
Connections
Causes Sandra Beasley Supports
Virginia Center for Creative Arts, The Writer's Center, Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, Food Allergy Initiative.
Don't Kill the Birthday Girl
I can't wait to read this. My daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease during her junior year of college, and then dealt with it virtually on her own only months later, during a semester in Paris. Once you find that you have food allergies/intolerances/etc., every meal - every snack - potentially becomes fraught with anxiety. I hope that Sandra's story creates more empathy for those who suffer this way....a group that is growing larger all the time.
Heather
Author of celiacstudent.com