“Ortiz offers that being spiritually grounded means returning again and again to her body and to land. The nonhuman realm is critical to her artistic practice, helping her ask the question: who are my helpers that are nonhuman? Whether it’s the technology of Dragon Dictate, the acrylic paint, or the cilantro in her garden, this […]

Arizona People’s Report Podcast Podcast Episode 7: Naomi Ortiz YWCA Podcast By Mari Herreras w/ Naomi Ortiz What Is This Episode About? On this podcast we discuss self-care for activists, using assistive technology to share about self-care (hear about presenting via robot) and disability access in activist communities. Naomi Ortiz is a writer, poet, facilitator […]

Episode 40: The place for our wounding is the dirt under our feet: Disability justice, embodied activism and taking care of each other BeSpoken Pones Podcast, hosted by Pavini Moray December 6th, 2018 Podcast available on ITunes, Spotify, GooglePlay and other podcast listening platforms. In this episode, artist, poet, writer and facilitator Naomi Ortiz speaks […]

Crip wisdom, Gender and Self-Care for Social Justice Gender Stories Podcast, hosted by Alex Iantaffi Nov. 4, 2018 Podcast available on ITunes, Spotify, GooglePlay and other podcast listening platforms. “In this episode, the amazing Naomi Ortiz discusses her contribution to the new anthology “Resistance and Hope: Essays by Disabled People,” edited by Alice Wong. This […]

When I applied to present at the Disability Intersectionality Summit to speak on, Mending Spirits: Disabled Mestiza Self-Care, the last thing I thought about was how this topic would come across from a robot. After my acceptance, the conference co-organizer, Sandy Ho contacted me asking to speak about an opportunity. Since the conference was taking […]

On a hot day in May, I sat across the table from a best-selling fiction author, an author whose book was on the Oprah’s book club list. As part of my attendance at a small writers’ conference held at the local community college, I could have a sample of writing reviewed by a published author. […]

First Published on Medium. As my friend made her way to my door, she brushed past a harmless looking fleshy green nopales cactus (which I’d always chalked up as a mystery variety). Later when we sat talking, she sharply lifted her hand from her thigh shooting me a confused look. As she held her palm […]

Part 2 in the “Self-Care in the Time of Liars” Series Listen to this post on SoundCloud When the cochineal scale insect (Dactylopius coccus) invades, it looks like harmless white fluff, but really, it’s mission is to sink its mouthparts into a juicy nopal cactus pad and slowly suck out the life from the inside until it […]

There’s this bug, I jokingly call the “vampire bug” that looks like white fluff stuck to the side of a nopal cactus pad. Its official name is the cochineal scale insect (Dactylopius coccus). Once on the cactus pad, this bug covers itself with a thick waxy substance that looks like harmless white fluff as it sticks its […]

Part 1 in the “Self-Care in the Time of Liars” Series How people in leadership act sets the tone for those they are leading. It’s been 75 days since Trump took office and his decision to constantly lie is starting to affect my town over two thousand miles away, creating a deeper sense of distrust […]