Alaina Leary

Alaina Leary

Bio

Alaina Leary is an editor and activist based in Boston, MA. She is currently a social media editor for We Need Diverse Books. She has an MA in publishing from Emerson College. When she isn’t busy reading, you can find her at the beach or curled up with her girlfriend and their two adopted literary cats.

Alaina Leary Articles

If I wanted to start being vulnerable with the people I love again, I needed to figure out when my avoidance began and why.

Why Can't I Be Vulnerable As An Adult?

Why can't I be vulnerable as an adult? Despite my fears of vulnerability, some part of me knew it was the key to having fulfilling intimate relationships.

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" The future of ending rape culture is intersectional and inclusive. There’s no other way forward."

We Need To Remember Disability When We Talk About Sexual Assault

In the aftermath of my rape, I became an activist for ending rape culture. And I quickly found that even in feminist circles, disability was often left out of the conversation completely.

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"If I could, I would almost always be outside and near the water."

#RavsWriters: Alaina Leary - Story Teller, Cat Lover, Mermaid

Welcome to #RavsWriters, an opportunity for you to get to know some of th

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Watching People Go Back To School Is Bittersweet Now That I’ve Graduated

September, for the first time in many years, wasn’t the start of any new beginnings. I’ve been in some form of school — general education in public schools, then an undergraduate degree, and then a graduate degree — since I was in preschool.

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When Macey and I planned our engagement photos, I knew I wanted my sparkly, bright lavender cane to be in them. (photo by Ginny Cummings Photography)

Why I Wanted My Cane In My Engagement Photos 

When Macey and I planned our engagement photos, I knew I wanted my sparkly, bright lavender cane to be in them.

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Every time I tell a story about her, I’m keeping our memories alive, one leaf at a time.

Surviving Autumn Without My Mom

We think of holidays and big moments first when we think about death. What we don’t talk about are the little moments in between, like surviving Autumn.

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Halloween is my favorite time of year, and I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that I’m autistic.

I'm Autistic, And Halloween Is My Favorite Time Of Year

Halloween can be an autistic person’s worst nightmare with the sensory overload. Yet, I'm autistic and Halloween is my favorite time of year.

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Doniga Markegard Is Teaching People How To Be More Wild

Doniga Markegard teaches at a wilderness school instructor, and it’s important to her that her own kids learn about nature and wildlife.

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Growing Up With Autism And ADHD, I Had To Adapt My Own Education

The education system isn’t designed for students like me. From as early as preschool up through my master’s degree, I struggled in a traditional classroom setting for a few reasons, and needed to adapt my own methods of surviving education.

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What The Poor Won't Tell You

All I wanted, most days, was a cute apartment with big windows, sheer curtains billowing in the breeze, where I could sit comfortably and read a book.

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