William Clark recounts life with disability in collection of poems

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YOUNGSTOWN — In June 2020, during the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic, William Clark published his first book, “The Ever So Accurate Tales of a Not So Average Man: The Testament of a Modern Disabled Man.”

Now, nearly a year and a half later, his collection of poems that recount Clark’s experience with cerebral palsy is gaining a resurgence of local popularity.

Clark said he’s always had a passion for writing, but the book came to fruition when a close friend encouraged him to share an original poem about heartbreak. It was the nudge he needed.

“[She] said, ‘Listen, you have a talent here that you've kind of left unaddressed, and I really think you should use this as a vehicle to depict what it’s like being handicapped.’ And that's kind of what I did.”

Clark has sold about 700 copies so far.

“My advocate and business partner, Matt O’Nesti, told me that because of the pandemic he predicts that there's going to be two [book launches]. The initial one, and then there will be a secondary one because of COVID, and sure enough, he was very accurate,” Clari said.

“I did a lot of marketing during COVID, and it turns out, there were a lot of people who were interested in having me in-house giving private speeches and presentations, but they were unable to because of the pandemic. As things slowly [started to become] more normal I think that’s where [the secondary book launch] is coming from,” he added.

Clark is currently on what he calls a “mini book tour” and is doing various book signings and speaking engagements. This is the first time he’s been able to properly promote the book since its debut.

Clark graduated from Youngstown State University with a Bachelor of Arts in communication in 2019. Now, he serves as a community outreach advocate for the Mahoning County Board of Developmental Disabilities.

“I act in a consulting capacity, and I help individuals with [developmental disabilities] connect with resources in the community to help them better advocate for themselves and reach their personal and professional goals,” he said.

“It’s a sort of symbiotic relationship with me and the individuals that I work with because I am in a very unique situation where I do have a very limited public platform and I could illuminate these issues. But because my disability isn’t as aggressive as other people’s, there are aspects of being disabled that I don't realize. So it then enlightens me how to better serve my community, both as a professional advocate and as a quote-unquote public figure,” he added.

Additionally, Clark recently contributed to a textbook titled "Advising Preservice Teachers Through Narratives From Students With Disabilities” by Kimberly Dianne Cassidy of Shawnee State University.

“It's supposed to be one of the entry materials of the special education and general education majors within a specific region... I'm not sure exactly what schools it’s going to. But it's meant to serve as an introduction so that special ed and general ed teachers kind of have an understanding about what it's like having a disability and sharing in that narrative, so they can better understand the students in the future” he said.

“The Ever So Accurate Tales of a Not So Average Man: The Testament of a Modern Disabled Man” is available for purchase on Amazon in both paperback for $9.99 and kindle for $5.00.

“My main agenda with this book is twofold. One, to depict to an able-bodied person what exactly it's like having a disability. Because there's a lot of stereotypes out there about cognitive disability versus physical,” he said. “I wanted to kind of shed some light on the narrative that people with disabilities can have a normal life. They get married, they have jobs, they drive — in my case, recklessly — but, you know, we are able to contribute and to help the betterment of society.

“We just need to evolve socially to be more accepting of disabled people. And luckily, I am seeing that narrative occur in modern-day society,” Clark added.

“My second message with this book is: It isn't just for the handicapped population. I wrote it to show that no matter where you come from, we all face adversity, right? And we all have a choice when faced adversity to succumb to it, and accept it as our lot in life, or to constantly drill away at it and overcome it,” he said.

“[I wanted to] show that regardless of your sexual orientation, your political background, your social-economical background, you can overcome your own demons and let them work on your behalf and for your betterment,” Clark said.

For information on Clark’s local speaking engagements and book signings, visit his Facebook page. Today (Nov. 10), The Youngstown Torch Club will host Clark for “Overcoming the Disabled Narrative” a discussion at the James Gallery of Youngstown State University’s Kilcawley Center, 1 University Plaza, at 7 p.m.

This story was originally published November 10, 2021 at 4:24 AM with the headline "William Clark recounts life with disability in collection of poems."