Darien|Local Event
Author Talk: Mary Keating, "Recalibrating Gravity"
At fifteen, Darien lawyer and poet Mary Keating became a paraplegic after a car accident, and everything she knew about the future changed. In the fifty-plus years since, magical things have happened organically to her—from scuba diving Trinity Caves in Grand Cayman to meeting Pope John Paul II outside the Vatican to getting married at Sweetheart Rock in Hawaii—alongside life’s challenges: losing her Labradors, facing thyroid cancer, and navigating the daily challenges of an inaccessible world.
In this candid and often humorous talk, Keating draws on her memoir in verse, Recalibrating Gravity, to explore what resilience really looks like when life does not go according to plan. She shares her discovery that trying to be invulnerable or “overcoming” adversity wasn't the way to live. When she became fluid, stayed curious, and accepted what she couldn't change, her life blossomed.
Join us for the unique opportunity to meet Mary Keating, hear her story, experience the music of her poetry.
Wednesday, September 16th at 7 p.m. in the Heron Room.
About the Author
Mary Keating is a poet, lawyer, and lifelong disability advocate. After a car accident at fifteen left her paraplegic, she went on to Yale Law School, led accessibility initiatives long before the ADA, and has been published widely in journals and anthologies.