In this week’s episode I sat down with Dr. Sami Schalk. Dr. Schalk is an Associate Professor of Gender & Women’s Studies at University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her interdisciplinary research focuses broadly on disability, race, and gender in contemporary American literature and culture. She is the author of the books Bodyminds Reimagined: (Dis)ability, Race, and Gender in Black Women’s Speculative Fiction and Black Disability Politics. We discuss what it means to come into one’s disabled identity, how the portrayal of certain identities in fiction can and do influence real life, where Black Disability Politics intersect and conflict with the mainstream white-dominant disability civil rights movement and much, much more. Follow Dr. Schalk: Instagram: @fierceblackfemme Twitter: @DrSamiSchalk Website: http://samischalk.com  Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: alwayslookingup227@gmail.com This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin.