Lived Learning
I wasn’t shaped by lecture halls or ivy-covered institutions. I built my education from the ground up, one late-night screen reader test, one fiery ghostwritten memoir, one bug report at a time. My qualifications? Self-initiated, purpose-driven, and honed through decades of doing, not just theorizing. I’ve led nonprofit initiatives, authored books across genres, and mastered the tools that make digital experiences more inclusive. I don’t hold a degree. I hold results.
I learned by living through heartbreak and healing, through advocating and creating. When faced with a spouse’s terminal illness, combined with a three-child household, I became an expert on ALS, organization, multi-tasking, and 24/7 home care. My classroom was every moment I chose empathy over ego, precision over pretense.
image: Me, holding Josh Corwin’s signed book, I reviewed it in a blog.
Books
– Under the Banana Moon – Memoir, Inkwell Publ. (2012)
“To Kim Tucker, solidly in the Asperger’s section of the autism spectrum, the colors blue and green and gray are not just colors, but rather whole worlds of iridescent life. Likewise, to say that Under the Banana Moon is full of laughter and love and heartbreak is to only scratch the surface.
Growing up, Kim couldn’t speak when there was more than one person present, and sometimes even then her words failed her. But she could always write. More comfortable in the company of cats, or passing notes to grandmother, she found peace where she could, and avoided the frightful parts of the world—like anything that was the color green. But school brought whole new worlds of fear: other kids. Their words and feelings were indecipherable. Their touch was toxic. She survived with scars. As a teenager, she felt the same urges as her peers but went about it in extreme ways: when she drank, she went to the hospital; when she dated, she got married. Her husband, Howie, was her high school sweetheart. He was also her best friend and the father of her three children. He took care of her and managed her disability. When he was diagnosed with ALS, their roles reversed, the world collapsed—but they kept going. Some things Kim could never learn (like how to drive a car… without crashing), but some things she could. Like how to help her husband die, and how to live to tell the story.
In her book, as in her life, tears and laughter are like a rhyming couplet, similar expressions of the same deep feeling. Only with both can Kim tell her story which is, in the end, about perseverance, and joy, and love beyond lifetime.”
– Tell Her The Devil Says Hello – Horror novel (2024)
“Tell your daughter the devil says hello…” Chilling words… uttered so nonchalantly. Words meant to inflict psychological torment – a talent our antagonist excels at. His hunger craves fear. He’ll get into your head and then take it from you… maybe in a soundproofed van, a bucolic forest, wherever the opportunity arises.
Amid this terror is yoga instructor Carole Pitching; a solitary woman graced with a touch of magic. She’s hiding away in a house way too big for her, coming to terms with profound grief, her mental health, and her disability. Never having known a mother, she is craving love and not looking for it… Carole has witnessed the aftermath of brutality. She’s sensed the weight of unseen gazes fixed on her. Beneath her surface lies strength, resilience, and latent abilities that go far deeper than she imagined. Her magnificent weeping willow tree hides dark truths. From cryptic tokens bestowed by her feathered allies to the creeping dread of losing her mind, Carole’s path is fraught with challenges and mysteries that will lead her–and you–through a labyrinth of fear and wonder, to a revelation she didn’t see coming.
Our antagonist possesses power too. His charm and intellect are the silent wings of a raptor, gliding through the social landscape. As hawks track prey from above, he assesses every angle and vulnerability. His social mask is the talon, disarming and inviting, while his mind circles, calculating, ready to strike. When he moves in for the kill, it is indeed with the precision of a predator. As a chameleon who reveres stalkers of prey, he is unaware that those predators he so admires have always been watching him.
The veil that separates physical world evils from ethereal entities is a net of gossamer threads, thin as cobwebs. When it unravels, justice may well be served.
– I Keep His Ashes In A Tacky Vase, The Art Of Poetry And Palettes – A collection of art and poetry (2024)
“Kimberly Gerry Tucker’s I Keep His Ashes in a Tacky Vase: The Art of Poetry and Palettes” is a powerful collection that transcends the boundaries of traditional poetry. In this mellifluent journey, Kimberly Gerry Tucker invites readers to explore the intricacies of existence and the inexorable forces that shape our lives. The poems within this volume traverse a wide spectrum of themes, from love and loss to the poignant moments of coming of age. Kim’s voice blends whimsy and raw emotion, drawing readers into her world with each carefully crafted stanza.
But this collection is more than words on a page. It’s an immersive experience—a trip through the ‘gyri’ and ‘sulci’ of the mind, those intricate folds where thoughts and memories intertwine. Here, metathinking—the act of thinking about thinking—takes center stage, revealing the resilience that blooms even in the face of life’s inevitable challenges.
And then there’s the visual feast. Kim’s unique artwork, interspersed throughout, adds layers of meaning and depth. Each poem and unique artwork becomes an entrance into a limbic world, where emotions pulse and connections spark. It’s a place where small talk is replaced by profound introspection, where the ordinary becomes extraordinary.
So open this book, let the words and images wash over you, and discover the artistry of Kimberly Gerry Tucker—a poet who defies convention and invites us to see the world anew.
– Reborn Through Fire – Ghostwritten for Tony Yarijanian – ghostwriter credit on back cover at bottom of the cover (2007)
Anthologies
image: I have several chapters in here. I designed the cover which has me on it. I’m extremely proud of my contributions to this book. People rarely discuss selective mutism as candidly as this one does.
– Girls Under the Umbrella of Autism Spectrum Disorders – Quoted Contributor, Dr. Tony Attwood (2007)
– Been There, Done That, Try This – Contributor, Jessica Kingsley Publishers (2014)
– Artism: The Art of Autism Shifting Perceptions– Featured art contributor – Hosseini (2012)
– Autism, The Art of Autism, Shattering Myths About People Living on the Spectrum – Cover art and Featured Art – Hosseini & Martinez (2011)
– Selective Mutism in Our Own Words – Contributor of several chapters, designed the cover, Carl Sutton & Cheryl Forrester
– Seeing With a Different Eye – Contributor, AANE
– Glimpse – Contributor, ICDL
– Women From Another Planet – Chapter contributor, Miller (2003)
– Unique Minds – Chapter contributor (2025)
– Firsts: Coming of Age Stories By People With Disabilities – Multi-chapter contributor to award-winning book, Cipriani (2018)
Literary Journals & Magazines (1999–2015)
– Marchstreet Press – Chapter contributor
– Vol. 12, No. 1 (1999), – Vol. 14, No. 1 (2000), – Vol. 13, No. 1 (2001)
– Kaleidoscope – Featured chapter contributor, incl. ‘Best of’ issue
– Issue 41 (2000), -Issue 45 (2002), -Issue 49 (2004), -Issue 52 (2006)
– Hearing Health – Featured contributor with accompanying images
– Volume 17, Number 4 (2001)
– Curbside Review – Vol. 1, Issue 6 (2000) – Poetry contributor
– Marymark Press – Chapter contributor (2003)
– New Spirit Journal – Article contributor (2005)
– Planet Vermont Quarterly – Article contributor (several issues in 2001 – 2003)
– Voices of Autism – Contributor (2008)
– Asperger’s Digest – Featured article contributor – Bowers (2017)
– Loud Hands, Autistic People Speaking – Chapter contributor – Bascom (2012)
– Seeing With a Different Eye – Art contributor
– April ‘19, Featured Artist, Kimberly Gerry-Tucker – Sanctuary Magazine (2019)
– Outsider Artist – Chosen artist (2019)
– Spectrum Women Magazine – “Tempus Fugit! The Aspergers Girl Becomes The Spectrum Woman” (2018)
Media, Film & TV Appearances
– Training Video for CT DDS – Interview, “Orientation Training Level II for Autism Adult Services” (2007)
– Possibilities, Disabilities and the Arts – Docu-film interview segment by Keri Bowers, Normal Films (2007)
– Channel 8 News (2003) – Speaker on budget cuts to disability services
Presentations & Events
– 3+ Artists – Presenter, 3+ artist art show, book signing & reading – Lesley College – Keefe (2016)
– Art gallery shows and advocacy appearances spanning two decades
– Museum of Work and Culture – Art in show, (2018, 2019)
– Good Purpose Gallery – Art in shows (2017)
– DADD Symposium for Gifted Children – Lesley College – Panel presentation and art in show (2017)
Featured Press Coverage
– Valley Gazette
– “Seymour Artist Blossoms Despite Disability” (1999)
– “People on the Move: The Work of Kimberly Tucker” (2000)
– New Haven Register
– “Writing Helps Woman Handle Hardship” (1999)
– “Autistic Woman Blossoms Through Poetry” (2002)
– “Artist Overcomes Disability to Shine” (2004)
– CT Official State Website – “Success Story Web Pilot Project” – Article
Online
– Hubpages
– “One Autistic’s Sensitivity To Smell…” (2019)
– “Dear Me: An Autistic Woman’s Note to Her Child Self (2019)
– “Grandma, Stapadial Otosclerosis, Puff the Cat, and Me” (2019)
– “The Diagnosis Of Lou Gehrigs… fast Food With The Kids” (2019)
– “After Lou Gehrigs, Attempt At A Support Group” (2019)
– “The Day I Was Diagnosed With Aspergers… (2019)”
– “Sensory Confusion, Attachment To The Same… Eraser Balls” (2019)
– “Mosaics: Cobbling A Disjointed Perception…” (2019)
– Article – “Navigating Back To School For Children With Autism” (2019)
– Article – “Coping Through Art on the Autism Spectrum” (2018)
– Sanctuary – “special issue, Celebrating Autism Awareness & Acceptance” – Featured Artist Future Horizons (2019)
Miscellaneous
– Mural artist – Naugatuck Day Center for Disabled Adults (2007 – 2008)
– Survivor’s Hope Freelance writer (2006 – 2008)
– Mission Statements
– Motivational speeches
– Brochures, and more
– Mission statements
– Press release writer
– Copy & website designer, and more
– Everyday Aspergers – Designed book cover for 2nd printing, Craft (2019)
– Remixing the Curriculum: The Teacher’s Guide to Technology in the Classroom, teacher’s edition – Quoted by author, Keefe and Steiner (2018)
– A-Train The Play – Art featured in award-winning play – Torsiglieri (2017-2019)
– Collage Workshop – Led a Collage workshop for neurodiverse students (2017)
– Divergent Expressions (2017)
– The Art of Autism gallery Show (2014)
– @sugarartforautism – Art as inspiration for cake makers
– by Have Some Cake, cake artist Enrique of Birmingham, England – Art (Shattered Image) was inspiration for his cake, (2017)
– by cake artist Artist Calli – Several Art pieces served as inspiration for Calli’s cake
– by cake artist Sophia Fox – Two art pieces inspiration for her cake
– by cake artist Kamila Adamschek – my Sam Craft book cover as inspiration for her cake
– by Carla Rodrigues, Pepper Posh Cakes – Cake art inspired by an acrylic work of mine
– by cake artist Oano Butto – Her cake inspired by a collage of mine
– Podcast – Different Brains – Becca Lory & Katherine Cody – Spectrum Speaking – “Finding Creative Outlets on the Autism Spectrum” ep. 37
– AANE – Representation by AANE of art pieces and participation in art shows
– Inkwell Management – Representation by agent
– Dave Royer – Acrylic art piece in the collection of dave Royer, Grammy winner
Blogs
this one!
– Autistic Adults NYC – “Anxiety and Night Terrors” (2025)
– The Art of Autism – Below are a few featured blog titles.
– “Diversity Represented in Dolls (A Positive Step Toward Eradicating Edwardian Views)”
– “Joshua Corwin’s Becoming Vulnerable Book Review…” (2020)
(For the complete list of 25+ Art of Autism blogs I’ve written, see more here.)
Art
https://www.facebook.com/kimberlygerrytuckerart/
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