Relating To Michael — Mary Maher

Description

'Relating To Michael' is a work of fiction. Michael is Robin and Tamsin Cooper's beautiful autistic son. Robin has left Brock Cottage, their home, and moved to a room over 'Coopers and Son', the family antique business in nearby Linbury. He and Tamsin strongly disagree about how they should treat Michael. The continuity of the family as embodied in the image 'Coopers and Son' is very important to Robin but Michael offers his father no real acknowledgement. This distresses Robin. Nursery rhymes are Michael's main vocalisations. Playing one note, D flat on the piano, and running water are other obsessions.

Tamsin, who has problems with dependence, is pulled in all directions by her love for their son and her wish for acceptance and normality. She works from home as a potter. Harvest jugs are her speciality.

'Relating To Michael' is about a family's struggles and frustrations as it journeys towards a different understanding.

About the Author

Mary Maher has had four collections of poetry published, and many short stories one of which won a SW Arts Award. Her poems have appeared in the first Forward Anthology, on TV and have been used by The Hospice Care Trust, the UCLA Writing Programme and Exeter Health Care Arts. When the scheme was running she was a W H Smith Poet in Schools. She enjoys editing as well and recently edited two art books.

Yorkshire born in 1937 to a family of miners, Mary has had manic depression several times and believes this is why she felt 'at home' working in Special Education where there was a lot of honesty, a lack of social inhibition and where life was vivid, never humdrum, on a daily basis.