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Cameron Dezen Hammon

@cameron_dezen_hammon

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Writer, podcaster, lecturer, medical humanities @riceuniversity This is My Body (@lookoutbooksuncw )
@literarydisparities

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My daughter Sydney turns 20 today. On February 27th she suffered a stroke and 3 massive seizures in one hour’s time after having days of severe migraines at college in NY. I was there, as we had planned a weekend together in the city. She collapsed into my arms in the street after bravely taking an Uber to the family apartment from college, north of the city. Within minutes we were in the ambulance to NYU Langone, 2 blocks away, where we would remain for over a month. She had 3 inter-cranial procedures - the main one of which was a 13-hour marathon to remove a massive cavernoma from deep inside her brain, which had engorged as blood clots raced to her brain for reasons still unclear. She was in the neurosurgery ICU for 3 weeks, and then did a week in a less acute room, then a week in NYU’s Rusk rehabilitation hospital. I haven’t posted until now because I can’t really think about it without the seizures coming back to me as if they happened today. She made it. Her mother and I made it, next to our angel’s side the entire time, along with her uncle Alex without whom we might be telling a different story now. I love her more than words can express. I lament that this happened to her, and definitely do not believe that all things happen for a reason. There is no reason to this. But, she made it. She fought like a dog, all while deeply, deeply suffering. Her mother advocated for her like a lion. Family and friends surrounded us with support and so much love. We will never - ever - forget any of this, nor neglect to let this experience shape us forever. Syddo - I love you fiercely and am wishing you an extra special Happy Birthday today. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow when you return and spend some wonderful time together before you go back to school. MH.

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A new season means new additions to your TBR pile! Spring into Lookout’s latest giveaway for a chance to win three genre-spanning titles.

Start the season with poet Bernardo Wade’s debut collection, A Love Tap. Indulge in the “surreal delight” of Clare Beams’s award-winning short story collection, We Show What We Have Learned. Lose yourself in the “generous and unflinchingly brave memoir about faith, feminism, and freedom” that is Cameron Dezen Hammon’s memoir, This Is My Body.

To enter the giveaway: 1) Like this photo 2) Sign up for our newsletter (you can find it linked in our bio) 3) Tag a friend in the comments who you think would LOVE these books!

This giveaway is open from now until Friday, May 1st at noon! We will announce the winner then!

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Every story begins with a voice brave enough to say something real. These opening lines carry the weight of a lived experience, inviting you into worlds shaped by truth, memory, and perspective.

Explore all of Lookout’s nonfiction at the link in our bio.

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There’s a Lookout title and drink pairing for every taste! Sip a glass of red wine as you read Cameron Dezen Hammon’s This Is My Body. Enjoy a cool sip of strawberry lemonade alongside Bernardo’s Wade’s refreshing new poetry collection A Love Tap. Or curl up with a London Fog as you dive into the otherworldly stories of Clare Beams’ We Show What We Have Learned. All titles featured here (and more!) will be available at Lookout’s table at AWP! Stop by table 1130 at the bookfair to peruse our catalog and say hi! Can’t make it to AWP? You can also purchase all of our titles on Lookout’s website, linked in our bio.

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Episode 1 is finally here! Taking Back Menopause with Lidia Yuknavitch 🩸

I got to talk to a literary hero of mine about bodies, ancestors, power, and community and I couldn’t have dreamed of a better guest to kick off the season. 🩸

I’ve been dreaming of a podcast about women’s health where we can say v@g$&na as many times as we want and she’s finally here 💕💅🏻🩸🥰

Check out the book The Big M: 13 Writers take back the story of menopause - available everywhere

Link in ^^^

#womenwriters #menopause #perimenopause #podcast #lidiayuknavitch

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A clip from episode 1-- Taking Back Menopause-- with Lidia Yuknavitch coming 1.31.26

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Paris is a city that takes writers seriously, which makes it the perfect place to study how stories heal, question and witness.

In Cameron Dezen Hammon’s ENGL/MDHM 272 (Literature and Medicine), you’ll explore French texts that confront illness, inequality, ethics and the emotional work of care. Then you’ll see how this literary tradition lives inside the city itself. This is a course for students who want medicine to be more human and literature to be more alive.

Explore the 2026 Rice Global Paris Summer Program at the link in our bio.

#RiceGlobal #Paris #ParisCenter #medicalhumanities

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Our Amazing Creative Writing Faculty

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This first photo captures the essence of #awp25 for me. Friendships with writers who sustain you (and the fun you have after two drinks 🥰).

Yes I went to panels and many were inspiring and reminded me of the importance of this work. Yes I inadvertently organized a @substack writer’s meetup that overwhelmed the bar I’d chosen. Yes I listened to @roxanegay74 spew truth. But mainly I caught up with writers I first encountered in this space or with @literary_mama and nurtured those relationships. I went to their panels and readings, shared drinks and dinners, hugged them in the hallways.

Being a writer is f@*%ing hard. But this conference and these friendships remind me it is worth it.

(Also I am so proud I didn’t overdo it with book purchases but be assured I have a list of at least ten more I plan to purchase once I get home. Ping me if you want that list!!!)

#amreading #amwriting #creativenonfiction #memoir #substack

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Another fun-sausting AWP! Every year I say I’m not going, then I cave and book tickets, then I regret caving and dread the overwhelm… and then I arrive and have *such* a wonderful time seeing friends and nerding out about craft and reading in bars and gardens and taking lots of pictures of crows but not enough of people and buying books and and and… so I’ve been saying I’m not going next year, but let’s be real—I’ll see you all in Baltimore!

(Sorry, Instagram won’t let me tag this many people!!!)

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This year’s #AWP haul: Babes, books, and beachside hikes. More coffee than God. Craft talks and tortilla chips are a balm. Whoever said the writing life is lonely just hadn’t found the right romper yet. Oops, I also bought a painting.

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Spring Break/AWP photo dump.This was my first time attending a big ol fancy writers conference! I was overwhelmed and delighted the whole time. Mostly I'm delighted I got to see some of my favorite humans from the Internet in the flesh. Love you all.

Extra love to Aly for coming to adventure with me in SB. Angel wants you to come back real soon.

But it

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