Welcome to my creative page, a space where poetry meets lived experience and advocacy. Here, you’ll find poems shaped by the urgent realities of our time: the dismantling of disability and LGBTQ+ rights, the loss of public supports, the stories behind policy headlines. My work is rooted in disability justice and the belief that creative expression can bear witness, spark empathy, and remind us what’s at stake. For me, poetry is both a refuge and a rallying cry. It's a way to bear witness, to connect, and to remind us of our shared humanity. If you’re looking for creative work that doesn’t shy away from hard truths but still finds beauty and hope, you’re in the right place. I’m glad you’re here. Whether you’re here for art, activism, or both, I invite you to listen, reflect, and connect. Betsy Johnson is available for features at poetry nights, spoken word showcases, arts fundraisers, and disability justice events. To inquire about booking Betsy for your event, reading, or series, please use the contact form.
Creative Work
Mathematics of Mercy
Read on the floor of the US House of Representatives, this poem brings forward what policy language tries to obscure, the human cost of cutting Medicaid. I try to give voice to those who are so often left out of the conversation. This poem insists we look closer. It reminds us that every cut has a consequence, and every consequence has a name.
WCUW Interview
I See Your Symphony
This poem about Social Security captures the slow erosion of a promise. What was meant to be a safety net is now tangled in barriers, delays, and denials, leaving people suspended in uncertainty when they need stability most. Through the poem, we see the weariness of those who paid in for decades, only to be met with months-long waitlists, impossible paperwork, and shifting rules. The system that once stood for dignity in aging and support in disability now too often feels like a locked door.
Turning 22
This poem speaks from the “turning 22 cliff,” where disability services across education, healthcare, and housing fall away. It captures the disorientation, the loss, and the pressure to continue, while leaving space for possibility, resilience, and hope.
The R Word
The R Word is a poem that confronts the harm done when slurs like “retarded” are brought back into public discourse by people with power. It speaks to the violence of erasure, the reinforcement of stigma, and the way language can reopen old wounds.
Registry
This poem speaks to the fear that comes when difference is tracked, categorized, and watched. It’s about what happens when a diagnosis becomes a data point, and a human being becomes a risk to be managed. It asks what kind of future we’re building when we collect names instead of listening to stories.
The Real Required Reading
This poem puts a human face on the quiet devastation that follows when DEI efforts are stripped away. It serves as a reminder that behind every policy reversal are real people.
Bright Wired
This piece gives voice to the often-misunderstood sensory world of autistic people, especially in medical settings where pain thresholds and sensory responses can be misread. This poem challenges the idea that experiencing things differently means being fragile. It asks providers to pause, to notice, and to trust that what may seem invisible is still real.