Several months ago at a gathering of the Whatcom Writers and Publishers I was gently approached by a woman with a question. She was producing a book about people with Alopecia. And the question she kindly asked was did I have Alopecia, hair loss caused by an auto-immune reaction. I’m pretty sure she knew the answer, but the way she approached, warm and kind, was quite wonderful. Her name is Deeann Callis Graham.

The book, Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, is a collection of 75 personal narratives. And it is finished. My story, Alopecia Areata and other Heavy Metal band names… was one of the last submitted. It is a lovely book, with touching stories about this puzzling auto-immune disease that comes in three flavors: areata, totalis and universalis. This condition can really send self-esteem for a loop. So, if you’re interested in the book, or the condition here is the website: HEAD ON.

There are also some wonderful photographs by my friend, Damian Vines.