Petra Kuppers

Petra Kuppers is a Professor at the University of Michigan, specializing in disability culture, performance art, and ecocriticism. She holds a PhD from Falmouth College of Art/Plymouth University (1999) and is affiliated with multiple departments, including English, Drama, and Gender Studies. Her work bridges academic research with community-based performance, emphasizing socially just futures through art.

Key roles include Artistic Director of The Olimpias, co-founder of Turtle Disco, and a Just Tech Fellow (2024–2026) for 'Planting Disabled Futures,' a VR project blending disability culture and environmental ethics. She teaches graduate courses on disability studies and creative writing, advising students through a monthly 'Research Coven.'

Kuppers has authored influential books like *Disability and Contemporary Performance* (2003) and *Eco Soma* (2022), recognized with awards such as the Guggenheim Fellowship and ATHE Book Prize. Her poetry collections, including *Gut Botany* (2020) and *Diver Beneath the Street* (2024), explore intersections of disability, ecology, and true crime.

Her research spans crip ecologies, archival activism, and somatic methods, with recent projects including *Crip/Mad Archive Dances* and participatory events like 'Crip Drifts.' She emphasizes accessibility in performance, digital art, and public engagement, often collaborating with Indigenous communities and global disability collectives.