Maribel Steel is a freelance writer, author, public speaker and disability educator. She is legally blind and uses a verbose ‘parrot’ called JAWS ( a screen reader) to keep in touch with books, education and all things on the internet.
She joined the Society of Women Writers Victoria in 2017, and has assisted in editing SPARX anthology, and continues to enjoy the fellowship, contributing to the various workshops and monthly book chats.
She is the mother of four grown up children, an Aromatherapist and vocalist, and at times, assists her partner in his recording studio in her role as ‘Big Ears’.
Maribel is an Australia Reads Ambassador, and an avid reader of audio books. She is on a mission to read as many books as possible per year to catch up on those years when her sight could not read print books.
She is passionate about education, and fostering curiosity in the younger generation. With her guide dog, Maribel gives presentations to Primary Schools to highlight what it is like to ‘Walk in Our Shoes for a Day’. She is always impressed with the students questions, such as ‘How do you eat? ‘What is the best thing about being blind? Do they send blind people to war?’
Maribel has over 300 short stories, memoir vignettes and personal essays published in print or online. She is a peer advisor for VisionAware (USA) and continues to facilitate workshops for writers, speakers and for the ‘blindness’ community, locally and internationally.
Publications:
Blindness for Beginners: a renewed vision of the possible 2018 (Amazon & Audible)
My Mother’s Harvest: a collection of family recipes and short stories 2012
Terriwinkle and Other Magical Fairy Stories 2019 Co-author, Silver Farnham
Anthologies, Magazines & Online Publications:
SPARX, Australian Author magazine, Culture Victoria, Arts Hub, The Victorian Writer, Magnets and Ladders, Toastmasters Magazine, Exceptions Art Journal, My Child Magazine, The Bark, , Bendigo Advertiser, ADCET.
Awards:
Vision Australia’s Dickenson Literary Award (Honourable Mention 2008)
Lynette Rowe Best Achievement in Community Service (3rd place 2017)
Writeability Fellowships (high commendation 2017)
Toastmaster of the Year (Glen Waverley) 2018, 2019
1st Place in the Humourous Contest Toastmasters (Area level) 2019
Radio/Podcasts:
ABC Life Matters, ABC 774 Breakfast, 3RRR, Vision Australia, The Remarkables, Southern FM, Read On Book Show (RNIB), VisionAware, Eyes on Success, A Taste of the World, Studio 10 Breakfast Sydney TV.