If you could have dinner with just one person who’s not alive today, a famous person from history, who would you choose?

It’s October which means Blindness Awareness Month, October 14th being World Sight Day, and October 15th which is known as White Cane Day, we at Outlook speak with M. Leona Godin, friend of the show.

We’ve been talking a lot about her recently released cultural exploration of blindness and sight - "There Plant Eyes: A Personal and Cultural History of Blindness" since it came out, with Pantheon Books, back in June. And before, since her first appearance on the show in June of 2020.

Again, it being October and with Halloween right around the corner, what is it with the graphic language around the eyes (gouging in works of literature such as in Shakespeare’s King Lear or Oedipus Rex by Sophocles? Godin took a phrase from Shakespeare for a chapter in her book entitled: "Out, Vile Jelly!" It seems to fit the theme and this time of year well, as we discuss the vulnerability of one’s eyes and the forms that takes.

We talk book title changes like hers which occurred in the year since she was last on with us, and why there’s not more of a call for blind pride, but not like how there’s terms such as blind rage, blind drunk, and how love is blind. Instead, why is there a hesitancy for creating a blindness pride movement, as in the other pride movements happening in other marginalized communities?

We ponder out loud an imaginary dinner party with us three in attendance, along with historical figures mightily included in "There Plant Eyes", such as Louis Braille and Helen Keller - 2021 we’re referring to as the year of "There Plant Eyes" on Outlook On Radio Western and this one was a fun, light chat between friends with a little vile jelly thrown in for good measure.

Here’s where to go to find out more information about There Plant Eyes: A Personal and Cultural History of Blindness and the link to hear Leona’s first appearance on Outlook from last year:

http://thereplanteyes.com/about-the-book-and-the-author/

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/outlook-on-radio-western/id1527876739?i=1000488226682