Survivor-led • Hope Mills, North Carolina

What we make helps us keep going.

Art from reclaimed wood. Words that make survivors feel seen. Free tools for the hard work of recovery. This is Gray Matters Survivor Press, founded by stroke survivor Mike Gaddy.

Explore our work Meet Mike

Connected by recovery

Four ways we show up.

Each part of Gray Matters Survivor Press grew from making, healing, and sharing that work with others.

01 / Publishing Gray Matters Survivor Press seal

Gray Matters Survivor Press

Survivor-made books, poetry, and art. Our anthology SEEN: Voices of Survival brings together lived experiences that deserve a place on the page.

Explore the anthology

02 / Reclaimed wood art

Gray Matters Coaster Art

Handcrafted coasters from reclaimed wood, many hand-painted by a stroke survivor. Every purchase helps fund free fine motor kits.

Visit the coaster shop

03 / Recovery

Wood To Recovery

Handcrafted fine motor kits for stroke survivors. The pieces began as Mike's own recovery tools, made from scrap wood while he was regaining use of his affected hand. Kits are distributed through established care relationships.

Learn about the kits

04 / Community

Poetry on the Porch

A recurring place to read, listen, and be heard. Poetry and open mic gatherings help turn individual survival into community.

Find your place on the porch

Gray Matters Coaster Art

Art that helps the kits reach survivors.

Mike brings reclaimed-wood coaster art to local events. Sales help pay for the materials in Wood To Recovery kits.

Explore the coaster art

Gray Matters Coaster Art event table with racks of hand-painted wooden coasters and information about recovery kits

Rows of hand-painted wooden coasters with colorful characters and animals

Gray Matters Coaster Art display beneath a blue canopy

Two people holding colorful artwork in front of a coaster art table

Family holding painted wooden coasters at the outdoor art table

Gray Matters Survivor Press presents

SEEN: Voices of Survival

A survivor-led anthology of poetry, stories, and art from people who have lived through illness, trauma, loss, disability, and the difficult work of continuing. The book opens with Mike Gaddy’s “WE SEE THE UNSEEN” and closes with “THEY SEE THEY ARE SEEN.”

We’re accepting poems from survivors for the current call. Send 1–3 poems in any style. There is no submission fee, and contributors retain copyright to their work.

1–3 poemsFree to submitSubmit by October 31, 2026

Include your name, your poems, and the publication permission statement shown on the flyer. The book is planned for release December 30, 2026.

Email your poems

Gray Matters Survivor Press

Books with a survivor’s point of view.

Poetry, humor, and stories made by people who know that the page can hold more than one kind of survival.

Interested in a signed copy? Contact us about availability and purchase options.

Available on Amazon

The Aftermath

A survivor-led book by Mike Gaddy. See the Amazon listing for formats and purchase details.

Mike Gaddy

View on Amazon

Available on Amazon

The Epic of Bouffidies: Not Just a Hero The Hero

Explore the Bouffidies series. See the Amazon listing for formats and purchase details.

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Available on Amazon

The Epic of Bouffidies, Vol. 2: The Oracle of Delphi

The Epic of Bouffidies, Volume 2: The Oracle of Delphi book cover

Volume two in The Epic of Bouffidies series. See the Amazon listing for formats and purchase details.

View on Amazon

Available on Amazon

Would You? Should You? Could You?: Five Reflections on Encounter

Would You? Should You? Could You? book cover

Five reflections on encounter. See the Amazon listing for formats and purchase details.

View on Amazon

Available on Amazon

The Day the Little Turtle Slowed Down

A story about taking life at a different pace. See the Amazon listing for formats and purchase details.

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Available on Amazon

Tully and the Elder Turtle: A Gentle Story About Change, Memory and Love

A gentle story about change, memory, and love. See the Amazon listing for formats and purchase details.

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Available on Amazon

Redneck Explains the Classics: 25 Masterpieces of Literature Stripped of the High-Brow Fluff

Redneck Explains the Classics book cover

A humorous take on 25 literary classics. See the Amazon listing for formats and purchase details.

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Available on Amazon

Harry Finds Home: A Story of Trust, Kindness and Love

A story of trust, kindness, and love. See the Amazon listing for formats and purchase details.

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Available on Amazon

Duke

Meet Duke in his own book. See the Amazon listing for formats and purchase details.

View on Amazon

Available on Amazon

Duke's Magic Cure

Another story featuring Duke. See the Amazon listing for formats and purchase details.

View on Amazon

In development

Anthology • Submissions open

SEEN: Voices of Survival

Poems, stories, and art from survivors. The current call for poems runs through October 31, 2026, with release planned for December.

Explore SEEN

Humor • In production

Diary of the Potty

Short, comic tales from an unruly bathroom universe, written by David R. Blackwell and illustrated by Mike Gaddy.

David R. Blackwell · Mike Gaddy

Stories • In production

BACKYARD

A cast of squirrels, foxes, possums, and other backyard personalities begins its own lively world of stories.

Written by David R. Blackwell · Illustrated by Mike Gaddy

The story behind the work

Made by someone who lived it.

Mike Gaddy was a contractor and carpenter before a stroke in 2023 changed how he worked with his hands. During recovery, he began making small wooden tools from scraps to practice movement and coordination.

Those early pieces became the foundation for free fine motor kits he now hand-delivers to stroke survivors, including through Cape Fear Valley Inpatient Rehab Center. Coaster art helps pay for the materials. Poetry, books, and open mics make room for the stories that recovery carries.

“Because every survivor deserves to be seen.”

About the author • Co-founder

David R. Blackwell

David R. Blackwell is a disabled author and spoken-word poet living in rural North Carolina. Writing with sharp humor and rhythmic realism, his work explores everyday life, family, loyalty, survival, and the truths people often leave unsaid.

David is the co-founder of Gray Matters Survivor Press, founded by Mike Gaddy. He works alongside Mike to bring books to print and to create honest, unfiltered storytelling that blends humor, imagination, and lived experience.

David is also a strong advocate for survivors’ voices and believes their stories deserve to be heard without being softened or cleaned up for comfort.

Wood To Recovery

Small tools. Real work. Given freely.

The kits offer hands-on activities for grip, dexterity, coordination, and daily tasks. Mike builds and delivers them free of charge through Cape Fear Valley Inpatient Rehab Center and to individuals he works with directly. Coaster sales help fund the materials.

Wood To Recovery grew from Mike’s own rehabilitation. The program shares that work through trusted local connections.

Support through coaster art

Fine motor kit laid out on a table with handmade wooden pieces, dressing panel, containers, clothespins, small objects, and carrying case — A kit laid out for a hand delivery, showing handmade pieces and everyday practice items.

What goes into a kit

Hand paddle
Six-peg board
Colored blocks
Dressing practice panel
Nuts, bolts, and washers
Clothespins
Paper clips and rubber bands
Small pom-poms

Wood To Recovery

One of the first kits we gave away.

A moment from the early days of sharing these handmade recovery kits.

A person at a table with a closed blue Wood To Recovery kit

People at a table looking through an open blue Wood To Recovery kit

Come read. Come listen.

Upcoming poetry events

Two places to share words and find community in Fayetteville.

A reader holding papers and speaking into a microphone on stage

Every fourth Monday • 6–8 PM

Poetry on the Porch

Poetry and community at The Farmer’s Cat Café, 2589 Gillespie Street, Fayetteville, NC. Hosted by Dr. Bridget Crumb; created by Mike Gaddy and David Blackwell, and presented by Gray Matters Survivor Press.

View the full flyer

November 7, 2026 • 10 AM–noon

Poetry on the Patio

An open mic for poetry, spoken word, and music at Vagabond Café, 108 Hay Street, Fayetteville, NC. Hosted by Mike Gaddy and David R. Blackwell; presented by Gray Matters Survivor Press.

View the full flyer

People gathered outdoors at sunset for a poetry event

Mike Gaddy reading poetry at a microphone outside The Farmer’s Cat Café

Stay connected

Let's make something matter.

Ask about books, readings, art, or ways to support the work. Based in Hope Mills, North Carolina.

Gray Matters Survivor Press
graymatterssurvivorpress@gmail.com Gray Matters Coaster Art
graymatterscoasterart@gmail.com Shop Gray Matters Coaster Art