Dr. Mel Houser | Phoenix Books Essex

About this event

Phoenix Books is delighted to host debut author Dr. Mel Houser in our Essex store on Wednesday, November 4 at 5:30 PM for a talk about their book, A Failure of Imagination: How the Healthcare System Fails Neurodivergent People -- And What We're Doing Instead. Dr. Mel Houser (she/they) is a family physician, and Founder and Executive Director of All Brains Belong VT, a nonprofit organization in Montpelier with a mission to support the health and belonging of people with all types of brains. All Brains Belong has pioneered an innovative model that integrates medical care with social connection, employment support, and community education. Dr. Houser provides neurodiversity training to organizations around the country about how to create workplace environments where all employees can get their needs met and thrive. About the book: The healthcare system doesn't work for a lot of people. When it doesn't work, for some people, that's the difference between life and death. A Failure of Imagination is the story of the first four years of All Brains Belong VT, a neuroinclusive community health organization in Montpelier, Vermont, built on a radical premise: access comes first, and the people closest to the problem should shape the solutions. Healthcare, as it turns out, is more than medical care--it's addressing loneliness, work, school, and the rest of what gives life meaning. This is the story of how isolated people came into community with one another, found their way to better health, and built something that anyone, anywhere, can replicate. DATE: Wednesday, November 04, 2026 at 5:30 PM LOCATION: Phoenix Books Essex, 2 Carmichael Street, Essex Junction, VT TICKETS: Tickets are FREE. Phoenix Books has adopted an RSVP-based system, and you can RSVP through the Seven Days Tickets website. Your RSVP grants you a $3.00 off coupon for A Failure of Imagination: How the Healthcare System Fails Neurodivergent People -- And What We're Doing Instead. BOOKS: Copies of A Failure of Imagination: How the Healthcare System Fails Neurodivergent People -- And What We're Doing Instead by Dr. Mel Houser will be available for purchase at the event.

Who

• Mel HouserAuthor

The book

• A Failure of Imagination: How the Healthcare System Fails Neurodivergent People -- And What We're Doing InsteadMel Houser

Venue

Phoenix Books Essex

2 Carmichael St, Essex Junction, VT 05452

Venue website

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