Slow Motion: A Memoir of Friendship, Disability, and Advocacy

At twenty-one, Jen Dupree is working as an Activity Director in a nursing home when she meets Marcel--a man twenty-five years her senior who has cerebral palsy. Despite the physical limitations of his disability, Jen sees in Marcel a magnificent spark: endless curiosity, infectious humor, and an unshakeable propensity for joy. When a doctor tells Marcel to ＂get up and move around＂ despite his chart clearly noting he’s never walked, Jen asks if the doctor brought his magic wand. It’s the beginning of a friendship that will span three decades.

We live in a society that values speed and efficiency, so what does it mean when your life is necessarily slow and you must rely on others for tasks as simple as wiping your nose? Through nearly thirty years of Portland Pirates hockey games, concerts, hospital advocacy battles, and countless adventures, Jen discovers the answer alongside Marcel.

Slow Motion is both a heartfelt tribute to an extraordinary friendship and an awakening to disability rights and advocacy. By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, these stories reveal how Marcel has navigated prejudice, medical dismissal, and an ableist culture with grace and determination--and how Jen learned to see the world through entirely new eyes.

This is a story about showing up, speaking out, and the transformative power of chosen family. With deadpan humor and unflinching honesty, Dupree offers readers a portrait of friendship that transcends difference and celebrates our shared humanity.

Jen Dupree is the author of two novels, The Miraculous Flight of Owen Leach (2022) and What Do You Want from Me? (2025). She is an assistant editor for The Masters Review, a library director, and a former bookstore owner. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from USM’s Stonecoast program. Her work has appeared in December, Solstice, The Masters Review, On the Rusk and other notable places. She is the winner of the Writer’s Digest Fiction Contest for 2017, and a two-time winner of a Maine Literary Award (2006, 2022). She lives in Maine with her husband and Portuguese Water Dog (Pink) Floyd. Find her at www.JenniferDupree.com.