I’m delighted to announce that The word made flesh, a reflection I wrote on faith and autism, has been accepted for publication in an upcoming anthology by UQP. The as-yet-untitled anthology aims to disrupt clinical approaches to autism by showcasing a diversity of perspectives on the neurotype, and I’ll be rubbing shoulders with a range of awesome contributors including Clem Bastow, Jo Case, Fiona Wright and Jess Ho.
Editors Clem Bastow and Jo Case write, ‘These 25 essays hold immense and joyous potential to move the conversation towards a more nuanced understanding of Autistic experience. Autism is often viewed through a lens of diagnosis. These experiences are represented in the anthology, by writers who powerfully critique and dismantle clinical understandings of Autism.’
I’m particularly thrilled to be included as my piece opens with John 1 and ends in doxology, yet has been accepted for inclusion in a secular publication. I love that the editors have made space for faith, which is such a significant aspect of life for so many autistic people. Whoop whoop!
You can read more about the anthology, which will be published in April 2024, here. I can’t wait to read all the other contributions; it’s going to be great.
And BTW happy World Autism Awareness & Appreciation Month (or however you parse it; it’s a contested space / name / month).
In the beginning was the word: for the word is the womb of the world. Before words, the world is dark, shadowy, formless. It makes no sense; it tells no story. But with the word, everything is made light; so at dawn I rose and slipped outside and collected the word. The Age, wet with dew, lying on a star-dappled lawn … (a snippet from the piece)
Alison and the whale 