As an adult, do you see yourself authentically reflected in characters who are labelled or coded autistic?


I don’t think I’ve read an adult character who feels truly like me yet. There’s usually a sense that my neurology has been co-opted as “quirkiness” and some kind of “hook” or punchline. Children’s literature seems to be making great strides, yet autistic adults need to see themselves accurately portrayed too. Our life journeys are oſten differ- ent but there’s litle to reflect that in fiction. The more open the book world is to autistic voices of all ages, the faster genuine representation can happen.


I’m sure you’d like to see more neurodivergent writ- ers within the industry, but have you found it easy discussing your own need for accommodations? If I’m specific, I’ve found people can be receptive. Small changes make a huge difference and they’re not difficult to implement, whether it’s virtual meetings, email interviews, longer processing time or clearer communication. The hardest part can be knowing what to ask for. Also, finding the courage to ask without judgement, or at a cost to our careers. Aſter years of being labelled “difficult”, autistic people don’t want to be seen as trouble.


Book promotion can be tough even for non-disabled writers, so how have you coped? Has it been easier since your diagnosis? Historically, I’ve struggled, as it relies heavily on skills I don’t have. Promotion tends to wipe me out. I’ve been lucky that my publishers have always been supportive, but I do feel more comfortable speaking up now, from requesting longer breaks between events, smaller groups, a detailed schedule in advance, or even just a particularly quiet hotel if I’m staying away from home. The difference has already been immense.


You already have a dazzling track record, but what can the industry do to embrace an autistic writer at the start of their career? We need to stop seeing autistic authors, and characters, as “niche”. We have fascinating, hugely valuable stories with potential bestseller appeal. Budding autistic writers may need additional support and accommodations, but there’s no reason they can’t have long, hugely successful careers without burning out in the process. Just make sure not to limit or dismiss them before they get there.


On a final positive note, what strengths do you feel an autistic writer can bring to the table? What we generally have in common is an abilit to give a story a distinctive, fresh spin. We have oſten spent our lives studying people, and many of us prefer writen communication to verbal, so we are leaning into our primary skill-set. We’re also oſten amazing at hyper-focus, detail and “scripting”. There’s a reason so many successful authors—potentially Virginia Woolf, Isaac Asimov—are considered to have been autistic. Our natural strengths tie in perfectly with the atributes of a great writer, so give us the appropriate tools and sit back and watch us flourish!


TheBookseller.com


Author Interview on a startling history of sight loss


Maud Rowell takes readers g


Rosario Blue @bluezephyr


I


want to tell people what it’s like to have this disability. I want to change their minds, in terms of how they


think about disability more generally, because I think we internalise a lot of negativities about it.” In Blind Spot: An Exploration and


Education on Blindness, début author Maud Rowell takes the reader on a journey through blindness in history, and discusses society’s often callous approach to it. It tells Rowell’s story of losing her sight at a pivotal time in her life, as well as the stories of other blind people. “I was trying to envisage who my reader was,” says Rowell. “I was hoping it would be kind of anyone—a blind person could read it, someone losing their sight could read it, a sighted person could read it. Ultimately, I wanted people not to feel scared that that could happen to them.” Rowell was 19 when she lost her sight.


“I went straight to university. I then did a Masters. I felt like I didn’t really have time to get to grips with my identity as a blind person. I didn’t know anyone else who was blind, pretty much.” Rowell struggled with the changes


at first, but writing and researching Blind Spot—discovering inspirational and forgotten-to-history blind people—was cathartic. “We haven’t bothered to preserve the history of these people, which I think is really dangerous. It really shapes how we think about blind people today…We don’t have these historical role models to look back on and contextualise things for us.” She feels very grateful to the people


who shared their stories with her. They not only informed her book, but also let her know that there are other people that share her experience. “My interviewees were just amazing people, and they said such important things. It’s been a tiny bit stressful… I feel a duty of care to the people I’ve spoken to, and I really want to represent their stories true to how they want them to be conveyed.” On technology she uses in everyday


life, Rowell says her phone is probably the main thing. She uses Otter.ai, a very accurate transcription service,


Blue photography: Rachel Kareem 15


and has found the boom of audiobooks helpful. Another device she uses is the OrCam MyEye, a wearable device that enables blind people to read text and identify faces and products. Rowell loves it. “Amazing as that technology is, it only reads in one language. So if I wanted to read a book in Japanese, I’d have to buy a whole separate OrCam, and they cost like £3,000. So yeah... that’s another problem. It’s almost like assuming blind people will have really limited intellectual curiosity—like, because you’re blind, you don’t want to learn more than you know.” While it shouldn’t be


the work of those affected by an issue to divvy out education to those ignorant of it, Rowell has the grace to be that educa- tor while also uplifting herself. In Blind Spot, she does so expertly.


Blind Spot will be released in the UK on 28th October 2021 by 404 Ink, priced at £7.50.


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