Ever wonder where your mind goes during a three-hour surgery sedation? I’m here to tell you I have an exquisite recall of the event. My surgeon begs to differ, but I briefed myself before the propofol ran wild, causing my left arm to freeze before blowing apart.

My manual communication went unnoticed as masked humans sliced new incisions and wrestled out the old implants. I could hear muffled voices discussing the scar tissue of eleven years of wear, just when my cancer was at a crossroads.

I wanted to clean up the room, jigsaw my arm remnants back into the shape of a limb, and drink coffee. I wanted to go swimming at Kepuhi Beach on Molokai, topless, skip my implants atop the water, and let the mermaids play dress up, ready to claim their identity.

That’s when the sea maidens gathered around my bed and took turns reconstructing my arm. Their luminescent eyebrowed tentacles chimed as they swayed around me, never hesitating to moan in a melody so comforting, so soothing, so indicative of their whale gods.

Before the tide subsides, I am welcomed into their nautical world. Do I leave this all behind? The scar-tissued implants, the diminishment of femininity, and the need for caffeine? They’ve transformed my arm into a fin, a sign of acceptance, a vice for survival, how can I not?

—

Want to read more from Suzanne Nielsen? Get your copy of Face Up: A Collection of Outlaw Poems today! Buy now on Amazon

You are also encouraged to listen to Suzanne Nielsen read from her recently published essay from Oleb Books’ latest title, Accessing Parenthood: Stories by and About Parents With Disabilities, during our virtual book launch party, posted on our YouTube channel.

The post Mer-folk Passage by Suzanne Nielsen appeared first on Oleb Books.

“Fox Foxerson” is the brainchild of queer cartoonist, illustrator, oil painter and mental health advocate Christi Furnas. In many ways, Fox is a reflection of Furnas’ own life. Like Furnas, Fox is queer and lives with mental illness. According to Furnas, Fox has opinions, and those opinions can be read in “Ask Fox Foxerson,” an advice column that appears in “Dispatch,” an arts and culture publication based out of Minneapolis. Oh, and Fox is literally a fox — a cartoon.

“Ask Fox” is a satirical column. The questions Fox answers are real, but the answers have a comedic edge to them. In one column, a gay man who calls himself Annoyed Boi asks Fox what to do about his allegedly straight friend who wants to dry hump him all the time.

“I think ‘straight’ is just a phase your flirty friend is going through,” Fox’s reply reads in part. “It’s only a matter of time before they hug, kiss, dance and hump their way to a new identity.”

Further down in the same column, Annoyed Boi is advised to set his boundaries.

“My money is on him denying the whole thing and proclaiming straightness,” Fox writes. “There might even be some derogatory terms toward the queer community. Don’t be reactive, just set your boundaries. Let him know if he ever needs to talk, you’ll be an ear. Because if he’s gay, he’s having a hell of a time coming out of the closet. And maybe it would be more helpful to him to talk it out with you rather than doing the humpty hump.”

Fox’s column may have a comedic edge, but the advice is ultimately sage.

Of course, Fox is just a character. It is their creator, Furnas, who writes all the replies.

Furnas hails from Kansas, but feels that she has lived through enough Minneapolis winters to call herself a Minnesotan.

“I got married 11 years ago,” Furnas tells the D Lit Blog. “My wife is a writer and I’m a professional artist. Historically, I’ve worked in oil, but in 2015 I got it in my head to write a graphic novel about living with mental illness. A Minnesota State Arts Board grant helped get me going on that, so I switched to pen and ink.”

Fox Foxerson began as a mini-comic titled “Crazy Like a Fox: Adventures in Schizophrenia.” Furnas reports that she is now working on a full-length graphic novel with the same title, in addition to the column in “Dispatch.”

“I didn’t want to write a memoir, but I did want to speak about living with schizophrenia,” Furnas says. “Fox’s experiences and voice mirrors my own. Obviously, characters like Jellyfish Boss Lady, Snake and Worm don’t literally exist, so the book is not a memoir.”

Furnas identifies as queer. She came out in the ‘90s. When she received her mental health diagnosis she was open and honest with her friends and family because, according to her, it made sense.

“I didn’t come out of one closet only to dive into another,” she said. “Sharing my experience with schizophrenia is important to me because I know other queers coming out made a profound difference. It was what shaped the movement to stop HIV, and continues to affect our political climate, and so on.”

Like their creator, Fox is queer. There was no coming out, according to Furnas, Fox just is.

“Fox’s pronouns are they/them,” Furnas said. “I understand the female term for a Fox is Vixen, but Fox doesn’t use she/her pronouns, so there you go. My pronouns are she/her, that’s the one difference between us. If I had been born 25 years later, who knows? Identity is contextual and time is a context.”

According to Furnas, Fox has lived with mental illness their entire adult life, and so their answers to reader’s questions reflects that experience.

“I treasure the response to my comics,” Furnas said. “Largely, it falls into two buckets. People living with severe and persistent mental illness tell me they are happy to see their experience reflected. I hear a lot about how representation helps to start conversations that are otherwise hard. I get, ‘that same thing has happened to me!’ I also hear from parents that their teenager or adult child can really relate.”

Furnas added that Fox is a bit of a know-it-all. They honestly think they are helping people gain a new perspective, though with a sense of humor.

“I hope people can take Fox’s advice with a grain of salt and either LOL, or at least finish reading it with a smile,” she said.

Look for “Ask Fox Foxerson” in “Dispatch” here: https://www.dispatchmsp.com/issue-14-dear-fox-foxerson/

Fox also has a presence on Instagram: @fox_foxerson.

Got a question for Fox? Email them at: foxfoxerson@dispatchmsp.com

For more information on Christi Furnas and her work, please visit: https://www.christifurnas.com/

The post Fox Foxerson: Cartoon Advice Column a Reflection of Its Author appeared first on Oleb Books.

Oleb Books is pleased to be publishing Face Up: A Collection of Outlaw Poems, a new collection of poems by Suzanne Nielsen, who is also a writing professor at Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minnesota. She’s right at home at Metro State, and no wonder: St. Paul is her hometown and she’s a former Metro State student.

Nielsen was born and raised on St. Paul’s East Side, a working class community. She is a product, she says, of the St. Paul public school system during the 1960s and 70s, which she recalls as a very different time.

“For instance, my school had a smoking lounge,” she said. “My parents left my graduation ceremony of over 700 students in 1974 when the hockey team released over a dozen baby pigs onto the main floor. We were rebellious, especially in numbers.”

Looking at Nielsen and listening to her, no one would ever think that she lives with disabilities, but she has in fact lived with depression most of her life.

“My depression is a major player for me,” she says. “I’m somewhat private about it. A dear friend of mine years ago reminded me that the past never leaves, but with time it becomes airbrushed and fades. Years of therapy, swallowing antidepressants, finding a speck of joy among a flea infested mattress isn’t impossible.”

Nielsen admits that she has taken medication for her depression every morning for over three decades.

“I literally have to scrub it off my skin some days,” she said. “And like any irritant it resurfaces like blisters. Or that’s how it maybe feels. Because people cannot generally see this disability, they assume I function without terror and fear.”

Depression is not the only disability Nielsen lives with. She is also hearing impaired. On top of all that, she is a breast cancer survivor.

During her childhood Nielsen had suffered on and off from ear infections. It was on her golden birthday in 1965 that her hearing had become muffled to the point that she thought she was going deaf. She became, as she recalls, a professional head-nodder.

“I didn’t get a formal diagnosis for my hearing loss until 2016,” she said. “After the audiologist explained to me my degree of hearing loss I felt bittersweet about the loss. I felt I received the confirmation I needed to know I wasn’t crazy, and at the same time I needed to adjust to a new instrument: the hearing aid.”

Nielsen does not wear her hearing aids when home alone or when she’s writing. She wears them whenever she’s with people to avoid head nodding.

“For a number of years I noticed a subtle decline in my ability to hear,” Nielsen said. “For teaching this became a serious concern as I was always asking students to repeat what they just said. I hate to say it but after the third ask head-nodding takes over.”

Nielsen urges people who think they’re experiencing hearing loss not to ignore it.

“Listen to your own voice and seek aid,” she advises.

Nielsen discovered that she had breast cancer in 2014 after she had a mammogram and was told that they needed to take a biopsy. The morning after her biopsy she was informed that her breast cancer test was positive.

“I felt a bit dazed, shocked, freaked, scared, but I didn’t buy an urn,” she recalls. “I didn’t update my will. I never liked my breasts anyway so that’s how I went into the news.”

She underwent a double mastectomy and an oral chemo.

“Also an oral medication for five years,” she said. “After my surgery I elected reconstruction surgery.”

She is not undergoing treatment now and admits that her daily life was affected while she was going through the ordeal.

“When something life threatening comes knocking on your door and opens it up without your invitation, life becomes changed, forever,” she said.

Nielsen offers some sage advice to women regarding their health.

“Be your own advocate,” she advises. “Trust your healthcare professionals, talk frankly with them and they will be a tremendous comfort, truly.”

Whatever challenges she may be living with has not stopped Nielsen from pursuing a successful career as a teacher. Metropolitan State University is only blocks from where she grew up, and she enjoys being back in the old neighborhood.

“Being a writing teacher is a huge time commitment,” she said. “Especially if you want to do it justice. Early writers need to take risks, but that’s where I think my mentorship works. My students take risks and as a result they learn resiliency.”

The students are what she likes best about teaching. She likens working with them to watching a flower bloom.

“As corny as that sounds,” she said, “it’s really quite miraculous. And the symbolism of what we feed our souls transforms each flaw into something simply stunning.”

Nielsen describes her poetry as raw, confronting, face to face, and face up angst. All kinds of things inspire her poetry, such as music, wind, sun, barking dogs and sirens.

“The smell of a barbecue,” she added. “Laughter, tears, love, despair, depression, joy, reflection, comedy and tragedy.”

She says that she has always loved reading poetry and started writing poetry while still in her teens. She also writes short stories and even an occasional piece of creative nonfiction.

“I am fascinated by the constraints and freedom of flash fiction,” she said. “To me flash fiction is a story in 500 words. That form is the best of both worlds, fiction and poetry.”

Nielsen urges potential readers to “take a risk” and check out her new collection of poems.

“I do think there is a theme that runs through the poems,” she said. “Sometimes it stands out as joy, sometimes despair. But overall, I think it resonates resilience. Sometimes my poems lean in a political direction, other times the mundane.”

Nielsen enjoys her work greatly, saying that writing saves her.

“It saves me from falling deep into the abyss of life,” she said. “It’s that fundamental.”

Learn more about Face Up: A Collection of Outlaw Poems on our book page, which also lists the booksellers offering the title.

The post Author Suzanne Nielsen: Saved by Writing appeared first on Oleb Books.

Six years ago, celebrated historical fiction writer Nomi Eve was hired by Drexel University to develop a master of fine arts (MFA) program for the institution. “I decided on a low-residency format because of the flexibility it offers,” said Eve. “Most of the instruction is delivered remotely, but students and instructor still meet in person three times during the program.”

The Drexel MFA degree is comprised of 45 credits, which most students can complete in about two years. It also has the distinction of being only focused on fiction writing, with electives in young adult (YA), historical fiction, and science fiction. During the three residencies, students have the opportunity to meet accomplished writers, as well as meet literary agents in a low-pressure environment.

Another hallmark of the program is its civic engagement mission, which is woven through all courses. Eve said, “We believe that writing is your superpower. And so we really ask our students to figure out how they can use their writing to make the world a better place.”

“They’re coming to us,” she continued, “not only to learn craft, not only to learn professional development, but also to learn how they can use their writing to push a needle on an issue that’s important.”

Inspired by the social justice mission  of the program, the first MFA cohort, which graduated in spring 2021, donated a total of $1,300 to start a scholarship. The program also received an anonymous $50k donation that was combined with the contribution from the students to form the Drexel MFA Gift Fund for Marginalized Writers. The scholarship will fund the entire degree program for a writer with chronic illness or disability, as well as provide the student with a one-year mentorship with iconic disability writer and poet Kenny Fries.

“When I rolled out the MFA,” said Eve, “I really made a pledge to myself that I would find ways to provide opportunity and pathways for people with illness or disability to become part of our degree.”

Since its inception, the Drexel MFA has been gaining momentum and the number of applicants has grown every year. The program only admits 24 students each fall, and, according to Eve, the admissions rate is 60% — with that figure dropping as more writers apply annually.

“My goal is to fund the fellowship so that we can matriculate two students from the MFA Gift Fund for Marginalized Writers every single year in perpetuity,” said Eve.

For more information about the MFA program and scholarship, please visit:  Low-Residency MFA Creative Writing Degree | Drexel Online

The post New Graduate Scholarship Opportunity for Writers with Disability appeared first on Oleb Books.

Eight books have been chosen to be honored in the 2022 Schneider Family Book Awards — a prize that acknowledges the artistic expression of disability by authors or illustrators who created their work for child or adolescent readers. The awards are administered by the American Librarian Association, and were announced on January 24, 2022, during the association’s LibLearnX, which was held virtually from January 21-24.

Each winner received a prize of $5,000 and a framed plaque. Winners were selected in three categories: young children from birth through grade school, ages 0-8, middle grades ages 9-13, and teens, ages 14-18. The prize winners represent a diverse array of disabilities and cultures.

1. A Walk in the Woods

A Walk in the Words, written and illustrated by Hudson Talbott and published by Nancy Paulsen Books, is the Schneider Family Book Awards winner in the young children’s honor title. In A Walk in the Words, Talbott shares his own story about facing the challenge of being a slow reader. His love of language and his curiosity got him reading and eventually he became a storyteller, writing more than 27 books for young readers. In the words of his prize-winning book’s description, Talbott discovered he could “paint with words.”

2. A Sky-Blue Bench

A Sky-Blue Bench, written by Bahram Rahman and illustrated by Peggy Collins, was published by Pajama Press Inc. and is also a winner in the young children’s honor title. A Sky-Blue Bench tells the story of Aria, a young Afghani girl who’s excited about her first day back at school since her accident. But Aria is worried about sitting on a hard floor all day with her prosthetic “helper leg.” Aria knows that she will be more comfortable on a bench, and so she sets out to gather materials to build a bench for herself.

3. My City Speaks

My City Speaks won the award for young children. The book was written by Darren Lebeuf, with illustrations by Ashley Barron. Published by Kids Can Press Ltd., My City Speaks is about a visually impaired young girl who explores her city with her father. As they visit various diverse destinations, such as a playground, a community garden, a market and an outdoor concert, the girl describes the things she senses in poetic detail.

4. Stuntboy, in the Meantime

Stuntboy in the Meantime takes the prize for best middle grades honor title. Written by Jason Reynolds and illustrated by Raul the Third, this novel is the fanciful tale of Portico, a Black fourth grader who is secretly a superhero. As Portico tries to dodge neighborhood bully Herbert and deal with his parents arguing, he becomes Stuntboy, determined to save his neighborhood and his parents’ marriage. This book was published by Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

5. A Kind of Spark

Also acknowledged for best middle grade honor title is A Kind of Spark, by Elle McNicoll, a neurodivergent author. Published by Crown Books for Young Readers, McNicoll introduces readers to neurodivergent girl Addie, who tries to get her Scottish town to erect a memorial when she learns that the town used to burn witches simply because they were different.

6. A Bird Will Soar

A Bird Will Soar, by Alison Green Myers, won for best middle grades title. The book follows the story of Axel, a bird-loving autistic child whose family nest is in danger of falling apart. Myers integrates poetry and science as she creates a character whose disability molds his identity. The book was published by Dutton Books For Young Readers.

7. A Face for Picasso: Coming of Age With Crouzon Syndrome

Taking home the Schneider Family Book Awards for teens honor title is A Face for Picasso: Coming of Age With Crouzon Syndrome, by Ariel Henley and published by Farrar Straus Giroux Books For Young Readers. Crouzon Syndrome is a condition in which the seams of the skull fuse abnormally, which affects the shape of the face and skull. Henley’s book is based upon her own experiences of coming of age with this syndrome.

8. The Words in My Hands

And finally, the teens award winner is The Words in My Hands, which was written and illustrated by Asphyxia and published by Annick Press. Set in a futuristic Australia, Asphyxia introduces readers to Piper, a deaf teen, as she searches for her identity.

Learn More About the Schneider Family Book Awards

The 2022 Schneider Family Book Awards committee is headed by co-chairs Suan Hess, a retired New York City school librarian, and Mary-Kate Sableski, an associate professor at the University of Dayton in Ohio. Other members of the committee includ Cathy Andronik, Betsy Fraser, Ashley Mensah, Rachel G. Payne, Sharon Powers, Scot Smith, and Alyson Beecher.

All prize-inning books are readily available for purchase at Amazon.com.

The American Library Association has been the voice of libraries for more than 140 years. They support library professionals and the library’s role in ensuring access to information and in increasing learning. For more information on the Schneider Family Book Awards and other programs and activities of the association, please visit https://www.ala.org/.

The post 8 Award-winning Disability Children’s and YA Books to Read in 2022 appeared first on Oleb Books.

By Natalie Watkins

Do you feel as though the writing life comes with a vow of poverty? Does it seem like a lifetime supply of Top Ramen should come with a subscription to Writer’s Digest? For many scribes, it can sometimes feel this way, however, do not despair! There are resources out there to help defray some of the costs of the writing life for writers with disabilities. Here are five funding resources for writers from diverse backgrounds:

Funding Source 1: The Speculative Literature Foundation

The Speculative Literature Foundation offers a $500 diverse writers grant as well as a $500 diverse worlds grant.

Funding Source 2: Horror Scholarships

Are you the next Stephen King or Carmen Maria Machado? Perhaps you can enhance your budget or cover the cost for that next writing master class with a scholarship for horror writers. Follow this link for more info: http://horrorscholarships.com/diversity-grants/

Funding Source 3: Disability Visibility Project

Are you already a published author looking for more visibility for your book? This can be a real challenge in the time of the pandemic, but there is help out there. Check out the Disability Visibility Project to learn more about the help they offer to writers who are published and identify as disabled.

Funding Source 4: The Ford Foundation

The Ford Foundation offers sizable grants to makers from all disciplines who identify as having a disability. Their first group of recipients included six writers.

Funding Source 5: Blogging

So, what if you have applied for grants and are still finding yourself strapped for cash? Consider blogging to support your passion projects. Perhaps, writing profiles on disability advocates may pique your interest. Or, maybe you are drawn to reviewing apps. Just about every website is hungry for fresh content, and many organizations are regularly looking for contributors. You may have to offer your first or second post for free to a nonprofit, but once you have two to three links to recent work, you can start charging for your services.

It’s recommended to create a blogging price list to share with potential customers. Some bloggers get paid per word, while others earn per post. Bloggers who are able to write about specific fields, such as tech or medicine, can charge a lot more. Be sure to research blogger rates within the industry you are looking to write in.

Most writers with disabilities supplement their incomes with a combination of grants, scholarships, and freelance work. Each revenue stream will fluctuate from one month to the next, and it’s important to keep a growing list of funding sources. If there is a funding resource you feel should be on this list, please reach out to us via our contact form. Happy writing!

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood from Pexels

The post 5 Funding Sources for Writers with Disabilities appeared first on Oleb Books.

By Natalie Watkins

A few years ago, author and activist Naomi Ortiz found herself wondering why there were so few elders engaged in social justice work. After some digging around, she discovered that many encountered “hard barriers,” and that the model of self-sacrifice for a collective cause was not mentally sustainable longterm. As a result, Ortiz researched self-help strategies — reading a wealth of literature in the field of self-care and self-help. Alas, she discovered that many of the resources she came across were missing one crucial factor. “I found that most self-care advice centered around the body. Tips like taking yoga or drinking a glass of wine in a bubble bath. Those things can be great,” she laughingly concedes, “but, they do not address the mind, spirit and soul.”

This unearthing sent her on a relentless quest to write the kind of tome she wished was out there. And thus, her book,  Sustaining Spirit: Self-Care for Social Justice, was born. Ortiz’s title is an extensive and varied collection of interviews with people the author describes as “In the movement.” She skillfully weaves narrative prose with a poetic sensibility.  Her book is a unique and highly valuable addition to anyone’s bookshelf who is interested in maintaining a compassionate posture towards themselves and, ultimately, others.

This scribe’s unique and delightful book goes beyond typical self-help strategies to encompass an innovative way to harness one’s essence and deeply honor the self while advocating for a more just and whole world. Her writing is exquisite and her perspective is both poetic and powerful. She has a strong relationship to place, born out of a love for the desert. As Ortiz so beautifully pointed out, “the desert is a place of survival. Plants and animals thrive there in arid conditions.” In keeping with her usual depth and profound perspective, she stated how this works as a metaphor for our lives.

As a writer who identifies as disabled, Ortiz is no stranger to thriving in adverse conditions. Writing has not come easily. “I use Dragon dictation software to write and edit my work. Often words do not come out as intended and editing is required. If I type, it is like pecking.”  Naomi wanted to study writing in college but faced many barriers. “The school did not want to have a student studying writing using audio.”  She describes the physical act of writing as “laborious.”

This has not deterred her from her resolve to create. She even states that sometimes it is an advantage, encouraging her to “slow down and focus.” Like the plants and animals of her beloved Sonoran Desert, she has flourished in difficult circumstances. This generous and warm author is very open and encouraging when it comes to advising aspiring authors who also identify as disabled. She says that, “goals without perspective are shallow.” Weaving worlds with words must go beyond word counts and Ortiz has a fresh perspective on how writers with or without disabilities can take their writing career to the next level.  One piece of advice includes finding a great writing partner. “This does not need to be a mentor” she states. “Someone who reads your work and you read theirs. Someone who can be blunt with you.”  Her writing partner gave her pointed feedback on her first version of her manuscript. “I essentially wrote two books,” she says. My writing partner stated that my poetry that I wrote in my journal needed to be integrated into my work, which my previous version sounded like something one would write in school.”

Ortiz is also reassuring about the digital writer platform.  So many times we are told that the only way to sell books is to have an expansive author platform fueled by social media posts. She highlights that this really works for some writers. If you happen to love social media, this can be a great career builder. But, do not be discouraged if you do not. Ortiz’s books have sold as a result of a different model. Her readership has grown predominantly through facilitating workshops. She embraced online book talks before the pandemic and continues to do so. In addition, she has presented at conferences and held readings at independent bookstores.

Her final piece of advice for the aspiring writer is to “find a safe place where you feel loved, seen and heard. For me,” she says,  “that is in nature with the plants and animals.”

Whether nature fills your soul, like Ortiz, or you are more at home in cityscapes, you will be moved by reading Sustaining Spirit: Self-Care for Social Justice. Even if you do not consider yourself an activist, just living as one who identifies as disabled in our culture necessitates using one’s voice to assert needs. All of us can benefit from Ortiz’s advice, compassion and composure.

For more information about Naomi Ortiz please visit www.NaomiOrtiz.com.

The post Disabled Author Naomi Ortiz Shares Self-Care Tips for Activists and Writers appeared first on Oleb Books.

Finally! After investing blood, sweat and a sea of tears, you have completed your manuscript. You spent untold hours painstakingly editing and proofreading it, and it feels as if your brain will simply ooze out of your ear in a gelatinous mass if you give it even one more cursory look.

What is the next step on your path to publication? How do you woo that ideal agent or perfect publisher? In your mind’s eye, you can practically picture them: sitting back and reading your work with a satisfied smile. Their hands fly over the keys, they are so eager to request your manuscript. But how do you actually achieve this writer’s nirvana?

Enter the query letter. What is a query? It is an absolutely imperative part of the whole matchmaking process with that publishing professional. Think of it as the first impression on a blind date. It is the letter that will convey you and, most critically, your work, in a purely positive way.  The goal, of course, is to seduce them into wanting to read your manuscript. This can be an intimidating step, especially for debut authors. What should one include? Below are three query letter tips to getting your work off your hard drive and into hard cover.

Tip 1: Do your research

Make sure the publisher or literary agent you are querying is the right one for you. For example, do not send your brilliant memoir featuring an expertly crafted protagonist to an agent who only represents sci-fi. Thoroughly evaluate the website as well as the social media sites of the agent or publisher. What are their submission guidelines? Know and follow them.

When reading the bios of agents or publisher information, pay attention to details. Is the agent you are querying from Florida and your novel is set in the Everglades? This is the place to mention it. Do they represent any of your favorite authors? Bring it up. Weave your words to create commonalities and honor the human on the other side of the keyboard.

It might seem efficient to create a template and simply change out the names. This is a rookie move and will most likely result in an automatic rejection. Pay close attention to the spelling of names, titles, etc. before hitting the send button.

Tip 2: Pique their interest

Provide a succinct summary. Look to the back covers of some of your favorite books for examples on how to create a compelling synopsis. This can be extremely tricky as you want to be brief but also leave them with enough of your story to be thirsty for more. The person receiving your message is likely swamped with emails.  But how do you shine in the slush pile you wonder? Convey the tone and style of your work in your query. For example, does your work sparkle with wit and attitude? Infuse that in your letter.  Include the manuscript basics: What is the genre of your work? Title? Word count? This needs to be one clear sentence.

Tip 3: Always include an author bio

This is the place to include any relevant information on writing credentials. Sometimes these experiences come in many forms. What makes you uniquely qualified to tell your story? For example, perhaps your manuscript features a protagonist with a disability and you have lived experience with the same condition. This counts as a qualification. You are a subject matter expert in this arena, and the ideal person to tell the story.

If you have not taken writing workshops, been published, earned an MFA or won writing awards, do not despair! The publishing world needs all voices. You can discuss your writing style, and other books you have read that are comparable to your manuscript. There is a place for you. Just remember to be persistent, polite and professional.

Perhaps your work is not a match for the subject of your literary affection at this point, but it is a small world and you never know who knows whom or when you will interact again in the future. Do not be disheartened by rejection or by unanswered emails. Keep calibrating your approach, but do not expect an agent or publisher to give you feedback on your query or manuscript. This is not their role. Keep at it and stay organized. It only takes one match to result in your work going from computer to copies.

The bottom line

Query writing is not for the faint of heart, but neither is the writing life in general. Now, put on your detective hat and start perusing those agent profiles. You will be hot on their trail in no time. Who knows? Maybe they will be bragging about the new author discovered in their inbox at their next event!

The post 3 Query Letter Tips for Writers with Disabilities appeared first on Oleb Books.

As a little girl, I knew I wanted to be a writer “when I grew up.” The problem was, I couldn’t read or write. I realized at a young age that I didn’t learn like everyone else. I felt stupid, different, and disconnected from others. I struggled to read, write, and spell for the entirety of my childhood.

I was in seventh grade when my mother had my brother and I tested for a learning disability. At age 12, we discovered we both had dyslexia. I could barely read on a third-grade level, and I couldn’t even spell on a first-grade level. Along with the news that my brother and I had dyslexia, they also told her it was highly likely that neither of us would graduate high school. Looking back, it was a blessing that my mother never told us.

Not only did I have to learn how to navigate the world with a learning disability, but I also survived physical, sexual and emotional abuse. My father was fervently abusive and full of rage for as long as I can remember. At age 8, my older cousin sexually abused me until I was almost 13. At 16, I dated a handsome, charismatic boy from high school who was emotionally abusive and eventually married him. All of these challenges further diminished my self-worth and self-confidence.

As an adult, years after I had overcome many obstacles, I started focusing on how I had overcome all of my trauma, especially the abuse. My desire was to help others overcome and heal from their challenging experiences. That is when I started writing Finding Your Voice: A Path to Recovery for Survivors of Abuse. As I formulated the book, it was a journey of self-discovery as well, as I began to realize the tools I had used to overcome adversity as a young woman.

The desire to overcome my disability and abuse was directly correlated to my mother’s patience, support, and unconditional acceptance. She was a vital part of my survival (and eventual thriving) as an individual. She always said, “Mannette, you are just different. You’re not stupid. Everyone in this world has something to offer; you will just have to discover what it is you have to offer.”

Her support and encouragement were the biggest reasons I graduated high school and never gave up. Every child (and adult) who has faced adversity needs someone in their corner, whether it is a parent, grandparent, teacher, or mentor who accepts and supports them. We all need hope for the future and a feeling of purpose to move past our challenges and grow.

Another key to overcoming adversity is changing our perspective. Self-worth is not only the first self-belief we lose, but it is also the hardest to regain. Knowing your worth is vital for every individual and is what I believe to be the foundation of our self-confidence, self-acceptance, and self-respect. These were the self-beliefs I lost as a victim and growing up with a disability. In order to move forward, I had to let go of a belief that I was stupid, as well as one of being a victim. Instead, I changed my perspective and became a person that believed I was capable of learning. I learned to leave behind the label of victim and believe I was so much more: I was a survivor. I learned to believe in myself and my abilities, and, over time, I regained my self-worth and discovered my value as an individual. The shift in my perspective lead me in a more hopeful and positive direction as I regained my self-worth.

As I matured, I found happiness and contentment in my roles as mom, daughter, sister, wife, small business owner, and, most of all, an individual. I accepted that my life would always be full of ups and downs — along with the occasional abrupt stop. But I had acquired confidence along with a strong self-worth, which allowed me to keep pushing through any challenges life threw my way.

My advice to others with disabilities and those who have survived abuse is to take back your self-worth and continually take action to work through your challenges. Don’t just wait around for your life to change — you have to take the steps! Let go of limiting self-beliefs and replace them with truth. If you’re a parent of a child with a disability or survivor of abuse, learn to be patient, supportive, and accepting as you lead your child toward self-reliance and independence. Empower them to be all that they can be, and never limit them or their dreams. They just might write a book one day!

Learn more about the book Finding Your Voice: A Path to Recovery for Survivors of Abuse on Amazon

Mannette Morgan is an inspirational speaker, author, and abuse survivor who is on a mission to stop the cycle of abuse in our society. After 30 years of intense self-work, she overcame her past trauma of emotional, sexual and physical abuse along with powering through the limitations of her learning disability, dyslexia. A life coach certified through the Academy of Solution Focus Training and the American University of NLP, she has emerged as a leading voice among abuse survivors and today inspires others to rise above adversity and strive for a better life. Her incredible story of survival and recovery is documented in the book “Finding Your Voice.” For more information visit: https://mannettemorgan.com

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Leroy Moore identifies as a black journalist, poet and activist with a disability. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, his work addresses important issues, such as the marginalization of Black people in the disability rights movement, as well as the relationship between racism, ableism and police brutality. Additionally, Moore is also one of the founders of Krip-Hop, a worldwide network of socially aware musicians with disabilities. The D Lit Blog asked the legendary Moore about his beginnings in writing, Krip Hop and his experiences with the publishing industry.

Moore was inspired to write because, as he describes, “not seeing any [books] by Black disabled people, but knowing that Black disabled people have been here since we were kidnapped from Africa.” He wanted to bring stories about Black people with disabilities throughout history to his community, and he also wanted to, “correct the misconceptions” about his identity, which he feels are spread by the “mainstream media, academic scholars [and] cultural workers.”

Despite writing for over 30 years, Moore continues to get rejected by some “mainstream Black publishers.” While he feels hurt by their rejection, he also is grateful to other platforms like POOR Magazine, which invited him to write one of the first columns on race and disability in the ‘90s. In addition, the magazine also published his first book, Black Disabled Man with Big Mouth & High I.Q., in 1999. Still, Moore would like to see his books in “more Black bookstores and in Black museums and in Black college courses.”

In his work, Moore often uses the word “kripple” (a variation on the pejorative term “cripple”) because, as he puts it, “Black disabled people need to flip the script and change the terms that were placed on us from mainstream White America into a powerful historical/political and powerful language that we have control of.”

When asked how he wants mainstream culture to relate to his work and hip-hop, Moore says that he wants “to educate our communities including [the] hip-hop industry and the publishing world.” He is looking for more than “inclusion” from these platforms. Instead, he wants “to have our politics, talents, writings, history change how they think and produce their work.” He also says it’s “important for the movement to stay independent so we can always express in the ways we do.”

One of the ways Moore encourages that independent voice is through working with POOR Magazine. He explains that in 2003 the magazine launched a program to give low income people of all ages “the opportunity to create and publish a book.” Since its inception, explains Moore, “POOR Press has provided revolutionary media access for the silenced voices of 49 youth, adult and elder poverty scholars by publishing their books of artwork, poetry and short stories, thereby sharing their urgently needed scholarship, voices and solutions with the world.”  In 2020, POOR Press will publish a short story by Moore entitled Black Disabled Ancestors.

Moore would also like people to support other Black writers with disabilities, such as Tommy J. Curry, Lateef Mcleod, Joy Elan and Subini Annamma.

Jacob Lesner-Buxton is a Disability Rights Advocate in Santa Barbara,
CA. He has also been a producer on KPFA’s Pushing Limits and been a
contributor for many online publications including The Mighty. More
info about Jacob is available at www.jacoblb.com.

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