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Uncanny Magazine Issue 24 September/October 2018: Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction! Special Issue
COVER
"And With the Lamps We Are Multitudes of Light" by Likhain
EDITORIAL
"The Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction Manifesto" by Elsa Sjunneson-Henry and Dominik Parisien
FICTION
"The House on the Moon" by William Alexander
"Birthday Girl" by Rachel Swirsky
"An Open Letter to the Family" by Jennifer Brozek
"Heavy Lifting" by A. T. Greenblatt
"The Frequency of Compassion" by A. Merc Rustad
"The Stars Above" by Katharine Duckett
"The Things I Miss the Most" by Nisi Shawl
"Abigail Dreams of Weather" by Stu West
"A House by the Sea" by P. H. Lee
"Disconnect" by Fran Wilde
"This Will Not Happen to You" by Marissa Lingen
"By Degrees and Dilatory Time" by SL Huang
"Listen" by Karin Tidbeck
NONFICTION
"Design a Spaceship" by Andi C. Buchanan
"The Linguistics of Disability, or, Empathy > Sympathy" by Fran Wilde
"The Body to Come: Afrofuturist Posthumanism and Disability" by Zaynab Shahar
"The Expendable Disabled Heroes of Marvel's Infinity War" by John Wiswell
"And the Dragon Was in the Skin" by A. J. Hackwith
"Miles Vorkosigan and 'Excellent Life Choices': (Neuro)Divergence and Decision-Making in Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga" by Ira Gladkova
"Give Me Heroism or Give Me Death" by Gemma Noon
"My Genre Makes a Monster of Me" by teri.zin
"The Future Is (Not) Disabled" by Marieke Nijkamp
POETRY
"Ctenophore Soul" by Rita Chen
"core/debris/core" by Rose Lemberg
"How to Fix a Dance When It Breaks" by Genevieve DeGuzman
"the body argonautica" by Robin M. Eames
"All the Stars Above the Sea" by Sarah Gailey
"Convalescence" by Alicia Cole
"hypothesis for apocalypse" by Khairini Barokka
"Spatiotemporal Discontinuity" by Bogi Takács
"You Wanted Me to Fly" by Julia Watts Belser
INTERVIEWS
Rachel Swirsky interviewed by Sandra Odell
Marissa Lingen interviewed by Sandra Odell
PERSONAL ESSAYS
"The Stories We Find Ourselves in" by A. T. Greenblatt
"The Horror and the Reality: Mental Illness Through the Lens of Horror" by V. Medina
"We Are Not Daredevil. Except When We Aree Daredevil" by Michael Merriam
"Nihil De Nobis, Sine Nobis" by Ace Ratcliff
"From Rabbit Holes to Wormholes: KidLit Memories" by Alice Wong
"Stories That Talk" by Keith A. Manuel
"Once We Were Prophets" by Leigh Schmidt
"Science Fiction as Community" by Kathryn Allan
"Constructing the Future" by Derek Newman-Stile, PhD (ABD)
"Disabled or Just Broken?" by Jaime O. Mayer
"Now I Survive" by Jacqueline Bryk
"Instant Demotion in Respectability" by Bogi Takács
"Being Invisible" by Joyce Chng
"We Are Not Your Backstories" by K. C. Alexander
"Disabled Enough" by Elsa Sjunneson-Henry
"Malfunctioning Space Stations" by Marissa Lingen
"BFFs in the Apocalypse" by John Wiswell
"Why I Limp" by Dilman Dila
"The Only Thing Faster Than Tonight: Mr. Darkness" by Elise Matthesen
"Homo Duplex" by Tochi Onyebuchi
"A Dream to Shape My World" by Eli Wilkinson
"To Boldly Go" by Cara Liebowitz
"Move Like You're From Thra, My People" by Haddayr Copley-Woods
"Everything is True: A Non-Neurotypical Experience with Fiction" by Ada Hoffmann
"Unlocking the Garret" by Rachel Swirsky
"The Stories We Tell and the Amazon Experiment" by Day Al-Mohamed
"Science Fiction Saved My Life" by Laurel Amberdine
"After the Last Chapter" by Andi C. Buchanan
"Dancing in Iron Shoes" by Nicolette Barischoff
"And With the Lamps We Are Multitudes of Light" by Likhain
EDITORIAL
"The Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction Manifesto" by Elsa Sjunneson-Henry and Dominik Parisien
FICTION
"The House on the Moon" by William Alexander
"Birthday Girl" by Rachel Swirsky
"An Open Letter to the Family" by Jennifer Brozek
"Heavy Lifting" by A. T. Greenblatt
"The Frequency of Compassion" by A. Merc Rustad
"The Stars Above" by Katharine Duckett
"The Things I Miss the Most" by Nisi Shawl
"Abigail Dreams of Weather" by Stu West
"A House by the Sea" by P. H. Lee
"Disconnect" by Fran Wilde
"This Will Not Happen to You" by Marissa Lingen
"By Degrees and Dilatory Time" by SL Huang
"Listen" by Karin Tidbeck
NONFICTION
"Design a Spaceship" by Andi C. Buchanan
"The Linguistics of Disability, or, Empathy > Sympathy" by Fran Wilde
"The Body to Come: Afrofuturist Posthumanism and Disability" by Zaynab Shahar
"The Expendable Disabled Heroes of Marvel's Infinity War" by John Wiswell
"And the Dragon Was in the Skin" by A. J. Hackwith
"Miles Vorkosigan and 'Excellent Life Choices': (Neuro)Divergence and Decision-Making in Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga" by Ira Gladkova
"Give Me Heroism or Give Me Death" by Gemma Noon
"My Genre Makes a Monster of Me" by teri.zin
"The Future Is (Not) Disabled" by Marieke Nijkamp
POETRY
"Ctenophore Soul" by Rita Chen
"core/debris/core" by Rose Lemberg
"How to Fix a Dance When It Breaks" by Genevieve DeGuzman
"the body argonautica" by Robin M. Eames
"All the Stars Above the Sea" by Sarah Gailey
"Convalescence" by Alicia Cole
"hypothesis for apocalypse" by Khairini Barokka
"Spatiotemporal Discontinuity" by Bogi Takács
"You Wanted Me to Fly" by Julia Watts Belser
INTERVIEWS
Rachel Swirsky interviewed by Sandra Odell
Marissa Lingen interviewed by Sandra Odell
PERSONAL ESSAYS
"The Stories We Find Ourselves in" by A. T. Greenblatt
"The Horror and the Reality: Mental Illness Through the Lens of Horror" by V. Medina
"We Are Not Daredevil. Except When We Aree Daredevil" by Michael Merriam
"Nihil De Nobis, Sine Nobis" by Ace Ratcliff
"From Rabbit Holes to Wormholes: KidLit Memories" by Alice Wong
"Stories That Talk" by Keith A. Manuel
"Once We Were Prophets" by Leigh Schmidt
"Science Fiction as Community" by Kathryn Allan
"Constructing the Future" by Derek Newman-Stile, PhD (ABD)
"Disabled or Just Broken?" by Jaime O. Mayer
"Now I Survive" by Jacqueline Bryk
"Instant Demotion in Respectability" by Bogi Takács
"Being Invisible" by Joyce Chng
"We Are Not Your Backstories" by K. C. Alexander
"Disabled Enough" by Elsa Sjunneson-Henry
"Malfunctioning Space Stations" by Marissa Lingen
"BFFs in the Apocalypse" by John Wiswell
"Why I Limp" by Dilman Dila
"The Only Thing Faster Than Tonight: Mr. Darkness" by Elise Matthesen
"Homo Duplex" by Tochi Onyebuchi
"A Dream to Shape My World" by Eli Wilkinson
"To Boldly Go" by Cara Liebowitz
"Move Like You're From Thra, My People" by Haddayr Copley-Woods
"Everything is True: A Non-Neurotypical Experience with Fiction" by Ada Hoffmann
"Unlocking the Garret" by Rachel Swirsky
"The Stories We Tell and the Amazon Experiment" by Day Al-Mohamed
"Science Fiction Saved My Life" by Laurel Amberdine
"After the Last Chapter" by Andi C. Buchanan
"Dancing in Iron Shoes" by Nicolette Barischoff
374 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 4, 2018
About the author
Lynne M. Thomas
99 books217 followersIn my day job, I am the Head of the Rare Book & Manuscript Library and Juanita J. and Robert E. Simpson Rare Book and Manuscript Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, one of the largest public university rare book collections in the country. I used to manage pop culture special collections that include the papers of over 70 SF/F authors at Northern Illinois University. I also teach a Special Collections course as an adjunct in the iSchool at Illinois, and used to do so at SJSU.
I'm an eleven-time Hugo Award winner, the Co-Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Uncanny Magazine with my husband Michael Damian Thomas. The former Editor-in-Chief of Apex Magazine (2011-2013), I co-edited the Hugo Award-winning Chicks Dig Time Lords, Whedonistas, and Chicks Dig Comics. I moderated the Hugo-Award winning SF Squeecast and contribute to the Verity! Podcast. You can learn more about my shenanigans at lynnemthomas.com.
I'm an eleven-time Hugo Award winner, the Co-Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Uncanny Magazine with my husband Michael Damian Thomas. The former Editor-in-Chief of Apex Magazine (2011-2013), I co-edited the Hugo Award-winning Chicks Dig Time Lords, Whedonistas, and Chicks Dig Comics. I moderated the Hugo-Award winning SF Squeecast and contribute to the Verity! Podcast. You can learn more about my shenanigans at lynnemthomas.com.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
October 21, 2018
Listen by Karin Tidbeck
★★★★☆
“Suddenly Mika understood everything, more than everything. Creation spread out in front of him like a map.”
This story started rough; it was difficult to establish character names to roles and motivations. But it became my favorite fast.
Two MCs use their differences, disabilities, at great personal cost to bring two species into harmony.
It is also one of those stories where you never really find out what happened but I'm ok with that here... Alien aliens.
The Frequency of Compassion by A. Merc Rustad ★★★★☆
An autistic and hyperempathic solo galactic explorer makes first contact with a group-think space creature.
Disconnect by Fran Wilde ★★★★☆
I enjoyed this futuristic story about a disabled professor fighting to find a life, and a cure, without giving up her independence.
The House on the Moon by William Alexander ★★★☆☆
A cane wielding young survivor of the Eugenics War gets to be the first person to listen to the musical disc response to Voyager One.
Birthday Girl by Rachel Swirsky ★★★☆☆
Painful family drama centering around bipolar issues. An aunt sees her niece face similar issues to her own with better treatment. And sisters must confront the demons of their past.
Open Letter to the Family by Jennifer Brozek ★★★☆☆
A scientist with a debilitating condition has a higher quality of life in zero G. She writes a letter to her family explaining why she is never coming home.
The Stars Above by Katherine Duckett ★★★☆☆
“The alien invasion was televised, but everyone called it fake news.”
While in Kazakhstan for the Peace Corps, a man with skeletal dysplasia survives the alien apocalypse and assists the remaining people return to their nomadic ways.
The ending is sad and hopeless.
Abigail Dreams of Weather by Stu West ★★★☆☆
A children’s hospital in outer space is under attack by a meter storm. As all hands rush to deal with the emergency the unsupervised patients have an adventure.
This Will Not Happen to You by Marissa Lingen ★★★☆☆
A character laments their early struggles with biomechanical experimental cures. Now there are safe standard, known, treatments in large part due to what the doctors learned through the MC’s struggles.
The Things I Miss the Most by Nisi Shawl ★★☆☆☆
This was too creepy for me.
A teenager with a seizure disorder has surgery to separate the halves of her brain. This cures her seizures but produces an imaginary friend.
A friend she has a lesbian relationship with. She knows the other girl is imaginary but wants no other friends.
It was like reading a long masturbation fantasy.
Not a fan.
Heavy Lifting by A.T. Greenblatt ★★☆☆☆
A coder with mobility issues saves the day by figuring out the cause of an alleged robot uprising.
This story started out clear as mud, I eventually got a feel for the world but there was just too much going on for a good short story.
A House by the Sea by P.H. Lee ★★☆☆☆
This was a strange angry rant coming from a deeply personal place. I didn’t understand but I heard the pain of it.
Maybe the point is to be heard.
By Degrees and Dilatory Time by SL Huang ★☆☆☆☆
Hated this story.
A Thai gay figure skater injures his knee. Doctors fix it but since he can’t compete with a bio knee he never skates again.
Then he gets ocular cancer and doctors save his life by fitting him with popular, and usually viciously expensive, bio-engineered eyes. He complains they don’t come in brown.
His friends say his glorious new eyes will attract people, thus he doesn’t want to date.
Getting the picture?
Average: 2.91
I was surprised by the exclusion of military disability stories.
There is a substantial non fiction inclusion in this issue, that I may read later, but wanted to mention for interested parties.
April 24, 2023
Everyone who has the slightest interest in disability should read the Uncanny issues that feature disabled writers.
At first I was a bit sad that a big part of this is dedicated to non-fic, autobiographical essays. But, aside from a few essays that I couldn't really understand because I have no knowledge of the movies or series that the author refers to, these essays are the most important part of the magazine for me now, after completing it, because they have given me so much insight and installed a feeling of companionship for me that I hadn't gotten before.
I have now, inspired by this book, decided to no longer just bear with it, but seek a diagnosis and help for what I believe is fibromyalgia. Fortunately, my doctor is a specialist and she's been my therapist for a long time, so I trust her.
So, thank you!, to all the authors featured in this issue! And everyone else interested: just read it.
At first I was a bit sad that a big part of this is dedicated to non-fic, autobiographical essays. But, aside from a few essays that I couldn't really understand because I have no knowledge of the movies or series that the author refers to, these essays are the most important part of the magazine for me now, after completing it, because they have given me so much insight and installed a feeling of companionship for me that I hadn't gotten before.
I have now, inspired by this book, decided to no longer just bear with it, but seek a diagnosis and help for what I believe is fibromyalgia. Fortunately, my doctor is a specialist and she's been my therapist for a long time, so I trust her.
So, thank you!, to all the authors featured in this issue! And everyone else interested: just read it.
November 26, 2018
I've given this 10/10 on a total gut reaction. I struggled with a few of the stories, but as I've said many times before, my brain doesn't always manage short stories well and I'm totally going to take the blame for that, not lay it on the stories.
But the interviews, essays and personal stories were wonderful.
I'm in here. My son is in here. And there are people like us talking about themselves and how science fiction has been part of their lives and their disability. We're not often on the page and certainly not the heroes, and seeing us on the page was wonderful.
I believe there's going to be a "Disabled People Destroy Fantasy" as well. I'm pretty sure I'll be buying and reading that too.
But the interviews, essays and personal stories were wonderful.
I'm in here. My son is in here. And there are people like us talking about themselves and how science fiction has been part of their lives and their disability. We're not often on the page and certainly not the heroes, and seeing us on the page was wonderful.
I believe there's going to be a "Disabled People Destroy Fantasy" as well. I'm pretty sure I'll be buying and reading that too.
September 10, 2018
My two favorite stories from this issue are "The Stars Above" by Katharine Duckett and "By Degrees and Dilatory Time" by SL Huang (one of the reprints, and a reread for me - it still really holds up!).
January 12, 2020
This collection made me want to read more short-form scifi because these stories were GREAT. They bring SO much creativity to visions of the future and meaningful representation of differently abled bodies, chronic illness, neurodiversity, etc. It includes fiction, personal essays, media critiques, and poetry. The main through line is that given the literally unlimited sandbox of SFF, it feels pretty fucking terrible to be a disabled reader and not see yourself imagined in these expansive futures. Or see convenient medical "cures" for disability that border on eugenics. Many stories and essays centered on the idea that science fictional spaces themselves could be more adaptive rather than erasing disabled identities, just as our real world should. Ramps in space!
March 21, 2019
I absolutely loved this collection! All of the nonfic is really fantastic and I really liked most of the fiction pieces too. My favorite stories were The House on the Moon by William Alexander, Birthday Girl by Rachel Swirsky, An Open Letter to the Family by Jennifer Brozek, Heavy Lifting by A.T. Greenblatt, and The Frequency of Compassion by A. Merc Rustad, I would highly recommend reading at least those, though the whole issue is definitely worth reading.
January 1, 2020
I'll be delving into the rest of the tales in this anthology during my Short Stories 366 project over the year, but suffice it to say I really enjoyed the collection as a whole (the fiction portion especially). Unlike Queers Destroy Science Fiction!: Lightspeed Magazine Special Issue; The Stories (which I also enjoyed), this anthology didn't strike me anywhere near as relentlessly dark, and in fact, I'd say the majority of the stories came down on the hopeful/optimistic side.
Story-by-story reviews will pop up on my blog under this tag, and a few already have over 2019's "Sunday Shorts" where I talked about a short story every Sunday.
Story-by-story reviews will pop up on my blog under this tag, and a few already have over 2019's "Sunday Shorts" where I talked about a short story every Sunday.
August 6, 2019
This was a double-length special issue of Uncanny Magazine, as part of their "Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction" project: 13 short stories, 9 nonfiction essays, 9 poems, 2 interviews, & 30 personal essays. Typically with these magazines, fiction is the majority of the issue, but not this time! Also in a change from normal for me, the nonfiction & personal essays really added a lot to this issue.
My favorite short stories were Swirsky's "Birthday Girl," West's "Abigail Dreams of Weather," Wilde's "Disconnect," and Tidbeck's "Listen." I also want to point out the powerful "A House by the Sea" by Lee as another story that engages with Le Guin's famous Omelas but a slant I haven't seen before.
I loved Fran Wilde's essay on empathy and sympathy, and Buchanan's "Design a Spaceship" is a good reminder to those who never thought about it. Wiswell's article on disabled heroes in the MCU was eye-opening, and Gladkova's article on Miles Vorkosigan was amazing (and spoilery).
I've always had difficulty with poetry, so I won't rate them here. I do recommend all the personal essays (originally daily updates for the Kickstarter project).
My favorite short stories were Swirsky's "Birthday Girl," West's "Abigail Dreams of Weather," Wilde's "Disconnect," and Tidbeck's "Listen." I also want to point out the powerful "A House by the Sea" by Lee as another story that engages with Le Guin's famous Omelas but a slant I haven't seen before.
I loved Fran Wilde's essay on empathy and sympathy, and Buchanan's "Design a Spaceship" is a good reminder to those who never thought about it. Wiswell's article on disabled heroes in the MCU was eye-opening, and Gladkova's article on Miles Vorkosigan was amazing (and spoilery).
I've always had difficulty with poetry, so I won't rate them here. I do recommend all the personal essays (originally daily updates for the Kickstarter project).
December 7, 2018
A great collection, a great read! I especially loved P.H. Lee's A House By the Sea, The Things I Miss the Most by Nisi Shawl, and By Degrees and Dilatory Time by S.L. Huang.
February 7, 2020
I only listened to The House on the Moon through the podcast LeVar Burton Reads. In this futuristic short story set on the moon, a disabled middle school student on a field trip visits a castle that had been shipped up from Earth. The rich owner had been an eccentric man who had been part of the Eugenics War but had been pardoned by the government and allowed to move to the moon. Some disquieting truths are brought up, and we realize the boy almost lost his life because of his disability. The ending was implausible, but there were enough interesting threads to think on, that I wish this story had been longer as to delve deeper into how discrimination affects people with disabilities.
Shelved as 'comics-and-magazines'
June 20, 2021Favorites:
You Wanted Me to Fly (Julia Watts Belser)
Heavy Lifting (A. T. Greenblatt)
By Degrees and Dilatory Time (SL Huang)
Birthday Girl (Rachel Swirsky)
A House by the Sea (P. H. Lee)
And the Dragon Was in the Skin (A. J. Hackwith)
The Stories We Find Ourselves In (A. T. Greenblatt)
We Are Not Daredevil. Except When We Are Daredevil (Michael Merriam
You Wanted Me to Fly (Julia Watts Belser)
Heavy Lifting (A. T. Greenblatt)
By Degrees and Dilatory Time (SL Huang)
Birthday Girl (Rachel Swirsky)
A House by the Sea (P. H. Lee)
And the Dragon Was in the Skin (A. J. Hackwith)
The Stories We Find Ourselves In (A. T. Greenblatt)
We Are Not Daredevil. Except When We Are Daredevil (Michael Merriam
June 8, 2024
As with the later fantasy edition, it's really nice to read a range of short stories that centre disabled people. The essays are interesting and the interviews provide a deeper insight into a number of the stories. But there was nothing particularly revolutionary in here. That's actually really good news because it shows how much discussion and representation of disability in SFF has moved on in the last six years! An enjoyable enough read.
April 1, 2021
I'm very much not a short story or non-fiction reader but I love this collection!
I'm using this space to keep a record of which stories I read and my rating.
EDITORIAL
"The Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction Manifesto" by Elsa Sjunneson-Henry and Dominik Parisien
FICTION
✓ “Fiction Introduction” by Dominik Parisien ★★★★★
✓ 🔊"The House on the Moon" by William Alexander ★★★★★
✓ "Birthday Girl" by Rachel Swirsky ★★★★
"An Open Letter to the Family" by Jennifer Brozek
"Heavy Lifting" by A. T. Greenblatt
"The Frequency of Compassion" by A. Merc Rustad
"The Stars Above" by Katharine Duckett
✓✓ 🔊"The Things I Miss the Most" by Nisi Shawl ★★★
"Abigail Dreams of Weather" by Stu West
"A House by the Sea" by P. H. Lee
"Disconnect" by Fran Wilde
"This Will Not Happen to You" by Marissa Lingen
"By Degrees and Dilatory Time" by SL Huang
"Listen" by Karin Tidbeck
NONFICTION
"Design a Spaceship" by Andi C. Buchanan
"The Linguistics of Disability, or, Empathy > Sympathy" by Fran Wilde
"The Body to Come: Afrofuturist Posthumanism and Disability" by Zaynab Shahar
"The Expendable Disabled Heroes of Marvel's Infinity War" by John Wiswell
"And the Dragon Was in the Skin" by A. J. Hackwith
"Miles Vorkosigan and 'Excellent Life Choices': (Neuro)Divergence and Decision-Making in Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga" by Ira Gladkova
"Give Me Heroism or Give Me Death" by Gemma Noon
"My Genre Makes a Monster of Me" by teri.zin
✓ "The Future Is (Not) Disabled" by Marieke Nijkamp ★★★★★
POETRY
"Ctenophore Soul" by Rita Chen
"core/debris/core" by Rose Lemberg
"How to Fix a Dance When It Breaks" by Genevieve DeGuzman
"the body argonautica" by Robin M. Eames
✓🔊"All the Stars Above the Sea" by Sarah Gailey ★★
"Convalescence" by Alicia Cole
"hypothesis for apocalypse" by Khairini Barokka
"Spatiotemporal Discontinuity" by Bogi Takács
"You Wanted Me to Fly" by Julia Watts Belser
INTERVIEWS
✓ Rachel Swirsky interviewed by Sandra Odell ★★★★
Marissa Lingen interviewed by Sandra Odell
🔊William Alexander interviewed by Haddayr Copley-Woods (podcast only)
✓ 🔊Marieke Nijkamp interviewed by Haddayr Copley-Woods (podcast only) ★★★★★
PERSONAL ESSAYS
"The Stories We Find Ourselves in" by A. T. Greenblatt
"The Horror and the Reality: Mental Illness Through the Lens of Horror" by V. Medina
"We Are Not Daredevil. Except When We Aree Daredevil" by Michael Merriam
"Nihil De Nobis, Sine Nobis" by Ace Ratcliff
"From Rabbit Holes to Wormholes: KidLit Memories" by Alice Wong
"Stories That Talk" by Keith A. Manuel
"Once We Were Prophets" by Leigh Schmidt
✓"Science Fiction as Community" by Kathryn Allan ★★★★★
"Constructing the Future" by Derek Newman-Stile, PhD (ABD)
"Disabled or Just Broken?" by Jaime O. Mayer
"Now I Survive" by Jacqueline Bryk
"Instant Demotion in Respectability" by Bogi Takács
"Being Invisible" by Joyce Chng
"We Are Not Your Backstories" by K. C. Alexander
"Disabled Enough" by Elsa Sjunneson-Henry
✓"Malfunctioning Space Stations" by Marissa Lingen ★★★★★
"BFFs in the Apocalypse" by John Wiswell
"Why I Limp" by Dilman Dila
"The Only Thing Faster Than Tonight: Mr. Darkness" by Elise Matthesen
"Homo Duplex" by Tochi Onyebuchi
"A Dream to Shape My World" by Eli Wilkinson
"To Boldly Go" by Cara Liebowitz
"Move Like You're From Thra, My People" by Haddayr Copley-Woods
"Everything is True: A Non-Neurotypical Experience with Fiction" by Ada Hoffmann
"Unlocking the Garret" by Rachel Swirsky
"The Stories We Tell and the Amazon Experiment" by Day Al-Mohamed
"Science Fiction Saved My Life" by Laurel Amberdine
"After the Last Chapter" by Andi C. Buchanan
"Dancing in Iron Shoes" by Nicolette Barischoff
--------------------------------------------------
Review of "The House on the Moon" by William Alexander:
You can read and listen for free on https://uncannymagazine.com/article/u... (this story starts after 26 minutes of the podcast)
A castle on the moon, a mystery, an excursion, a short story with impressive depth.
A quote that stuck with me:
"The passageway leads to a spiraling staircase.
Back on Earth I wouldn't be able to climb anything so steep. But ability is contextual. Whatever we're able to do -and whatever meaning we make of that- changes from one environment to another. We make all of our own environments now. To design a place that others can't possibly move through or inhabit is the same as raising up a drawbridge, dropping down a toothy portcullis, or punching a row of murder holes through a ceiling. It writes down a clear, solid message in the language of architecture: You are not welcome here. You don't even have the right to exist here. Please cease to exist as soon as possible.
That's what the stairs would have said to me, back on Earth. But we aren't on Earth. I bound up that staircase, which cannot object."
I'm using this space to keep a record of which stories I read and my rating.
EDITORIAL
"The Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction Manifesto" by Elsa Sjunneson-Henry and Dominik Parisien
FICTION
✓ “Fiction Introduction” by Dominik Parisien ★★★★★
✓ 🔊"The House on the Moon" by William Alexander ★★★★★
✓ "Birthday Girl" by Rachel Swirsky ★★★★
"An Open Letter to the Family" by Jennifer Brozek
"Heavy Lifting" by A. T. Greenblatt
"The Frequency of Compassion" by A. Merc Rustad
"The Stars Above" by Katharine Duckett
✓✓ 🔊"The Things I Miss the Most" by Nisi Shawl ★★★
"Abigail Dreams of Weather" by Stu West
"A House by the Sea" by P. H. Lee
"Disconnect" by Fran Wilde
"This Will Not Happen to You" by Marissa Lingen
"By Degrees and Dilatory Time" by SL Huang
"Listen" by Karin Tidbeck
NONFICTION
"Design a Spaceship" by Andi C. Buchanan
"The Linguistics of Disability, or, Empathy > Sympathy" by Fran Wilde
"The Body to Come: Afrofuturist Posthumanism and Disability" by Zaynab Shahar
"The Expendable Disabled Heroes of Marvel's Infinity War" by John Wiswell
"And the Dragon Was in the Skin" by A. J. Hackwith
"Miles Vorkosigan and 'Excellent Life Choices': (Neuro)Divergence and Decision-Making in Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga" by Ira Gladkova
"Give Me Heroism or Give Me Death" by Gemma Noon
"My Genre Makes a Monster of Me" by teri.zin
✓ "The Future Is (Not) Disabled" by Marieke Nijkamp ★★★★★
POETRY
"Ctenophore Soul" by Rita Chen
"core/debris/core" by Rose Lemberg
"How to Fix a Dance When It Breaks" by Genevieve DeGuzman
"the body argonautica" by Robin M. Eames
✓🔊"All the Stars Above the Sea" by Sarah Gailey ★★
"Convalescence" by Alicia Cole
"hypothesis for apocalypse" by Khairini Barokka
"Spatiotemporal Discontinuity" by Bogi Takács
"You Wanted Me to Fly" by Julia Watts Belser
INTERVIEWS
✓ Rachel Swirsky interviewed by Sandra Odell ★★★★
Marissa Lingen interviewed by Sandra Odell
🔊William Alexander interviewed by Haddayr Copley-Woods (podcast only)
✓ 🔊Marieke Nijkamp interviewed by Haddayr Copley-Woods (podcast only) ★★★★★
PERSONAL ESSAYS
"The Stories We Find Ourselves in" by A. T. Greenblatt
"The Horror and the Reality: Mental Illness Through the Lens of Horror" by V. Medina
"We Are Not Daredevil. Except When We Aree Daredevil" by Michael Merriam
"Nihil De Nobis, Sine Nobis" by Ace Ratcliff
"From Rabbit Holes to Wormholes: KidLit Memories" by Alice Wong
"Stories That Talk" by Keith A. Manuel
"Once We Were Prophets" by Leigh Schmidt
✓"Science Fiction as Community" by Kathryn Allan ★★★★★
"Constructing the Future" by Derek Newman-Stile, PhD (ABD)
"Disabled or Just Broken?" by Jaime O. Mayer
"Now I Survive" by Jacqueline Bryk
"Instant Demotion in Respectability" by Bogi Takács
"Being Invisible" by Joyce Chng
"We Are Not Your Backstories" by K. C. Alexander
"Disabled Enough" by Elsa Sjunneson-Henry
✓"Malfunctioning Space Stations" by Marissa Lingen ★★★★★
"BFFs in the Apocalypse" by John Wiswell
"Why I Limp" by Dilman Dila
"The Only Thing Faster Than Tonight: Mr. Darkness" by Elise Matthesen
"Homo Duplex" by Tochi Onyebuchi
"A Dream to Shape My World" by Eli Wilkinson
"To Boldly Go" by Cara Liebowitz
"Move Like You're From Thra, My People" by Haddayr Copley-Woods
"Everything is True: A Non-Neurotypical Experience with Fiction" by Ada Hoffmann
"Unlocking the Garret" by Rachel Swirsky
"The Stories We Tell and the Amazon Experiment" by Day Al-Mohamed
"Science Fiction Saved My Life" by Laurel Amberdine
"After the Last Chapter" by Andi C. Buchanan
"Dancing in Iron Shoes" by Nicolette Barischoff
--------------------------------------------------
Review of "The House on the Moon" by William Alexander:
You can read and listen for free on https://uncannymagazine.com/article/u... (this story starts after 26 minutes of the podcast)
A castle on the moon, a mystery, an excursion, a short story with impressive depth.
A quote that stuck with me:
"The passageway leads to a spiraling staircase.
Back on Earth I wouldn't be able to climb anything so steep. But ability is contextual. Whatever we're able to do -and whatever meaning we make of that- changes from one environment to another. We make all of our own environments now. To design a place that others can't possibly move through or inhabit is the same as raising up a drawbridge, dropping down a toothy portcullis, or punching a row of murder holes through a ceiling. It writes down a clear, solid message in the language of architecture: You are not welcome here. You don't even have the right to exist here. Please cease to exist as soon as possible.
That's what the stairs would have said to me, back on Earth. But we aren't on Earth. I bound up that staircase, which cannot object."
September 9, 2019
Absolutely loved this issue! So comforting to read other disabled people talking about the ableism in a lot of science fiction in the nonfiction and then reading fiction stories smashing those stereotypes to pieces. I'll definitely be giving the Disabled People Destroy Fantasy issue a go when I'm in the mood for it!
September 10, 2019
The collection of short stories and essays (I skipped the poems since I never reap any value from them) showed a variety of perspectives from people that experience different kind of disabilities and their take on old and new science fiction literature and cinema. It was quite opening and made me think about the sides of the story that I never before considered.
The quality of short stories was rather uneven, but on the other hand I found all of the non-fiction very interesting to read, even the pieces that I disagreed with.
One of the things I found interesting was the question "Am I disabled enough?" I always considered disability to be something extreme, for example blindness, serious mental illness or paralysis. Yet the definition presented here was more inclusive. Inclusive enough to encompass people who don't even think about themselves as disabled (like me with my high myopia).
I understand the need of better representation. At the same time I don't quite understand the resistance to the idea of better future in which all, or at least most, disabilities can be cured and everyone can function the way they want to. I found it surprising that some people might find the idea of being healthy offensive… I'm dreaming about the future in which my eyes can be easily fixed and in which I don't have to rely on medication for my hormonal system to work as intended.
The collection would be 4 stars, if it wasn't for one essay that I read at the end: "The Future Is (Not) Disabled". The whole talk about eugenics just rubbed my the wrong way. It felt to me like the term was misused here in the same way that anti-choice organizations misuse it… This is why I removed 1 star from the final rating.
The quality of short stories was rather uneven, but on the other hand I found all of the non-fiction very interesting to read, even the pieces that I disagreed with.
One of the things I found interesting was the question "Am I disabled enough?" I always considered disability to be something extreme, for example blindness, serious mental illness or paralysis. Yet the definition presented here was more inclusive. Inclusive enough to encompass people who don't even think about themselves as disabled (like me with my high myopia).
I understand the need of better representation. At the same time I don't quite understand the resistance to the idea of better future in which all, or at least most, disabilities can be cured and everyone can function the way they want to. I found it surprising that some people might find the idea of being healthy offensive… I'm dreaming about the future in which my eyes can be easily fixed and in which I don't have to rely on medication for my hormonal system to work as intended.
The collection would be 4 stars, if it wasn't for one essay that I read at the end: "The Future Is (Not) Disabled". The whole talk about eugenics just rubbed my the wrong way. It felt to me like the term was misused here in the same way that anti-choice organizations misuse it… This is why I removed 1 star from the final rating.
September 14, 2019
I have the physical paperback which, for some reason, isn't listed, and so any locations are given as page numbers.
First, in case you're puzzling over the title, this is one of a series which began with Women Destroy Science Fiction - a response to a rather unjustified claim that only men could write in this genre. I'm not sure though, how far this book lays that myth to rest. The content is variable and much of it laboured, with disability and treatments and medications almost shoehorned into every paragraph. We're in no doubt from the outset of each story what the main character is struggling with, and this, to my mind, leaves little to explore or unfold as the story itself unfolds.
Pages 13-127 are original pieces, selected from submissions. Pp 131-155 comprise two reprints and also I think, the best story, 'Listen' by Karen Tidbek which swerves all the problems I noted in so many of the others. I also liked SL Huang's 'By Degrees and Dilatory Time'.
The rest of the book comprises essays, interviews, and poetry which I didn't read. The poetry because I'm no judge, and the others because I was interested primarily in the way people with disabilities would uniquely (or not so uniquely might be more important) tackled science- rather than non- fiction. These sections might open up the world of disability to anyone who has not encountered the closed doors, the restrictions and frustrations of disabling conditions either firsthand or via contact with others who have. For you, this book might merit more stars than I have given.
First, in case you're puzzling over the title, this is one of a series which began with Women Destroy Science Fiction - a response to a rather unjustified claim that only men could write in this genre. I'm not sure though, how far this book lays that myth to rest. The content is variable and much of it laboured, with disability and treatments and medications almost shoehorned into every paragraph. We're in no doubt from the outset of each story what the main character is struggling with, and this, to my mind, leaves little to explore or unfold as the story itself unfolds.
Pages 13-127 are original pieces, selected from submissions. Pp 131-155 comprise two reprints and also I think, the best story, 'Listen' by Karen Tidbek which swerves all the problems I noted in so many of the others. I also liked SL Huang's 'By Degrees and Dilatory Time'.
The rest of the book comprises essays, interviews, and poetry which I didn't read. The poetry because I'm no judge, and the others because I was interested primarily in the way people with disabilities would uniquely (or not so uniquely might be more important) tackled science- rather than non- fiction. These sections might open up the world of disability to anyone who has not encountered the closed doors, the restrictions and frustrations of disabling conditions either firsthand or via contact with others who have. For you, this book might merit more stars than I have given.
June 26, 2019
More Hugo Reading This was interesting and made me think and this is why I'm adding it here.
ETA: This is a bit long.
It brought up some of the anxiety I have annually when work wants me to sign the Disability Survey, the question they ask is if you have a physical or mental condition that impacts your ability to enjoy life (paraphrased but essentially the gist of it). And every year I have to admit that yes, I have things wrong with me that get in the way sometimes.
I'm probably Coeliac (and this is what I tell waiters); I started to get stomach problems that people (and doctors) dismissed if I ate more than one portion of gluten-containing foods per day and then even that became horrible (I won't go into details except it took two days to get over it). After being sent to the A&E (ER for US readers) because I got terribly ill on a holiday with my folks, I had to admit that something was very wrong. However I got into trouble with work about my sick leave, so, it appeared to be Gluten so I eliminated it. I didn't get an appointment with a gastroenterologist for a while so by the time I had the test I was healing. She asked what I had done. I told her. She said that I was probably Coeliac but she couldn't confirm it officially but to stay off the gluten. I have (mostly) but sometimes it's work to find a restaurant to eat. Nothing is spontaneous, I research places almost obsessively. I can't just look at a restaurant and say "that looks good" no matter how tired, foot-sore or leg-weary I am. And I still get "poisoned" semi-regularly; we won't discuss how I end up at events almost fighting over the meager gluten free offerings. I get very upset at those who can eat gluten who eat "my" food because it "looks good". Don't get me started on those asshats who have some places ask "medical or choice" when I say I'm Coeliac/Gluten Free.
I also have bad feet (another way you can start me on a rant is to suggest I walk more for my health, I have had 2 Physiotherapists suggest that walking is the last exercise they would suggest.) I have flat feet and overdeveloped calves, I tore a calf muscle (fun! Ultrasound afterwards, because Chemo!) walking a short distance down a street, in sensible sandals. I also have a lower-back/hip injury (it's my lower back but it manifests as my hip, bodies are strange) that acts up, sometimes after walking for more than 20 minutes - I start to drag my foot. And you know when you're sitting and you put your foot on your opposite knee to massage your foot/calves/stretch your hip? Yeah, I have to reach down and pull my foot onto my knee. It doesn't like doing that. Right now it's less sore than it was this morning, I did minor stretches to get it to less screaming. Let's not get into how my body does not like the yoga resting pose of Child's Pose. My ass and heels do not meet, I can often get a yoga block into the space.�� However I can do forward bends; warrior poses and stuff like that like a boss.
I have an injury to my writing hand shoulder. Good news, it led me to embracing fountain pens, bad news I have serious issues these days with crochet. Bone deep pain. Right now it's sore. I have no idea what I did to aggravate it.
That's just the obvious messy stuff, there's the sinus headaches that I suffer from regularly enough that I end up with an almost annual sinus infection; the suspected adult onset hay fever; the post-chemotherapy lung damage from Bleomycin and the depressed immune system from the same chemotherapy.
Yeah I'm almost 50 and I could probably do some things to improve some of these. I do regular Yoga, I try to do stuff but some days my spoons are gone. Being awake enough to ensure I hydrate and eat can be the miracles. I would like some health gurus to live in my body and tell me that fixing some of this stuff is easy. Their bland platitudes are so annoying. Yes I know that if I got more fit I could probably reduce some of the issues.
This isn't even going near the timebomb that is my liver (it constantly tests high, possibly as it took over too much of the work from my lymph system when I had Hodgkin's Lymphoma but it's also a bit hyperactive since) and the fact that I'm on blood pressure drugs. And yes, my liver is possibly not happy with the cocktail that keeps me moving, however I am in my doctors office on a regular basis to get checked up. (This is one of my problems with the idea of getting your prescription remotely, yes you're probably fine but the people who see you regularly are the pharmacy staff and the GP, I love the pharmacy staff we see in ours, they know us well enough to ask if we're okay when we're not, and occasionally advise GP stat moments).
ETA 2: and we almost forgot the chronic Hidradenitis suppurativa that litters one of my armpits and my upper legs. (don't follow the link if you're squeamish, but yes my underarm looks a lot like that)
This doesn't even go near the stress that has had me shatter two teeth, even with a nightguard.
Also the next person to ask me why I didn't have kids? Yeah. They will get the laundry list of this, it takes most of my energy to deal with this body, I'm barely coping with it.
And with this laundry list I still hesitate about marking myself as disabled. To me that sometimes sounds like it's final, that I have to live with the concept that this is as good as it gets and that doesn't sit well, even if I'm not really currently doing enough to help myself.
Then I read this. It's a mixed bag of fiction and think pieces and made me do a lot of thinking about life and what I have and that really when you think about it, we're all disabled in some way. We need to think differently about disability, that it's a spectrum, not a black or white issue. I remember listening to 99% invisible, IIRC, where it pointed out that ramps in shops and on paths helped people with prams more than people with wheelchairs an unintended benefit. Making things accessible doesn't make other people's lives worse, it makes everyone's life better.
Restaurants still need to do a bit better with allergies and online menus and search tags.
ETA: This is a bit long.
It brought up some of the anxiety I have annually when work wants me to sign the Disability Survey, the question they ask is if you have a physical or mental condition that impacts your ability to enjoy life (paraphrased but essentially the gist of it). And every year I have to admit that yes, I have things wrong with me that get in the way sometimes.
I'm probably Coeliac (and this is what I tell waiters); I started to get stomach problems that people (and doctors) dismissed if I ate more than one portion of gluten-containing foods per day and then even that became horrible (I won't go into details except it took two days to get over it). After being sent to the A&E (ER for US readers) because I got terribly ill on a holiday with my folks, I had to admit that something was very wrong. However I got into trouble with work about my sick leave, so, it appeared to be Gluten so I eliminated it. I didn't get an appointment with a gastroenterologist for a while so by the time I had the test I was healing. She asked what I had done. I told her. She said that I was probably Coeliac but she couldn't confirm it officially but to stay off the gluten. I have (mostly) but sometimes it's work to find a restaurant to eat. Nothing is spontaneous, I research places almost obsessively. I can't just look at a restaurant and say "that looks good" no matter how tired, foot-sore or leg-weary I am. And I still get "poisoned" semi-regularly; we won't discuss how I end up at events almost fighting over the meager gluten free offerings. I get very upset at those who can eat gluten who eat "my" food because it "looks good". Don't get me started on those asshats who have some places ask "medical or choice" when I say I'm Coeliac/Gluten Free.
I also have bad feet (another way you can start me on a rant is to suggest I walk more for my health, I have had 2 Physiotherapists suggest that walking is the last exercise they would suggest.) I have flat feet and overdeveloped calves, I tore a calf muscle (fun! Ultrasound afterwards, because Chemo!) walking a short distance down a street, in sensible sandals. I also have a lower-back/hip injury (it's my lower back but it manifests as my hip, bodies are strange) that acts up, sometimes after walking for more than 20 minutes - I start to drag my foot. And you know when you're sitting and you put your foot on your opposite knee to massage your foot/calves/stretch your hip? Yeah, I have to reach down and pull my foot onto my knee. It doesn't like doing that. Right now it's less sore than it was this morning, I did minor stretches to get it to less screaming. Let's not get into how my body does not like the yoga resting pose of Child's Pose. My ass and heels do not meet, I can often get a yoga block into the space.�� However I can do forward bends; warrior poses and stuff like that like a boss.
I have an injury to my writing hand shoulder. Good news, it led me to embracing fountain pens, bad news I have serious issues these days with crochet. Bone deep pain. Right now it's sore. I have no idea what I did to aggravate it.
That's just the obvious messy stuff, there's the sinus headaches that I suffer from regularly enough that I end up with an almost annual sinus infection; the suspected adult onset hay fever; the post-chemotherapy lung damage from Bleomycin and the depressed immune system from the same chemotherapy.
Yeah I'm almost 50 and I could probably do some things to improve some of these. I do regular Yoga, I try to do stuff but some days my spoons are gone. Being awake enough to ensure I hydrate and eat can be the miracles. I would like some health gurus to live in my body and tell me that fixing some of this stuff is easy. Their bland platitudes are so annoying. Yes I know that if I got more fit I could probably reduce some of the issues.
This isn't even going near the timebomb that is my liver (it constantly tests high, possibly as it took over too much of the work from my lymph system when I had Hodgkin's Lymphoma but it's also a bit hyperactive since) and the fact that I'm on blood pressure drugs. And yes, my liver is possibly not happy with the cocktail that keeps me moving, however I am in my doctors office on a regular basis to get checked up. (This is one of my problems with the idea of getting your prescription remotely, yes you're probably fine but the people who see you regularly are the pharmacy staff and the GP, I love the pharmacy staff we see in ours, they know us well enough to ask if we're okay when we're not, and occasionally advise GP stat moments).
ETA 2: and we almost forgot the chronic Hidradenitis suppurativa that litters one of my armpits and my upper legs. (don't follow the link if you're squeamish, but yes my underarm looks a lot like that)
This doesn't even go near the stress that has had me shatter two teeth, even with a nightguard.
Also the next person to ask me why I didn't have kids? Yeah. They will get the laundry list of this, it takes most of my energy to deal with this body, I'm barely coping with it.
And with this laundry list I still hesitate about marking myself as disabled. To me that sometimes sounds like it's final, that I have to live with the concept that this is as good as it gets and that doesn't sit well, even if I'm not really currently doing enough to help myself.
Then I read this. It's a mixed bag of fiction and think pieces and made me do a lot of thinking about life and what I have and that really when you think about it, we're all disabled in some way. We need to think differently about disability, that it's a spectrum, not a black or white issue. I remember listening to 99% invisible, IIRC, where it pointed out that ramps in shops and on paths helped people with prams more than people with wheelchairs an unintended benefit. Making things accessible doesn't make other people's lives worse, it makes everyone's life better.
Restaurants still need to do a bit better with allergies and online menus and search tags.
October 12, 2019
3.5⭐ "I’d rather hear music through air I can breathe.”
**spoilers**
If you’re following my reviews, thanks for rolling with me ♡
It’s the fifth season of Stitcher’s LeVar Burton Reads, and we’re gifted with “The House on the Moon” by William Alexander.
This author is so in tune with the genre, it’s intimidating to me as a writer. Just like, mad scribe envy. I love the idea of writing science fiction, but it has a language in my opinion. I feel fluent enough in that language to recognize it, but I can’t speak it. This story is just top shelf.
The ending caught me off guard, I did not expect to end the story in a room with a corpse and a dilapidated technology haunting, and the dying moments of another story that happened before this one. It started off so...I guess relatable and predictable, and then just flipped into a much darker comentary.
The character’s flashback to her past really hit me. I mean, that was ROUGH.
Incredible work.
Thanks for reading, and If you wanna chat about the latest LBR episodes, hit me up in the comments and come meet with us at LeVar Burton Reads: The Community on Facebook.
- 📚☕♥
Goodreads Official Star Representation
5 - It was amazing
4 - I really liked it
3 - I liked it
2 - It was okay
1 - Did not like it.
**spoilers**
If you’re following my reviews, thanks for rolling with me ♡
It’s the fifth season of Stitcher’s LeVar Burton Reads, and we’re gifted with “The House on the Moon” by William Alexander.
This author is so in tune with the genre, it’s intimidating to me as a writer. Just like, mad scribe envy. I love the idea of writing science fiction, but it has a language in my opinion. I feel fluent enough in that language to recognize it, but I can’t speak it. This story is just top shelf.
The ending caught me off guard, I did not expect to end the story in a room with a corpse and a dilapidated technology haunting, and the dying moments of another story that happened before this one. It started off so...I guess relatable and predictable, and then just flipped into a much darker comentary.
The character’s flashback to her past really hit me. I mean, that was ROUGH.
Incredible work.
Thanks for reading, and If you wanna chat about the latest LBR episodes, hit me up in the comments and come meet with us at LeVar Burton Reads: The Community on Facebook.
- 📚☕♥
Goodreads Official Star Representation
5 - It was amazing
4 - I really liked it
3 - I liked it
2 - It was okay
1 - Did not like it.
November 10, 2019
A special issue of Uncanny Magazine, supported through crowdfunding, which contains stories and essays by disabled creators and featuring disabled characters, both largely unrepresented (or at least, invisibly represented) in science fiction.
It's largely a good collection. In terms of stories, I generally have the same types of complaints I do in any collection... some stories didn't work for me, or seemed like the start of something interesting but just ended before it got there. A few where the premise just seemed to silly to me to count as 'science fiction.' But largely the stories worked. I think the ones I liked the best were "Open Letter to the Family", by Jennifer Brozek, "Birthday Girl" by Rachel Swirsky, and "The House on the Moon" by William Alexander
It's a mix between fiction and non-fiction, and although I might prefer the fiction, the non-fiction elements were generally also worth reading, both highlighting ways that stories traditionally deal with disabled people (generally not well), the general need to see ourselves in stories, the subtle messages in certain types of stories that might seem positive, and others. And, there were a few essays about not feeling disabled 'enough' to use the label, which resonated with me, as I have a number of issues, both physical and mental which might qualify me for it but I've never thought of myself that way, feeling it wasn't "bad enough" or in some cases isn't officially diagnosed. I'm still not sure on that, and how I see myself, or should, but it's given me stuff to think about.
Other things I've been thinking about is and struggled with for a while before reading this is that one of the subsets of SF I enjoy are ones in the tech level is high enough that bodies are malleable, even disposable, and, as a natural consequence of that, most disabilities could be 'cured' simply by choosing it (or transferring into a new body without those particular issues). I do realize some of the issues and messages that brings up with respect to disability and I'm not entirely sure how to reconcile them... the essays here don't completely do that but they at least give me more stuff to think about it and serve as a reminder that even if you can change anything you want you can still be disabled by many means including merely a lack of wanting that change, especially by a societies unwilling to adapt itself to differences.
In any event, I'm still mostly here for the stories, and do kind of wish there were more of them, but I didn't feel like the essays were a chore I had to get through to finish the book. I do have to confess I completely skipped the poetry though. Poetry just almost never works for me.
Overall though, recommended.
It's largely a good collection. In terms of stories, I generally have the same types of complaints I do in any collection... some stories didn't work for me, or seemed like the start of something interesting but just ended before it got there. A few where the premise just seemed to silly to me to count as 'science fiction.' But largely the stories worked. I think the ones I liked the best were "Open Letter to the Family", by Jennifer Brozek, "Birthday Girl" by Rachel Swirsky, and "The House on the Moon" by William Alexander
It's a mix between fiction and non-fiction, and although I might prefer the fiction, the non-fiction elements were generally also worth reading, both highlighting ways that stories traditionally deal with disabled people (generally not well), the general need to see ourselves in stories, the subtle messages in certain types of stories that might seem positive, and others. And, there were a few essays about not feeling disabled 'enough' to use the label, which resonated with me, as I have a number of issues, both physical and mental which might qualify me for it but I've never thought of myself that way, feeling it wasn't "bad enough" or in some cases isn't officially diagnosed. I'm still not sure on that, and how I see myself, or should, but it's given me stuff to think about.
Other things I've been thinking about is and struggled with for a while before reading this is that one of the subsets of SF I enjoy are ones in the tech level is high enough that bodies are malleable, even disposable, and, as a natural consequence of that, most disabilities could be 'cured' simply by choosing it (or transferring into a new body without those particular issues). I do realize some of the issues and messages that brings up with respect to disability and I'm not entirely sure how to reconcile them... the essays here don't completely do that but they at least give me more stuff to think about it and serve as a reminder that even if you can change anything you want you can still be disabled by many means including merely a lack of wanting that change, especially by a societies unwilling to adapt itself to differences.
In any event, I'm still mostly here for the stories, and do kind of wish there were more of them, but I didn't feel like the essays were a chore I had to get through to finish the book. I do have to confess I completely skipped the poetry though. Poetry just almost never works for me.
Overall though, recommended.
August 4, 2019
Fiction
The House on the Moon by William Alexander: 2.75/5
Birthday Girl by Rachel Swirsky: 3/5
An Open Letter to the Family by Jennifer Brozek: 1.5/5
Heavy Lifting by A. T. Greenblatt: 2.75/5
The Frequency of Compassion by A. Merc Rustad: 5/5
The Stars Above by Katharine Duckett: 3/5
The Things I Miss the Most by Nisi Shawl: 2.75/5
Abigail Dreams of Weather by Stu West: 3.5/5
A House by the Sea by P. H. Lee: 4.75/5
Disconnect by Fran Wilde: 3/5
This Will Not Happen to You by Marissa Lingen: 3.5/5
By Degrees and Dilatory Time by S.L. Huang: 4.5/5
Listen by Karin Tidbeck: 2/5
Non-fiction
Design a Spaceship by Andi C. Buchanan: 4.5/5
The Linguistics of Disability, or, Empathy > Sympathy by Fran Wilde: 4.5/5
The Body to Come: Afrofuturist Posthumanism and Disability by Zaynab Shahar: 4.5/5
The Expendable Disabled Heroes of Marvel’s Infinity War by John Wiswell: 5/5
And the Dragon Was in the Skin by A. J. Hackwith: 5/5
Miles Vorkosigan and ‘Excellent Life Choices’: (Neuro)Divergence and Decision-Making in Bujold’s Vorkosigan Saga by Ira Gladkova: 4.5/5
Give Me Heroism or Give Me Death by Gemma Noon: 4.5/5
My Genre Makes a Monster of Me by teri.zin: 4.5/5
The Future Is (Not) Disabled by Marieke Nijkamp: 5/5
Poetry
I refuse to rate poetry because my autistic ass just can't understand most of it, but I did really enjoy All the Stars Above the Sea by Sarah Gailey and You Wanted Me to Fly by Julia Watts Belser.
Personal Essays
I also refuse to rate the majority of the personal essays included, as I felt that after a while they became a bit long-winded and started blending together and saying much of the same things, but a few that spoke to me personally were The Stories We Find Ourselves In by A. T. Greenblatt,
The Horror and the Reality: Mental Illness Through the Lens of Horror by V. Medina, We Are Not Your Backstories by K. C. Alexander, The Only Thing Faster Than Tonight: Mr. Darkness by Elise Matthesen, A Dream to Shape My World by Eli Wilkinson, and Everything Is True: A Non-Neurotypical Experience with Fiction by Ada Hoffmann.
Average rating: 3.81/5, rounded up to a 4/5.
Overall, I did enjoy this anthology and thought it was a great representation of many different types of disability voices in sci-fi settings. I vastly preferred the non-fiction sections over the fiction sections, though, and that did disappoint me quite a bit.
The House on the Moon by William Alexander: 2.75/5
Birthday Girl by Rachel Swirsky: 3/5
An Open Letter to the Family by Jennifer Brozek: 1.5/5
Heavy Lifting by A. T. Greenblatt: 2.75/5
The Frequency of Compassion by A. Merc Rustad: 5/5
The Stars Above by Katharine Duckett: 3/5
The Things I Miss the Most by Nisi Shawl: 2.75/5
Abigail Dreams of Weather by Stu West: 3.5/5
A House by the Sea by P. H. Lee: 4.75/5
Disconnect by Fran Wilde: 3/5
This Will Not Happen to You by Marissa Lingen: 3.5/5
By Degrees and Dilatory Time by S.L. Huang: 4.5/5
Listen by Karin Tidbeck: 2/5
Non-fiction
Design a Spaceship by Andi C. Buchanan: 4.5/5
The Linguistics of Disability, or, Empathy > Sympathy by Fran Wilde: 4.5/5
The Body to Come: Afrofuturist Posthumanism and Disability by Zaynab Shahar: 4.5/5
The Expendable Disabled Heroes of Marvel’s Infinity War by John Wiswell: 5/5
And the Dragon Was in the Skin by A. J. Hackwith: 5/5
Miles Vorkosigan and ‘Excellent Life Choices’: (Neuro)Divergence and Decision-Making in Bujold’s Vorkosigan Saga by Ira Gladkova: 4.5/5
Give Me Heroism or Give Me Death by Gemma Noon: 4.5/5
My Genre Makes a Monster of Me by teri.zin: 4.5/5
The Future Is (Not) Disabled by Marieke Nijkamp: 5/5
Poetry
I refuse to rate poetry because my autistic ass just can't understand most of it, but I did really enjoy All the Stars Above the Sea by Sarah Gailey and You Wanted Me to Fly by Julia Watts Belser.
Personal Essays
I also refuse to rate the majority of the personal essays included, as I felt that after a while they became a bit long-winded and started blending together and saying much of the same things, but a few that spoke to me personally were The Stories We Find Ourselves In by A. T. Greenblatt,
The Horror and the Reality: Mental Illness Through the Lens of Horror by V. Medina, We Are Not Your Backstories by K. C. Alexander, The Only Thing Faster Than Tonight: Mr. Darkness by Elise Matthesen, A Dream to Shape My World by Eli Wilkinson, and Everything Is True: A Non-Neurotypical Experience with Fiction by Ada Hoffmann.
Average rating: 3.81/5, rounded up to a 4/5.
Overall, I did enjoy this anthology and thought it was a great representation of many different types of disability voices in sci-fi settings. I vastly preferred the non-fiction sections over the fiction sections, though, and that did disappoint me quite a bit.
June 30, 2019
Absolutely, incredibly thankful I supported this book on Kickstarter.
This is technically 4 stars for my rating, but I'm upping it to 5 due to it coming into my life at the perfect timing for two personal reasons:
The first thing is that there a very high plausibility that I am autistic. I've been on and off considering getting diagnosed. Seeing all the autistic voices (and there were many!) in this book made me *cry*, and I've decided I want to go through with getting diagnosed.
I also carry the gene for Ankylosing Spondylitis. I recently had the first hit of Iritis last fall (a month and a half of treatment due to a misdiagnosis), and have had hip problems for as long as I can remember. I just got my MRI done and am waiting for results. So while I don't think any of the voices had this particularly, just seeing the range of voices and their stories really helps me.
Especially because a lot of stuff in here is saying ''We belong in the future''. I have always wanted kids but finding out about this gene, I started to feel like a terrible person for most likely subjecting my children to it when I knew ahead of time versus the previous generations of my family. Now, I don't feel as bad. I feel bad to have to pass down the pain still, but I will do my best to actually give them the education about it I never had and get them the help they need when required. They belong in the future. Fuck eugenics!
I know, a very personal review. But I beg anyway who has a chance to read this, please do, no matter your situation or if you know a disabled person or not. We need to start pushing for more inclusion and empathy for disabilities.
This is technically 4 stars for my rating, but I'm upping it to 5 due to it coming into my life at the perfect timing for two personal reasons:
The first thing is that there a very high plausibility that I am autistic. I've been on and off considering getting diagnosed. Seeing all the autistic voices (and there were many!) in this book made me *cry*, and I've decided I want to go through with getting diagnosed.
I also carry the gene for Ankylosing Spondylitis. I recently had the first hit of Iritis last fall (a month and a half of treatment due to a misdiagnosis), and have had hip problems for as long as I can remember. I just got my MRI done and am waiting for results. So while I don't think any of the voices had this particularly, just seeing the range of voices and their stories really helps me.
Especially because a lot of stuff in here is saying ''We belong in the future''. I have always wanted kids but finding out about this gene, I started to feel like a terrible person for most likely subjecting my children to it when I knew ahead of time versus the previous generations of my family. Now, I don't feel as bad. I feel bad to have to pass down the pain still, but I will do my best to actually give them the education about it I never had and get them the help they need when required. They belong in the future. Fuck eugenics!
I know, a very personal review. But I beg anyway who has a chance to read this, please do, no matter your situation or if you know a disabled person or not. We need to start pushing for more inclusion and empathy for disabilities.
November 25, 2020
Personal preference: I am going to pass on rating personal essays. I do not feel comfortable judging other people's life experiences, that is just not my place.
That being said, the rest of the work was excellent and touched on aspects of ableism that I barely notice myself as a disabled, chronically ill person (whether that's due to internal ableism or just a lack of thought is another question, frankly I am not opening that can of worms in 2020).
A quote that really had me weeping, however, was this one.
I think this might be the first time I felt really seen in a literary work.
The passageway leads to a spiralling staircase.
Back on Earth, I wouldn't be able to climb anything so steep.
But ability is contextual.
Whatever we're able to do - and whatever meaning we make of that- changes from one environment to another.
We make all of our own environments now.
To design a place that others can't possibly move through or inhabit is the same as raising up a drawbridge, dropping down a toothy portcullis, or punching a row of murder holes through a ceiling.
It writes down a clear, solid message in the language of architecture: You are not welcome here. You don't even have the right to exist here. Please cease to exist as soon as possible.
That's what the stairs would have said to me, back on Earth. But we aren't on Earth.
I bound up that staircase, which cannot object.
For that, thank you.
That being said, the rest of the work was excellent and touched on aspects of ableism that I barely notice myself as a disabled, chronically ill person (whether that's due to internal ableism or just a lack of thought is another question, frankly I am not opening that can of worms in 2020).
A quote that really had me weeping, however, was this one.
I think this might be the first time I felt really seen in a literary work.
The passageway leads to a spiralling staircase.
Back on Earth, I wouldn't be able to climb anything so steep.
But ability is contextual.
Whatever we're able to do - and whatever meaning we make of that- changes from one environment to another.
We make all of our own environments now.
To design a place that others can't possibly move through or inhabit is the same as raising up a drawbridge, dropping down a toothy portcullis, or punching a row of murder holes through a ceiling.
It writes down a clear, solid message in the language of architecture: You are not welcome here. You don't even have the right to exist here. Please cease to exist as soon as possible.
That's what the stairs would have said to me, back on Earth. But we aren't on Earth.
I bound up that staircase, which cannot object.
For that, thank you.
September 27, 2018
Uncanny is a very well-known science fiction and fantasy magazine. Even in science fiction, supposedly the genre of limitless possibility, where everyone is invited to the adventure, minorities are often underrepresented. Four year ago Lightspeed magazine started the "destroy science fiction" series, a yearly program focusing on underrepresented minorities to give them a voice, and to see what they have to offer and to contribute to the genre. In 2014 they focused on women. In 2015 on queer authors and themes. In 2016 on people of colour. This year (2018) Uncanny decided to continue the initiative focusing on differently abled authors and themes.
While sci-fi is considered by many the more open of the literary genres, abled bodied protagonist are the default, to the extent that everything else is "deviation," and must be eyed with suspicion. But all science fiction is real science fiction. Science fiction is vast, and incredible fascinating in all its facets. It is inclusive. Science fiction is about people, and differently abled people, are a big part of that. They always have been. They are just sometimes harder to see. So, in the interests of visibility and breaking stuff, Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction! tell us the stories of the long excluded. The issue also include an interesting assortment of author and artist spotlights, interviews, nonfiction features, plus more than twenty personal essays from writers about their experiences being differently abled reading and writing science fiction. A very interesting read, looking forward reading the next "destroy" issue.
While sci-fi is considered by many the more open of the literary genres, abled bodied protagonist are the default, to the extent that everything else is "deviation," and must be eyed with suspicion. But all science fiction is real science fiction. Science fiction is vast, and incredible fascinating in all its facets. It is inclusive. Science fiction is about people, and differently abled people, are a big part of that. They always have been. They are just sometimes harder to see. So, in the interests of visibility and breaking stuff, Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction! tell us the stories of the long excluded. The issue also include an interesting assortment of author and artist spotlights, interviews, nonfiction features, plus more than twenty personal essays from writers about their experiences being differently abled reading and writing science fiction. A very interesting read, looking forward reading the next "destroy" issue.
December 16, 2019
I took my time digesting this one, but there's a lot of really lovely work in here. When I bought it, I only had short stories in mind, and I wasn't sure if I'd like the balance of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction/essays. I ended up rotating between sections, reading a piece or two from each, so it felt like different parts of the issue were talking to each other. Now that I've gotten to the end, I think that blend of approaches was perfect, like when you mix two flavors together and find a whole new taste. Many thanks and kudos to all the editors and creators who were part of this collection.
Any favorites list is a bit distorted by the time it took me to read, but some of the pieces that really stick out in my memory: "The things I miss the most" by Nisi Shawl, "Design a spaceship" by Andi C. Buchanan, "All the stars above the sea" by Sarah Gailey, "You wanted me to fly" by Julia Watts Belser, "From rabbit holes to wormholes: KidLit memories" by Alice Wong. I could go on, but the issue gave me a lot to think about, which is what the best science fiction does.
Any favorites list is a bit distorted by the time it took me to read, but some of the pieces that really stick out in my memory: "The things I miss the most" by Nisi Shawl, "Design a spaceship" by Andi C. Buchanan, "All the stars above the sea" by Sarah Gailey, "You wanted me to fly" by Julia Watts Belser, "From rabbit holes to wormholes: KidLit memories" by Alice Wong. I could go on, but the issue gave me a lot to think about, which is what the best science fiction does.
November 26, 2019
This is a fantastic collection of short stories and essays that provide so much insight into the experience of a variety of disabled authors. The first half of the issue is devoted to science fiction short stories, and included a number of favorites, such as Heavy Lifting by A.T. Greenblatt, A House by the Sea by P. H. Lee, and Disconnect by Fran Wilde. The essays in the second half were particularly strong, providing a lot of insight into why disability representation in science fiction is so important, such as in Design a Spaceship by Andi C Buchanan, The Future Is (Not) Disabled by Marieke Nijkamp, and Dancing in Iron Shoes by Nicolette Barischoff. I highly recommend picking this issue up and getting both some awesome science fiction short stories and some really informative essays on disability!
December 21, 2020
It takes me a long time to read anthologies (I often have to put the book down after reading a single story or essay to think about it, just like I would with a whole novel) so I started this over a year ago.
This is an excellent collection of short stories, essays, poetry, and interviews, featuring a variety of people with disabilities and their experiences. This is a must read for able-bodied folks. I'm married to someone on the autism spectrum and have a nonverbal autistic son, and this collection opened my eyes to basic representation that is missing often in our science fiction.
Favorites include Birthday Girl and Disconnect, and I especially appreciated the essay "Design a Spaceship." The personal essays are probably the most important piece in my opinion. There's so much in one volume. I'll be coming back to this work for quite a while.
This is an excellent collection of short stories, essays, poetry, and interviews, featuring a variety of people with disabilities and their experiences. This is a must read for able-bodied folks. I'm married to someone on the autism spectrum and have a nonverbal autistic son, and this collection opened my eyes to basic representation that is missing often in our science fiction.
Favorites include Birthday Girl and Disconnect, and I especially appreciated the essay "Design a Spaceship." The personal essays are probably the most important piece in my opinion. There's so much in one volume. I'll be coming back to this work for quite a while.
June 7, 2019
This was an excellent anthology highlighting the diverse stories and experiences of disabled writers in the SFF community. It's a good mix of fiction, non-fiction, personal essays and poetry, and everyone who's a fan or writer of SFF should read this. As an abled person and a writer, it gave me a new perspective on a historically marginalized community, and what disability narratives can look like. There are a lot of great voices at work within this community: voices that we risk missing out on if the SFF community doesn't do the necessary work to make room at the table.
I hope that this is just the start of seeing more work like this in the future.
My favorite story in this anthology is "The Stars Above" by Katharine Duckett.
I hope that this is just the start of seeing more work like this in the future.
My favorite story in this anthology is "The Stars Above" by Katharine Duckett.
September 10, 2019
It is always good to read stories by/about/for those who are marginalised and this anthology is no exception.
There are stories, poems and essays about being and becoming disabled, about representation and a lack of it, about coping and not, about hope and despair. Ultimately it's an uplifting and enlightening experience read and I'm glad I took the time to finish it.
As somebody in permanent chronic pain I can certainly empathise with several of the authors and protagonists and as a carer for two disabled family members many points rang all too true.
For me though, the stand out story was Birthday Girl. Absolutely heartbreaking it is. Probably not for everyone, but for some of us it's very moving.
There are stories, poems and essays about being and becoming disabled, about representation and a lack of it, about coping and not, about hope and despair. Ultimately it's an uplifting and enlightening experience read and I'm glad I took the time to finish it.
As somebody in permanent chronic pain I can certainly empathise with several of the authors and protagonists and as a carer for two disabled family members many points rang all too true.
For me though, the stand out story was Birthday Girl. Absolutely heartbreaking it is. Probably not for everyone, but for some of us it's very moving.
July 23, 2019
The House On The Moon - William Alexander ***
Birthday Girl - Rachel Swirsky ***
An Open Letter To The Family - Jennifer Brozek **
Heavy Lifting - AT Greenblatt ***
The Frequency Of Compassion - Merc Fenn Wolfmoor ***
The Stars Above - Katharine Duckett ***
The Things I Miss The Most - Nisi Shawl ***
Abigail Dreams Of Weather - Stu West ***
A House By The Sea - PH Lee ***
Disconnect - Fran Wilde ****
This Will Not Happen To You - Marissa Lingen ***
By Degrees And Dilatory Time - SL Huang ***
Listen - Karin Tidbeck ****
Birthday Girl - Rachel Swirsky ***
An Open Letter To The Family - Jennifer Brozek **
Heavy Lifting - AT Greenblatt ***
The Frequency Of Compassion - Merc Fenn Wolfmoor ***
The Stars Above - Katharine Duckett ***
The Things I Miss The Most - Nisi Shawl ***
Abigail Dreams Of Weather - Stu West ***
A House By The Sea - PH Lee ***
Disconnect - Fran Wilde ****
This Will Not Happen To You - Marissa Lingen ***
By Degrees And Dilatory Time - SL Huang ***
Listen - Karin Tidbeck ****
December 29, 2020
“The Things I Miss the Most” by Nisi Shawl in which the unnamed first person singular narrator has a procedure to control her epilepsy and it creates an invisible girlfriend for her. I enjoyed the essays in “The Expendable Disable Heroes of Marvel’s Infinity War” by John Wiswell and “Miles Vorkosigan and ‘Excellent Life Choices’: (Neuro) Divergence and Decision- Making in Bujold’s Vorkosigan Saga” by Ira Gladkova. But no coda or response essay on his clone/ brother Mark and his myriad challenges? Read for BRRH #23, read a literary magazine. Read on Kindle.
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