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I've been watching the statements from publishers and organizations in #CanLit (and elsewhere) over the last couple of days, and I'm feeling--much like my fave #workwife @JaelRichardson) both encouraged and also angry. I truly hope that this signifies a real, concerted shift. 1/
2/ Last year, in preparing for the inaugural @FoldKids Book Fest, we put a call out on Twitter to find out more about disabled authors working in #KidCanLit. There are so few. SO FEW.
3/ Nothing has changed from thirty years ago, when I--as a girl who had crutches, a wheelchair, & then eventually a limp--read every book I could get my hands on and saw myself reflected in none of them. How many children's books in Canada today showcase disability?
4/ How many picture books are our publishers putting out into the world that talk about what it means to have a wheelchair in school? How many picture books show what it's like to be d/Deaf or hard of hearing? How many picture books talk about congenital defects?
5/ There is always the underlying assumption that disability is a "niche" audience--that ppl who aren't disabled don't or won't want to read abt disability--that they won't be able to identify with the characters. That reading abt disability is only something *disabled* ppl want.
6/ But here's the thing: when you as a publisher treat a story as though it's small, you're treating the *world* like it's small. You're keeping that story niche. You're assuming that the world and your audiences can't grow to include these other stories and perspectives.
7/ In reality, when you publish and celebrate marginalized voices, you're helping to show & remind all audiences that the world is so much larger than previously imagined. You are saying to ALL people: let's dream big, let's reach for each other, *look at how much room we have*.
8/ As a white disabled person in Canada, I have a lot of privilege. I absolutely know and recognize that. It *still* hurts to see how disabled stories are continually passed over and made invisible--yet again--because they aren't considered universal.
9/ A large part of the reason that I've been able to operate in #CanLit the way that I have is because of both my white privilege and the fact that I have a certain amount of able-bodied privilege too. Sure, I limp, but I can get up on a stage to do a reading. How many ppl can't?
10/ How many writers aren't invited to festivals or asked to speak b/c they can't get up on a stage or b/c the costs of bringing a disabled writer in to speak are prohibitive due to travel accommodations etc? How many orgs aren't factoring accessibility into their budgets?
11/ Publishers, festivals, orgs: you need to do the work. You need to do ALL of the work. You don't get to pick & choose. If you are making a commitment to diverse voices (especially those voices that lie at points of intersection! WHY DOESN'T @Imani_Barbarin HAVE A BOOK YET?)...
12/ ... then you need to make that commitment over years, not just over the next six months. Commit to accessibility & inclusion across all elements of publishing. Publish disabled voices. Hire disabled people. If yr building is inaccessible, move into a different damn building.
13/ I'm heartened to see mentorships as well as calls for submissions going out that prioritize marginalized voices. But make no mistake: you actually *do* need to change the building that you're all in--both literally & figuratively. EVERYTHING ABOUT HOW YOU WORK HAS TO CHANGE.
14/ You can't tell me that the industry is changing when @JaelRichardson and I go to publishing pitch meetings and get faced with a catalogue full of white abled people. This is five years into the FOLD and our work. That's no kind of change.
15/ You know what *would* be radical change? Five years of publishing acquisitions ONLY from marginalized writers. But no one's going to do that when everyone can post about their open submission calls on Facebook. And that's what has me warring hope with disappointment.
16/ Anyway, in conclusion: please remember that some of the most marginalized voices in the world of #CanLit lie at the intersections. Look for and uplift disabled Black and disabled Indigenous and POC writers, publishing professionals, and artists.
17/ The work doesn't end with an open submissions call. Make your (publishing) house accessible. Make your house a home where everyone can come in and be at the table. Publish stories so that children see themselves in ALL the books, not just the "niche" ones. /END RANT.
