Fuck it.

AUTISTIC AUTHOR POSITIVITY THREAD

YOON HA LEE!

Does things with space opera that will make your EYES CROSS! Does them with fantasy short fiction too! Nominated for the Hugo and Nebula for NINEFOX GAMBIT, among other very well-deserved awards

R.B. LEMBERG!

I have not been able to review THE FOUR PROFOUND WEAVES yet because of plague and my own novel deadlines but ATTN EVERYONE if you are not yet familiar with the intricate world of Birdverse you are MISSING OUT. I'm so happy they finally got a book out of it.

RIVERS SOLOMON!

Writes hard-hitting, queer, Black, trauma-filled books and they are SO GOOD. Nominated for the Hugo and Nebula awards for THE DEEP.

KAIA SØNDERBY!

The Xandri Corelel books put an autistic protagonist front and center in a space adventure where understanding and empathy save the day. Xandri is the most relatable protagonist I have *ever* encountered, phew.

CORINNE DUYVIS!

Coined the term #ownvoices before it was cool. Runs "Disability in Kidlit." Also her YA is really good!!

BOGI TAKÀCS!

Super multi-talented writer and editor! Writes the Eren universe, in which there is a WHOLE PLANET of magical autistic people, among many other things. Also the most prolific and insightful *reviewer* I know, on "Bogi Reads the World," & Hugo winner for fan writing

MERC FENN WOLFMOOR!

Gosh I have known Merc since we were tiny baby writers in an online writer's group together and if you haven't read their dark, twisted short fiction you are MISSING OUT. I am SUPER chomping at the bit for when they manage to sell a novel it will be SO GOOD

And, guys, these people are my faves but they are the TIP OF THE ICEBERG. I could list off many other autistic authors in science/fiction fantasy who I really like - Amber Bird, A.C. Buchanan, Richard Ford Burley, Rita Chen, Sunyi Dean, Robin Eames, Meda Kahn, AJ Odasso -

But THIS would STILL only be the tip of the iceberg because there are so many more autistic authors emerging - those who just came out, those who just began to be published, those who have been around but I have been too swamped to read/review them yet. There are SO MANY.

Then take THAT iceberg, and add EVEN MORE, because there are wonderful autistic authors in the community RIGHT NOW that none of us know about because they've kept their dx private, or haven't even figured it out yet.

Science fiction is CRAWLING with us and that is GOOD!!

I remember 10 years ago when I started reviewing autistic books and there didn't seem to be very many. The playing field has *really* changed since then - now there are so many, especially in self-publishing, that I'm genuinely scared I can't keep track.

And it's a GOOD thing that there are so many of us now.

We're not taking space away from each other. We are expanding the space for all of us.