Kendra Winchester is a Contributing Editor for Book Riot where she writes about audiobooks and disability literature. She is also the Founder of Read Appalachia, which celebrates Appalachian literature and writing. Previously, Kendra co-founded and served as Executive Director for Reading Women, a podcast that gained an international following over its six-season run. In her off hours, you can find her writing on her Substack, Winchester Ave, and posting photos of her Corgis on Instagram and Twitter @kdwinchester.
It’s Disability Pride Month! In honor of passing the American with Disabilities Act in July of 1990, we set aside every July to celebrate disabled people and mark how much progress we’ve made in disability rights. While the intitive first started in the United States, it’s now a worldwide celebration.
There are a range of different kinds of communities that exist underneath the broader disability umbrella. A great way to discover a lot of perspectives on disability is through anthologies, and there are so many great ones. Here are a few to get you started.
Disability Intimacy: Essays on Love, Care, and Desire edited by Alice Wong
When we think about intimacy, certain kinds of sexual or romantic relationships come to mind. But the disabled writers in Disability Intimacy push readers to think about intimacy more broadly. Their essays discuss community access, caregiving, mutual aid, friendship, romance, sex, and so much more.
Someone Like Me: An Anthology of Nonfiction by Autistic Writers edited by Clem Bastow and Jo Case
Editors Clem Bastow and Jo Case wanted an anthology of writing that pushes back against the “nerdy white man” autistic stereotype. They’ve pulled together a diverse collection of women and gender-diverse writers to share their experience with autism. Some essays delve into comorbidities with autism—like OCD and a range of eating disorders—while others describe all-encompassing passions. Together, these essays create a tapestry of autistic experiences that give readers a broader perspective on the condition.
Growing Up Disabled in Australia edited by Carly Findlay
Every country has a different healthcare system, which means that disabled people’s experiences vary widely. Disability rights advocate Carly Findlay has brought together disabled, chronically ill, Deaf, and neurodivergent authors from diverse backgrounds and experiences to talk about what growing up disabled in Australia was truly like. There are athletes, authors, and actors. Some of the contributors have been disabled from birth while others became disabled later in life. Growing Up in Australia is one of the best disability anthologies that I’ve ever read, and I can’t recommend it enough.
In Reading Color
A weekly newsletter focusing on literature by and about people of color!
About Us: Essays from the Disability Series from the New York Times edited by Peter Catapano and Rosmarie Garland-Thomson
Collected from The New York Times’s Disability Series column, About Us includes a series of essays about disabled people, their experiences, relationships, challenges, and triumphs. It’s important to note that the editors didn’t include non-speaking or nonverbal people in the collection, which is an issue. But overall, they commissioned so many incredible essays that still deserve to be read and appreciated.
You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave, over on Instagram @kdwinchester, or on my podcast Read Appalachia. As always, feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE bookish content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.
Happy Reading, Friends!
~ Kendra
English (US) · 