artwork by Shelby Brown
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DISABLED VOICES ANTHOLOGY
Embodies the spirit of
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artwork by Michaela Oteri
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Written and illustrated by the Disabled community about the Disabled community, Disabled Voices is an international anthology collection of short stories (both fiction and non-fiction), personal essay, poetry, and artwork which includes 10 colour pages. Featuring both new as well as established authors, Disabled Voices is comprised of 31 submissions written by 26 contributors: 14 Canadian, 11 American, and 1 UK.
A first of its kind, Disabled Voices captures life as a Disabled person: from the bad and ugly, to the good and victorious, and anything in between. Likewise, some pieces may not fit the mainstream idea of what the Disabled community is. With wide-ranging topics such as invisible disabilities, mobility aid use, abuse, ableism from strangers, identity, substance use disorders, late-diagnosed neurodivergence, inclusion, on line activism, access and accommodation, gender, race, sex and sexuality, internalized ableism, hospitalization and institutionalization, memory loss, pain—most readers will find reflections of themselves/their experiences within these pages. Disabled Voices is a must have book for members of the Disabled community, but it is also very necessary to bring awareness and understanding to readers of all kinds.
A first of its kind, Disabled Voices captures life as a Disabled person: from the bad and ugly, to the good and victorious, and anything in between. Likewise, some pieces may not fit the mainstream idea of what the Disabled community is. With wide-ranging topics such as invisible disabilities, mobility aid use, abuse, ableism from strangers, identity, substance use disorders, late-diagnosed neurodivergence, inclusion, on line activism, access and accommodation, gender, race, sex and sexuality, internalized ableism, hospitalization and institutionalization, memory loss, pain—most readers will find reflections of themselves/their experiences within these pages. Disabled Voices is a must have book for members of the Disabled community, but it is also very necessary to bring awareness and understanding to readers of all kinds.
eBooks are now available from: Kobo, Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, and many other eBook vendors.
artwork by Michaela Oteri
artwork by Michaela Oteri
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REVIEWS
"Rebel Mountain Press is unique in the work they do in not only providing a platform, but also in preserving the raw genuineness of marginalized voices in Disabled Voices. It is evident in Disabled Voices, that the concept of “nothing about us without us” so often cited in Disability culture, was an important factor considered during its creation." -Navigator Newspaper “Disabled Voices is magical—It made me laugh and cry. It made me want to take to the streets in protest. But I also found community with people like me and those with other disability in its pages.” – Amanda Reaume, disabled writer and feminist activist. We need these stories and the spaces like Disabled Voices to create new narratives that imagine ourselves into Mad, Crip futures.” – Qwo-Li Driskill, author of Asegi Stories: Cherokee Queer and Two-Spirit Memory Finally: community realized through complexity and knowledge created by people who have for so long been effaced."– Alok V Menon, Trans writer + performance artist. Disabled Voices Anthology is a crucial part of our new and old traditions: not apologizing for ourselves or writing for the abled, not translating or making ourselves small, but an unapologetic, vibrant part of that krip literary future that is now. Dive in.~ Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, author of Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice |
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EDITOR
sb. smith is a queer Disabled writer, editor, artist living in Vancouver, BC. She is a recent graduate of Vancouver Island University’s Creative Writing program, and her own writing has been published in Portal, Sad Girl Review, and the Navigator Newspaper. She is tirelessly dedicated to disability justice initiatives by helping amplify Disabled voices through both her professional and community-based work. Her upcoming plans include undertaking a Masters program in Disabled Studies. |
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"The work in this anthology brings me a swell of mixed emotions: some heartbreak and sorrow, some anger, a lot of joy, and even more pride. I’m anticipating many of its readers will feel the same way. I hope this book gives Disabled readers what they need, and that it will be a place to return to again and again for reminders of the solidarity in the experiences we share." With love and respect, sb. smith
artwork by Eryn Goodman
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artwork by Michaela Oteri
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EXCERPTS:
Dear Wheels: A Letter of Thanks to My Wheelchair, You help me move freely in this world and soar to the highest peaks, but why can’t others see how you help me fly? Instead, they see a woman in a chair who needs help with every single thing in her life. In reality, you give me the independence to rise above that ignorance and know that I am capable and eager to live my life to the fullest. -Rebecca Johnson, Disabled Voices On Valentine’s Day, Let’s Recognize Why #AccessIsLove I spent much of my childhood and young adulthood finding myself and community. I didn’t have the words or concepts such as “ableism” or “intersectionality” that helped shape me into who I am today. Disability pride and identity took a long time for me to develop and the process accelerated once I started reaching out to other Disabled people. -Alice Wong, Disabled Voices |
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Please Listen
I am not you, your aunt, the neighbour you once had. I appreciate your concern, desire to help, good intentions. But, this is not your body, not your disability. You don’t know my experience, body, history. You don’t know what has failed, has hurt, has helped. So, please listen when I tell you I know myself, when I know what is true for me. Thank you for your words regarding my disability, but I’d rather you listen to me. Deborah Chava Singer, Disabled Voices |
