First, I want to say how excited we are to be working on this project. It sprang into my (E’s) brain after creating our Facebook groups and seeing the kinds of discussions taking place there. Both the writing and editing groups have been seeing steady growth since they began, and the resounding response to both has been, “YES!”
I started the journey making these groups because I realized there was a serious lack of spaces for neurodivergent people in the circles I ran in. And, if I’m honest, there are a lot of neurodivergent writers and editors. My theory is that the profession of writing and publishing attracts neurodivergent minds for a huge bevy of reasons. Not the least of which is the pattern recognition skills and enjoyment of rules that autistic people possess and the proclivity to making connections that the ADHD brain has.
This whole process started with a post I saw in an editing Facebook group I am a part of (Editorial Association of Earth). A neurodivergent editor had made a post asking about some things regarding neurodivergence and made a comment that it would be nice if there were such a space. Being that I have run online communities for years, my helium hand syndrome kicked in, and I immediately started one. The group has grown surprisingly quickly, and when I was talking about it to my dear friend Leslie, she mentioned how it would be excellent to have such a space for writers, too. And could she start one. As such, our sibling groups were born.
Melanie became involved in the writing group as a member when I talked about the spaces on my personal wall. She and I have been friends for years, and she leaped into the group with both feet. Soon, she and Leslie had become fast friends (to no surprise on my behalf; they’re both tremendous people). When I started talking about the idea of running a conference with Leslie, I got a short way into planning before realizing I was in over my head. I’ve never put together an event on this scale before, and while I was asking a ton of people questions, I still felt like I was drowning a bit.
It was a solid, “DUH” moment when I realized I knew exactly the person to ask to help Leslie and I with this project and reached out to Melanie. Who was, of course, immediately on board. Without her knowledge and organizational skills, I can say that we would be nowhere near where we are now. She and Leslie are the other parts of my brain for this conference, and without them none of this would be happening.
Together, we have been having meetings, plans, and are working to make this happen in ways I couldn’t have imagined when I first posited the ideas in a late-night musing to Leslie on Messenger. And here we are.
So, that’s where this all started! Welcome to the chaos, friends. We are glad to have you with us and excited to share our journey with you as we grow and continue to prepare this conference for the world. More updates will be forthcoming, so please keep an eye on this space or, better yet, sign up for our newsletter where we will send you regular news blasts about what we’re doing and where we are in the planning process!