Disabled in Traditional Fantasy Anthology
Donation protected
Hi, I'm Ella, and I'm pretty sick of being told that as a disabled person, I am not welcome--even in fictional worlds.
Update Jan 25 2025: the anthology has sucessfully released! You can get "Artifice & Access" from major retailers, and even order it in through your local bookstores. Thank you so much for your support!
Recently there was some online discourse about whether disabled people and characters "should" exist in fantasy. After all, if fantasy means magic, why don't all disabled people just get healed and become abled? Why doesn't every person who uses a wheelchair simply float around like a marrionetted puppet? Don't you just hate it when you're reading a cool fantasy book and suddenly there's a disabled character and it just breaks your immersion? Gah! The list goes on.
Disabled people should exist in fantasy because we exist in real life, period.
Disability adovacy and justice is important to me, and that is what spurred me to finally create this anthology. Hopefully, it will be the first of many. But for now, here's the gist:
- This intersectional anthology will feature 12 stories from 12 different authors of different disabilities and experiences, set in different worlds with different narratives and perspectives.
- The theme is 'Traditional Fantasy'. That means fairy/folk tale, myth, legend, fable. Imagine what kind of story might be passed down from generation to generation; We are writing disability into traditional spaces because we have always been here.
- It will be released in print and as a digital PDF download. All proceeds from the sale of this anthology will be donated to a disability charity or organization to be elected by the contributors.
- I am fundraising for this project so that I am able to pay contributors and promote the project. Did you know that in many countries around the world, disabled people like me are legally allowed to be paid less than minimum wage?
Most of the work on this anthology will be completed through volunteers. We are only as strong as each other, and I'm so blessed to have the community come out in such stuanch support for this project. It's been so heartwarming to see people voice their desire to contribute, participate, and read this anthology. I cannot wait to see it through to the end, and give you all an anthology we love.
Thank you so much for your contribution, even if it's simply sharing this GoFundMe. Every cent and share counts!
Organizer
Ella Holmes
Organizer
Daisy Hill, QLD