anthology – Cait Gordon—author and editor

I’m telling you, it was so hard to keep this information to myself. Both Talia and I felt our brains were going to explode. We were completely stunned to discover that the second anthology we co-edited, Nothing Without Us Too, received a nomination for the 2023 Prix Aurora Award in the Best Related Work category. We had previously received a nomination in the same category for the first anthology, Nothing Without Us, but we did not expect lightning to strike twice!

It was a heck of a mental health journey, curating an anthology of disability fiction during a global pandemic where eugenics messaging was almost daily. We knew how much weight many disabled creatives carried and how hard it was for a lot of us to create at all. So, this anthology feels like a collection of collective resilience. We were so saddened that Melissa Mead died before we could send out our acceptance but are really grateful to her family for letting us include her story, “Pest.” We also dedicated the book to her as well.

So, many emotions emoted during the production of Nothing Without Us Too. And even though awards aren’t everything, and there were so many stellar books that didn’t get nominated, we have to admit that receiving peer recognition of this kind does feel good. Thanks a ton to all who cast their nominations for this work. We do appreciate it!

Now this anthology can join their older sibling, which was a 2020 Prix Aurora Award finalist. I have no idea if Nothing Without Us Too will win in our category, but Talia and I agree that the big win was getting the anthology out there despite so many obstacles set against us. Anything else is bonus!

Voting for the actual Prix Aurora Awards will take place in June. I will keep you posted if you’d like to vote for our work and other amazing works! You just have to be a member of the Canadian Science Fiction and fantasy Association (CSFFA). Canadian citizens and Permanent Residents can apply to be members. It’s only $10 a year! And you can get a voters package with a bunch of free books and stories! Learn more at https://csffa.ca.

A greyscale close-up of me, standing in front of a blank background. I am a white woman with short silver hair cropped closely on the sides. I am wearing dark metallic rimmed glasses with rhinestones on the side. I’m wearing silver hook earrings with flat beads and a plaid shirt.

Cait Gordon is an autistic, disabled, and queer Canadian writer of speculative fiction that celebrates diversity. She is the author of Life in the ’Cosm, The Stealth Lovers, and the forthcoming Iris and the Crew Tear Through Space (2023). Cait also founded the Spoonie Authors Network and joined Talia C. Johnson to co-edit the award-nominated, multi-genre, disability fiction anthologies Nothing Without Us and Nothing Without Us Too.

So, this has been a full year for me, even though my name is only on one book. Since that book happens to be an anthology where I am co-editor, I will already take that as a win! It’s not the quantity, but the quality, as they say. And in the case of this collection, we have both!

Books

Book cover: a watercolour of a brick wall in teal, brown, and beige bricks. Black graffiti says “Nothing without US.” And dark orange-red graffiti says “TOO.” Editors and author names are also on the cover.

Nothing Without Us Too is the second book of Talia C. Johnson’s and my disability fiction series where the authors and their protagonists are disabled, d/Deaf, Blind or visually impaired, neurodivergent, Spoonie, and/or they manage mental illness.

This multi-genre collection has fantasy, space opera, romance, paranormal, and a vampire story that takes a bite out of expected tropes. It also has realistic/literary fiction. But whether LitFic or SpecFic, the characters are relatable and their journeys are unforgettable.

Produced during a pandemic where in real life we disabled and higher-risk creatives were pummelled nearly daily with eugenics-based messaging about how only we were at risk for serious illness, the title of this work feels a declaration for society to remember us in publishing and in this world. Nothing without us, too, folks!

Available at Chapters-Indigo and these online booksellers.

Released: September 2022

Poetry

I versed this year!

Adrift, by Cait Gordon (Polar Borealis Issue 21, May 2022)

This short space opera poem is a metaphor for what neurotypical publishing circles can feel like when one is a neurodivergent person. I drew upon an experience of being at a crossroads several years ago, then realizing the path I had to take. It can often seem like being adrift for a while, until one finds one’s footing. Or the course one must plot!

Here is where you can read the poem. The magazine is a PDF.

That’s it! Here’s anticipating what next year will bring!

Have a happy and safe holiday season.

Cheers!

Cait Gordon is an autistic, disabled, and queer Canadian writer of speculative fiction that celebrates diversity. She is the author of Life in the ’Cosm, The Stealth Lovers, and the forthcoming Iris and the Crew Tear Through Space (2023). Cait also founded the Spoonie Authors Network and joined Talia C. Johnson to co-edit the multi-genre disability fiction anthologies Nothing Without Us and Nothing Without Us Too.

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