Tag: CanLit

A banner image that explains there are 27 stories in the anthology written by and starring folks, who are disabled, Deaf, Blind, neurodivergent, Spoonie, and/or they manage mental illness. There is also recognition of the support from the Canada Council the arts. And there’s an image of the cover of the anthology with the aurora nominee logo beside it.

Mini-essay Monday: Our CripLit Village

On By Cait (like Kat) GordonIn CripLit, disability advocacy, Mini-works Mondays, pandemic, publishing, Spoonie challenges, WritingLeave a comment

Note: Crip is a reclaimed term that many disabled folks use as a word of empowerment. CripLit is a term for disability literature.

January 19, 2023


Our “village” is a place we all seek. It’s that band of friends and strangers who become friends… a group who share our lived experiences. That collective where being perfect never has to exist. We can be messy, and we celebrate our messiness. Brains don’t hafta brain optimally. We understand that and work with it. 

Last night, I took my sick, exhausted body into my office, along with my brain that lived in a dense fog, and co-emceed a virtual book launch of Nothing Without Us Too. I moderated a panel where we were all delightful hot messes. Our answers were edifying, validating, honest, even snarky. Together we just worked. We just clicked. We accommodated, accepted, and celebrated each other where we were at. That absence of the pressure to present as “normal” leads to unrestrained freedom of the soul. 

Sometimes at book launches, one wants to impress, to “sell” the work. This is a business after all. But last night, all we cared about was the community we had with each other—disabled, neurodivergent, and mentally ill authors.  We laughed, we vented, we did nothing to be palatable to an abled, NT audience. People would have to deal with our perspectives, our experiences, our journeys. CripLit…the director’s cut. 

There is such a constant pressure for us to “perform” and “mask” to adapt to the Normies’ structure of society. It’s draining. So, to show up as our authentic selves, unedited, is a gift. A gift we need to bring to each other more often. 

This is why I am an advocate in literary circles. Spread out, we’re tokenized. Together, we’re a community to be reckoned with. Separate, we’re unique crystals of snow, but together, we’re a boulder torrenting down a hill, able to take out an entire township.

And we’re coming for you, ableism. We’re coming for ya. 

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.

Paperback of the book lying on a pillow. The cover is black with an illustration of a woman sketched in black with hues of yellows and oranges on her skin and in the background

#CaitTacklesTBRPile: Segovia Stories, by Bernadette Gabay Dyer

On By Cait (like Kat) GordonIn Books I've read, reviews, This blog's postsLeave a comment

Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, but I had already told the author that I really wanted to review it!

Segovia Stories is a collection of short fiction whose style spans from slice-of-life tellings to speculative fiction. These tales are also woven with many cultural nuances and characters who are engaging, complex, and realistically imperfect. Gabay Dyer’s storytelling just makes one feel, and the echo of many stories reverberated for me long after reading them.

Paperback of the book lying on a pillow. The cover is black with an illustration of a woman sketched in black with hues of yellows and oranges on her skin and in the background

There are perspectives in these stories based on traditions and beliefs from where characters were raised, and it was fascinating for me to watch them come into contact with slushy, maple-leafy Canadian life. (This is where I point out that one of the titles is brilliantly called “Ackee Night in Canada.”) Themes throughout this collection can be mystical, moral, pragmatic, and touching. I also happen to be really fond of food in fiction and loved how Gabay Dyer turns dishes and drinks into essential elements of the storytelling.

In “Soup Morning,” a reclusive woman braves the winter elements only to discover the local shop is closed. Fortunately, a West Indian neighbour invites her inside, and our protagonist is drawn into memories simply by the aroma and taste of the soup in the kitchen. I mean, I love soup and think it’s magical and comforting, so I saw the appeal. But it was interesting how it played such a role to unlock feelings. Gabay Dyer does this a lot in Segovia Stories—provokes one to realize the importance of the little details that shape people’s lives.

Like how in “Intervention,” a futurism story that takes place in 3089, the major concern is about a drug released into the atmosphere, supposedly to create racial harmony, but instead, it nullifies culture and identity. And in the midst of it, the protagonist seeks to rescue an ackee plant that is essential to certain traditional recipes. Food and culture are intertwined.

But of course, this collection is not all about food. In “Close the Blue Door” we find two tellings of the same story—one is based on legendary myths and the other with stark reality. And I found myself deeply moved by the end of it because I wanted to remain in the myth.

One of the biggest surprises for me, though, was after reading much shorter pieces, I suddenly was met with what seemed like a novelette. In “Long Night Until Morning,” a wealthy father in San Miguel loses his son and his own father within days, only to discover a former servant is pregnant with his late son’s child. Upon discovering that she plans to leave Ecuador for Canada, he disguises himself for the potentially dangerous journey to cross borders in order to watch over her. I didn’t expect to find a longer work, but I immediately cared about the characters.

Another longer work, Roberta on the Beach, was my favourite. It’s told in parts, featuring siblings of a Jamaican-Scottish family who grew up in poverty and how this affected their lives as they navigated into adulthood. (I couldn’t wait to get to the next sibling’s story and got grumpy when I realized I needed to go to sleep.) By the end, I had grown so attached to the characters that I hoped this piece would turn into an entire novel. I wanted to learn even more about this family, going back and forward through the generations! 

As I finished the collection, I felt that while I enjoyed the shorter pieces in their vignette, almost episodic style, I found the longer works were where Gabay Dyer’s storytelling really took flight. Or maybe I had just become greedy for longer tales by this author.

Last year, I had the pleasure, along with co-editor Talia C. Johnson, to include a story by Bernadette Gabay Dyer (“Fishing in Martian Waters”) in the Nothing Without Us Too anthology. It was my first introduction to her work. And now after reading Segovia Stories, I concur with the high praise it received. If you enjoy story collections, do consider adding it to your TBR pile.

Segovia Stories by Bernadette Gabay Dyer is now available from Mosaic Press.

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 multi-genre disability fiction anthologies Nothing Without Us and Nothing Without Us Too. 

Featured photo is of the paperback of Segovia Stories, taken by Cait Gordon

Ephemera reading series banner: A pale pink-biege sky with flocks of black birds flying near the moon

First reading ever of Iris and the Crew to happen live at ephemera on March 15, 2023!

On By Cait (like Kat) GordonIn Author appearance, Author Reading, EventsLeave a comment

You could have knocked me over with a feather when KT Bryski sent me an email this week, asking me to read at the next ephemera event. For those who don’t know it, ephemera is a multi-award-nominated reading series run by awesome humans KT Bryski and Jen Albert. It used to be an in-person event but has been streamed live on YouTube since the pandemic came to Canada. Every month, usually the third week, these events take place with wonderful readers and performing artists!

You can subscribe to their YouTube channel at this link to watch past or future events: https://youtube.com/@EphemeraSeries

So, yeah, I was invited to read! Honestly, I was so honoured and frankly, stunned. But what a wonderful opportunity for me to share words from my new book, Iris and the Crew Tear Through Space! I’ve already chosen the excerpt, too!

If you would like to listen to me read, please go to the Live section option on ephemera YouTube channel on March 15 at 7pm EST! The entire event is about an hour long and will remain on their channel (in the Live section) afterwards!

I’m still full of squees! And very grateful for the opportunity!

*bounces up and down*

Hope you can join us!

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 multi-genre disability fiction anthologies Nothing Without Us and Nothing Without Us Too. 

Featured photo is the official ephemera FB page banner.


face mask on blue background

Mini-Fiction Monday (a day late): Deliver Me From This Pandemic Hell

On By Cait (like Kat) GordonIn Flash Fiction, Mini-works Mondays, WritingLeave a comment

by Cait Gordon


Genre: Realistic Fiction, CN: Eugenics, Ableism, Inaccessibility

“Humanity started with Eden, and now it seems we’re in hell.”

“What the heck to do you mean by that?” asks Ed.

Cherie slumps against the table, then holds a hand out to stroke the handle of her rollator. It’s smooth, comforting. This is a time for comfort. This hell. This hell that never seems to end. 

“I dunno. Never mind I said anything.” 

Her words are muffled by the soft woollen sweater she loves. Periwinkle blue. That colour is a stim for her eyes. It’s cool but happy. She’s tried to explain this to Ed. His usual comment: “You’re wearing that blue one again?”

“Listen,” he says now, “We’re outside. Finally. It’s what we both wanted, right?”

“I need to put my mask back on.”

“Why? It’s a big room and not many people around.”

Cherie wants so badly to bop Ed one. Violence apparently never solves anything. Whoever said that must have never been interacted with a clueless abled. She still loves Ed, though. She supposes. He wears her out sometimes with his failure to see things as they are. 

Wrapping her elbow around her face, Cherie bends over to the bag in her mobility device and grabs a white KN-95 mask. Her fingers are misbehaving today and tremble as she puts on the protective piece. 

Ed isn’t wearing his. He scowls at her. 

“Can’t we just do anything normal anymore?”

Cherie rolls her eyes. “Dude, what is normal to you and most other non-disabled or high risk folks is a right heap of crap for us. This pandemic has brought out the worst in people. All I’ve heard from government officials, medical professionals, and even members of my own family is that we need to live with this virus. Well, maybe they want to catch it several times and play Russian roulette with their immune systems, but I don’t. Do you have any idea how much I think in a day about my body? Like, even before 2020?”

Ed’s scowl is replaced by that confused expression again. The one he wears so often when she’s talking about her health. 

“I can’t leave the house without thinking how long we will be,” Cherie continues. “If I’ll need snacks in case hypoglycaemia comes to call. Or if it’s longer, do I pack a small lunch because of my food sensitivities. Then there are my legs. Will they be okay for a cane or should we bring the rollator in case there’s too much walking or standing? Should we bring the combo rollator-wheelchair in case my feet become a neuropathic symphony? Is the place where we’re going accessible at all to let me enter the joint, will the aisles be large enough to move around? Are there going to be searing lights and music that blasts bass into my sterum? That’s part of my normal!”

And then Ed does it. He sighs. 

“Okay, you know what?” says Cherie, carefully standing up, “You can go visit the sun. I’m out of here.”

“Whoa, whoa, I didn’t say anything!”

Cherie unfolds the black mobility device until the seat snaps in place. She unlocks the brakes and turns to leave. 

Ed puts a hand on each handle, over her hands. 

Fire fills her pupils. “Get. Your. Hands. Off. Her.”

He pulls them away as if burned by the flame decals on the chassis.

“Sorry, okay? I just don’t want you to go! We never get out anymore.”

She raises her index finger. “That’s not my fault. You always propose activities that might end in harm for me. Almost every time you suggest something, I need to add to my list of thinking for my body. It stresses me out to no end!”

“Then just stop thinking so much!”

Cherie laughs. It’s not a happy sound. On reflex, Ed takes a step back from her. 

“Spoken like someone who has never transitioned from a life before chronic illness and disability,” she says. “Someone who has never had to grieve who they were before they could accept and love their new self as they are. Who has to constantly live in a world that does nearly nothing to accommodate them. Don’t you think I wish I could move out of my front door and not have to prepare in advance for the constant possibility of inaccessibility? I would be a heckin’ lot more laid back if the support needs of folks like me were already woven into spaces!”

Ed sighs again, but this time it doesn’t set Cherie off again. 

“Yeah, I know,” he admits, “I don’t really get it. I only want us to be together and just… live.”

“I want that too,” says Cherie. “But I need you to take the protections I need seriously. I bet we could do a ton of things if we put our thinking caps on together.”

His eyes perk. 

“I could really use a thinking partner,” she adds. 

“Like someone who takes the pressure off you having to think by yourself?”

“Yeah.”

Ed smiles. The breeze from the open window fluffs up his brown swoopy bangs. He reaches into the right pocket of his dark jacket and pulls out a black KN-95 mask. 

“I might not be as knowledgeable as you,” he says, putting on the mask, “but I will do my best to help.”

Cherie grins under her mask, but it also shows in her blue-green eyes. “Sometimes I get exhausted from being an ‘educator’ about my criptastickness, but other times, it’s a time investment… for future happiness.”

“Well, I love you, okay? And I offer myself as a willing student. I hope you feel I’m worth the time, clueless wonder that I am.” He winks and reaches out a hand. “May I?”

She clasps it. 

“What do you want to do today?” Ed asks.

Cherie looks to the side as the wheels churn in her thoughts. Ed knows enough to be silent and patient when she does this. He sighs a third time, but happily, awaiting her reply. 

Deliver Me From This Pandemic Hell © 2023 Cait Gordon. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without permission except in the case of brief quotations in critical articles and reviews. This is a work of fiction from the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. For more information, contact Cait Gordon.

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 multi-genre disability fiction anthologies Nothing Without Us and Nothing Without Us Too. 

Featured photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.com

A whole bunch of wooden Scrabble letters

Awards Eligibility 2022

On By Cait (like Kat) GordonIn anthology, Awards, disability advocacy, poetry, publishing, short stories, This blog's posts, Writing2 Comments

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!

Greyscale headshot of Cait Gordon, a white woman with short grey hair, glasses, and a dark V-neck T-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 multi-genre disability fiction anthologies Nothing Without Us and Nothing Without Us Too.

Featured image by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Mint green background with the word Wordgathering in black

I’ve had a short work of nonfiction published in Wordgathering’s June 2020 edition!

On By Cait (like Kat) GordonIn Spoonie challenges, This blog's posts, Writing4 Comments

Squee! To be perfectly honest, I am so shy and insecure about my nonfiction pieces. It’s much easier for me to relay my truths through quirky aliens who eat cake and have space adventures.

But a while back I wrote a piece about how I experience hearing. A true account of my relationship with sounds and voices over the years. It’s called Gorgeously Hard of Hearing. (No, the title is not arrogance; it actually makes sense when you read the story.)

A fellow Spoonie author recommended I submit to Wordgathering, so, with the usual nerves, I pressed the Submit button. And it got accepted.

Here where you can read my short work, in Wordgathering’s June 2020 edition (Vol 14, Issue 2).

Thanks to the lovely editors at Wordgathering for publishing it!

Black and white photo of Cait Gordon

Cait Gordon is a disability advocate who wants everyone to be wise and prevent the spread of COVID-19!

She’s also the author of Life in the ’Cosm and The Stealth Lovers. When Cait’s not writing, she’s editing manuscripts and running The Spoonie Authors Network, a blog whose contributors manage disabilities and/or chronic conditions. She also teamed up with Kohenet Talia C. Johnson to co-edit the Nothing Without Us anthology (now a 2020 Prix Aurora Award nominee) in an attempt to take over the world.

ID: Book cover of Nothing Without Us and the Aurora Award Nominee logo

Voting for the 2020 Prix Aurora Awards is now open!

On By Cait (like Kat) GordonIn Awards, This blog's posts, WritingLeave a comment

I’m really excited about this year’s ballot because I know many of the nominees. That makes it fun for me because there’s an added level of excitement and anticipation.

Also, for the first time ever, I have a work on the ballot! Nothing Without Us is a nominee in the Best Related Work category. Kohenet Talia C. Johnson and I are the editors of this multi-genre collection where the authors and their protagonists identify as disabled, Deaf, neurodiverse, Spoonie, and/or they manage mental illness.

You can learn more about this anthology, read reviews, and check out author interviews at the Nothing Without Us website!

If you’re a member of the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association (CSFFA), you can cast your vote for your favourites to win Prix Aurora Awards in their categories until July 25, 2020, 11:59 pm EDT! To cast your votes and/or find out how to become a member of the CSFFA (only $10 to join), please visit prixaurorawards.ca.

I enthusiastically thank everyone who has supported this anthology—readers, listeners, reviewers, and those who nominated us for this award. You’re sending us a clear message that our voices are also welcome in speculative fiction.

It’s been a wonderful ride for Talia and me.

Good luck and best wishes to all the nominees!

Black and white photo of Cait Gordon

Cait Gordon is a disability advocate who wants everyone to be wise and prevent the spread of COVID-19!

She’s also the author of Life in the ’Cosm and The Stealth Lovers. When Cait’s not writing, she’s editing manuscripts and running The Spoonie Authors Network, a blog whose contributors manage disabilities and/or chronic conditions. She also teamed up with Kohenet Talia C. Johnson to co-edit the Nothing Without Us anthology (now a 2020 Prix Aurora Award nominee) in an attempt to take over the world.

ID: Book cover of Nothing Without Us and the Aurora Award Nominee logo

Nothing Without Us is a Prix Aurora Award Nominee! [UPDATED]

On By Cait (like Kat) GordonIn Awards, This blog's posts, Writing5 Comments

IMPORTANT NEWS! The voters’ reading package is now available for Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association (CSFFA) members! If you become a member now (membership is $10 per year), you can download the works of the nominees! Voting will take place between June 20 and July 25, 2020 (11:59:59 EDT). Don’t forget to vote for your favourite works and creatives. And if you’d like to vote for Nothing Without Us, we’re in the Best Related Work category! Go to the CSFFA website to learn how to become a member! (You must be a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident.)

My co-editor (and BFF) Kohenet Talia C. Johnson and myself were just gobsmacked, then boingy, to discover Nothing Without Us had been nominated for a Prix Aurora Award in the Best Related Work category. We are so grateful to our amazing authors and all the supporters of this anthology. It means so much to know that our peers recognize how important it is for creatives who are disabled, Deaf, neurodiverse, Spoonie, and/or who manage mental illness to write protagonists who reflect their identities. So often disabled characters—written by non-disabled authors—are set off to the side (if mentioned at all) and are crafted using harmful tropes. That’s why it’s very encouraging to know this work is supported by the speculative fiction writing community.

So, thanks times a billionty to all those who nominated the anthology! You are all on my list of wonderful humans!

Congratulations to all! The ballot looks stupendous this year!

Okay, I still need to go bounce up and down for a bit. Stay safe and keep well!

Cait Gordon is a disability advocate who wants everyone to pummel that curve!

She’s also the author of Life in the ’Cosm and The Stealth Lovers. When Cait’s not writing, she’s editing manuscripts and running The Spoonie Authors Network, a blog whose contributors manage disabilities and/or chronic conditions. She also teamed up with Kohenet Talia C. Johnson to co-edit the Nothing Without Us anthology (now a 2020 Prix Aurora Award nominee) in an attempt to take over the world.

ID: Graffiti wall with “Nothing Without Us” spray painted in black. The list of editors and authors is included in the text of this page.

Nothing Without Us is going to university!

On By Cait (like Kat) GordonIn This blog's posts, Writing2 Comments

I cannot contain my excitement! Nothing WIthout Us, the disability anthology I co-edited with Kohenet Talia Johnson is going to be part of a syllabus in a course taught by eight-time Prix Aurora Award winner, disability advocate, and awesome human Derek Newman-Stille!

The anthology is going to Trent University, folks! The course that Derek will be teaching this winter semester is called CAST-SOCI-WMST 4551H “Gender and Disability in Canada.”

ISN’T THIS MASSIVELY EXCITING???

ID: Graffiti wall with “Nothing Without Us” spray painted in black. The list of editors and authors is included in the text of this page.

I’m so thrilled how well the anthology is being received. You can find it on Kobo (e-book and audiobook), Amazon (e-book and paperback), and from our publisher, Renaissance (audiobook, e-book, and paperback).

Thanks again to our wonderful contributing authors and all our readers and supporters!

WAHOO!

Cait Gordon, in a black and white digital sketch

Cait Gordon is a disability advocate and the author of Life in the ’Cosm and The Stealth Lovers. When she’s not writing, Cait’s editing manuscripts and running The Spoonie Authors Network, a blog whose contributors manage disabilities and/or chronic conditions. She also teamed up with Kohenet Talia C. Johnson to co-edit the Nothing Without Us anthology in an attempt to take over the world. Narf.

I’ll be at the Limestone Genre Expo!

On By Cait (like Kat) GordonIn Cons, Events, This blog's posts, WritingLeave a comment

Limestone Genre Expo
Saturday June 3 and Sunday June 4, 2017, 10 am-5pm
St. Lawrence College
100 Portsmouth Ave., Kingston, ON

Really looking forward to sharing with and learning from other authors! I’ll be sitting on the the following panels: Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation in Speculative Fiction and Extraordinary Bodies – The Portrayal of Disability in Speculative Fiction. I’ll also be moderating a panel called When to Listen to and When to Ignore Writing Advice. See the schedule for this event!