During my time as an Associate Artist with Papertrail I started the Autistic Writers’ Club – a group for Autistic Women and Non-binary people interested in creative writing.
It was inspired by how difficult I found traditional writing methods and ways of approaching structure. I could never quite wrap my head around them and using them felt akin to masking. I didn’t sound like myself so I made the decision to come up with a method that could work better for me; incorporating improvisation, sound, movement and free writing. Over time I have started to use these strategies to help me write more authentically.
When I spoke about this method with other people who are Autistic, I found that my experience resonated. This made me wonder if I could curate a writer’s group for other people in Wales who are Autistic to discover new methods that could work better for them as well. I wanted to create an environment where those involved could have the freedom to create their own bespoke process and not feel the need to fit into a catch-all definition of accessibility.
During the research phase I worked one on one with Autistic writers across Wales to find out how a writer’s group might best serve them, what they would hope to gain from it and how they would like to interact with it. From this research the Autistic Writers Club emerged.
I have learnt so much about what a group like this can mean for people and how it can be of benefit. This was my first time applying for funding and leading a project and it wouldn’t have been possible without the combined support of Papertrail and JHOOM.
In the future I would love this group to continue to grow, whilst maintaining its commitment to adapt for all who wish to be involved. To do this I need to develop a core team to support me through the next stages. This will enable me to deliver this to the best of my capability whilst respecting my own access needs. I am looking forward to this becoming a reality and actioning everything I have learnt in this initial process!