Image description: A photo of a hand holding a small, black & white pen drawing. The drawing features an abstract, concentric line design and multiple black eye shapes, with the words “we used to be held in bodies” written in calligraphic text in the middle. Digitally overlaid on the photo are the words “My new essay Normal, living, human beings just published at verityla.com”
An essay of mine has just been published by Verity La. The essay is called “Normal, living, human beings”, and it is about death, computers, and neurodiversity. In the essay, I talk about the history of telecommunications technology and the way the development of these technologies intersects with Western cultural ideas of the mind, the human, madness, death, and language.
You can read it for free here. I also made an audio version for people with vision/reading impairments, which is accessible via the same link.
Verity La is an Australian not-for-profit arts journal that is interested in publishing voices from outside the mainstream of Australian culture. My essay appears in the /dɪsˈrʌpt/ section, which is dedicated to work by D/deaf and disabled creators. I worked with /dɪsˈrʌpt/ editor Amanda Tink to edit this piece into its final form. I’d never worked extensively with an editor before, and it was great to work with Amanda – as a learning experience and in general.
I’m so pleased with how this essay turned out – the editing process really brought out the best in it. Go and read it! I’d love to hear what you think.
