This year, I have been focusing on short fiction. And... I have a pair of anthologies with my name in the table of contents! Let me introduce you to these books. First, you can order a copy of Well, This is Tense, an anthology of horror shorts all in second person. My piece, "Crawling Back,"… Continue reading Publication Announcements: TWO Anthologies!
A neurodivergent friend of mine recently recommended the Netflix series Love on the Spectrum. This is a reality dating show centering autistic, neurodivergent, and disabled adults as they try to find love. There are series set in Australia and the U.S. I had some reservations with this rec. I'm generally not that interested in romance-reality… Continue reading Love on the Spectrum U.S.: Representation or Exploitation? A Review
Hi all! Long time, no post! Just dropping you blog-readers a line to let you know that I've published a new essay via The Art of Autism. It's a fierce critique of Netflix's new satirical film, Don't Look Up, which features a disturbing portrayal of an autistic-coded villain. Read the whole essay here! This is… Continue reading Publication Announcement: A Critique of Autistic-Coded Rep in ‘Don’t Look Up’
I am thrilled to announce to you beautiful humans that I'm launching a new project!
One of the most difficult parts in processing my late autism identification and diagnosis (at 30 years old) is dealing with a constantly shifting perspective, specifically in comparing how I function in the world and how non-autistic people function in it. I spent my whole life assuming my way of being was "normal" or neurotypical,… Continue reading Querying While Autistic
I was diagnosed with autism and inattentive ADHD in November 2020. Almost immediately after I found this out, I realized I hated saying that sentence, especially the "diagnosed with" part. I am still getting used to, "I am autistic," but through those words, I feel a sense of pride and relief: they help me know myself more fully. "Diagnosed with" never sat well, and as time goes on, it's sitting worse and worse and worse.
I knew I was autistic. So why did I bother getting assessed?
My recent autism and ADHD diagnoses have prompted some intense reprocessing of my own memories and lived experiences. It's like sitting in the chair at the eye doctor, and a new lens is flipped down. Suddenly, everything is clearer. Through the lens of neurodiversity, many things about me and my life make a lot more… Continue reading Why I Write: Through a Neurodiverse Lens
Even after hitting "Publish" on this post, I still don't know how I feel about the title statement. How it's worded, I mean. The ideas it represents are absolutely true. On November 9, 2020, I was assessed as having met criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In other words (and maybe… Continue reading I’m Autistic. (And I have ADHD.)
Allison Wall 