Author: Kendra Winchester

In her memoir, Ariel Henley describes her experience of growing up with Crouzon Syndrome, a genetic condition that caused the bones in her head to fuse prematurely. Henley describes how the only other person that truly understood her experience was her twin sister who also has the condition. A Face for Picasso challenges ideas of beauty, which is based around a non-disabled default. I love Henley’s work and can’t wait to see what she writes next!

Keah Brown hashtag #DisabledAndCute went viral, ushering in a slew of posts by disabled folks raising awareness that disabled people can be sexy too. All too often, non-disabled people infantilize disabled people, especially those with visible disabilities. But Brown is here to remind you that ideas like that need to stop in their tracks. Her memoir, The Pretty One, covers her experience of growing as a queer Black woman with cerebral palsey and how she came to love her body.

Born with spina bifida, Riva Lehrer grew up with a lot of internalized ableism. Doctors didn’t expect her to survive, but she did. She eventually comes across a group of artists who use their experiences as inspiration for their work. There, Leher learns to love her body, creating incredible art pieces in the process.

Deafblind Harvard Law grad breaks all the stereotypes the world throws at her. The daughter of Eritrean immigrants, Girma started life learning to adapt to new situations, which proved a useful skill throughout her life. While studying at university, she invented a piece of tech that helps her communicate with the sighted and hearing people around her.

Cowlitz author Elissa Washuta proves herself queen of the essay with White Magic. This collection of essays takes a look at a wide range of topics, including alcoholism, breakups, the occult, colonialism, and the Washuta’s love for the Oregon Trail computer game. Washuta lives with an autoimmune condition called Sjögren’s Syndrome and much of her writing discusses learning to care for one’s body in a nondisabled society.

I’ve loved reading the Montague Siblings trilogy, but the latest book, A Nobleman’s Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks might be my favorite. Adrian Montague had no idea that he had two older—very much disinherited—siblings, but once he learns they exist, he knows he MUST get to know them. Adrian has severe anxiety and OCD, but in the 1700s, they don’t have words for that, or at least nothing that Adrian finds helpful.

Disabled queer Black author Ashanti Anderson won the Black River Chapbook Competition for Black Under. Her writing covers topics around her own identity, examining the intersections of her identity from every angle. She uses such precision in her poetry, and I found myself reading and rereading sections over and over again.

In her latest book, Jen Campbell retells fairytales from around the world. From a sinister merman to a family of skeletons, these stories possess a delightfully creepy feel. With spooky illustrations from Adam de Souza, this collection of scary stories is the perfect pick for a dark and windy night.

Beauty is a Verb features a range of disabled authors using poetry to write about their experience living in an able-bodied world. The editors of this anthology have ensured that the collection features writers with many different perspectives, giving the reader a well-rounded view of disability, beautifully expressed through each poem.

Queer Indigenous poet Billy-Ray Belcourt writes these autobiographical poems in such a way that it’s like we get a glimpse into his mind as he ponders aspects of his life. From interracial love to the effects of living as an Indigenous person in the wake of colonization, Belcourt covers a range of topics in the collection.

Kentucky Poet Laureate Crystal Wilkinson published her first full-length poetry collection, Perfect Black, in 2021. Written from a semi-autobiographical perspective, these poems focus on Wilkinson’s experience growing up as a Black girl in Eastern Kentucky raised by the generation of women before her.

Jamaican British poet Raymond Antrobus makes his American debut with The Perseverance, a collection that describes what it’s like to live in the gray spaces of the world. Many of the poems circle around the theme of grieving the loss of his father, feeling like he never could entirely understand him before he passed. Antrobus also writes about the d/Deaf experience based on his life living as a d/Deaf person in Britain.

One of the most glorious hidden gems of 2021, English Lit is the first full-length collection from Affrilachian poet Bernard Clay. These poems center around themes of Clay’s experience growing up and living in Kentucky and being Black in Appalachia. Clay’s use of rhythm and precise word choice make these poems stand out in the reader’s mind.

Palestinian American writer Hala Alyan might be more well known for her novels Salt Houses and The Arsonists’ City, but she’s also an accomplished poet. Her collection The Twenty-Ninth Year features memories from her life as she’s traveled in various places throughout the world. Each recollection stands out, each poem with its own place as we look through Alyan’s memories.

In some of the most gorgeous writing that I’ve read in the last several years, Night Sky with Exit Wounds examines how the body keeps the score of the myriad of traumas. Vuong informs his poetry with his experience as a queer Vietnamese refugee, returning to these parts of his identity again and again.

Disability advocate Jen Campbell released The Girl Aquarium a couple years ago, and I immediately fell in love with her work. She possesses the ability to perfectly capture the disabled queer experience that’s deeply relatable. But whether or not you personally connect with her work, each poem communicates an understanding of language and the depth just a few words can have on the reader.

The first Black and youngest poet laureate of Alabama, Ashley M. Jones possesses incredible talent. Her latest poetry collection, Reparations Now! is out from one of my favorite indie presses, Hub City Press. It makes an argument for reparations for Black descendants of enslaved people in the United States.The poem chronicles the violence inflicted on Black bodies, but also celebrates Black joy in the face of systemic racism.

A finalist for the National Book Award, Whereas by Layli Long Soldier stands as one of my favorite collections that I’ve read in recent years. Long Soldier plays with form, the sound of language, and narrative elements in her poetry, illustrating an incredible range of skill.

Out from one of my favorite indie presses, Hub City Press, A Measure of Belonging features essays from authors of color from across the Southern United States. Each contributor gives their perspective on what it’s been like living in or being in the South.

As a disabled person, I rarely see that part of myself in a book, so I couldn’t have been more excited for Alice Wong’s anthology, Disability Visibility. Each contributor adds their own perspective on what it’s like to live as a disabled person in an ableist society. There are stories of both struggle and joy, truly capturing an incredible range of experiences.

Australian disability rights advocate, Carly Findlay, gathered together disabled writers from across Australia, each with their own unique perspective on what it’s like growing up disabled. Writers with a range of disabilities write about everything from autistic representation in theater to competing in paralympic events.

This incredible collection features Muslim women from around the world, each with their own unique relationship with their faith. The selections cover topics like marriage, modesty, careers, sexuality, and women’s rights. I love the different styles of writing throughout the book, each unique piece combining with the others to create a chorus of these women’s stories.

Unfortunately, stories of queer Appalachian people are all too often few and far between. But Jeff Mann and Julia Watts have put together this anthology to do their part to help fix that. LGBTQ Fiction and Poetry from Appalachia features queer writers from across the region, highlitghing the incredible talent in these mountains.

This anthology features stories from different Native Nations, each based in their own unique history and culture. The stories center around an intertribal Powwow in Ann Arbor Michigan, working together to weave a larger picture as you read through each selection. Perfect for kids of any age, these selections often center around themes of heritage, family and community.

This delightful collection of short stories for kids features 15 different Eid celebrations. Muslim children from around the world come together to celebrate the holiday with their own traditions—and learn to create new ones!

First off, this book is STUNNING. With it’s beautiful design and full-color photos throughout, Black Futures draws the eye. And once you open the cover, you find a celebration of Black lives, featuring contributors from a range of artistic backgrounds and experiences.

Piranesi lives in a magical house, more of a labyrinth, that contains an endless number of rooms. As he explores the house, Piranesi begins talking with a man he calls The Other, who keeps pestering him for more information about something The Other calls The Secret Knowledge. Piranesi doesn’t see anyone else as he wanders around the different rooms, but he begins to suspect there’s a third person somewhere in the house.

Agnes lives in a small English village in the late 1580s. Her husband, a playwright, spends much of his time in London putting on his plays. Her husband’s career begins taking off when their young son, Hamnet, is struck ill by the plague. While many readers may be more familiar with her husband’s story, Agnes’s own life proves just as compelling.

Celeste and Roy spend a night in a hotel to celebrate their one-year wedding anniversary when Roy is arrested and accused of sexually assaulting a woman in the building. When he’s sent to prison, Roy and Celeste try to keep their marriage together through letters and visits, but will they be able to keep making their marriage work in the face of such odds?

This retelling of Antigone (one of my favorite Greek tragedies) gives the story a whole new feel. Isma finally feels like she can pursue her own dreams in America after looking after her two younger siblings for so long. But when her sister Aneeka calls with the news that their brother has joined an extremist group, Isma must choose whether she goes home to keep delaying her plans for her life or to leave her siblings and follow her dreams.

Lisa McInerney, one of Ireland’s most talented contemporary writers, won the Women’s Prize back in 2016 for The Glorious Heresies. The novel begins when an older woman hits an intruder over the head, killing him. This single event brings together characters across a wide range of backgrounds and life experiences. And if you like The Glorious Heresies, there are two more books in the trilogy that are already out and ready for you to read!

In this glorious novel, we meet a young girl who keeps getting glimpses of a renaissance painter in her dreams. In another time, a young artist aspires for renown and acclaim. Smith’s prose, as always, flows across the page, drawing the reader in with every word. Some of the editions of the book have the artist’s story first, while other editions position the girl’s story first. These different editions create two unique reading experiences.

Before its TikTok fame, The Song of Achilles, won the Women’s Prize for Fiction. In this retelling of the story of Achilles and Patroclus, we experience their relationship from youth to adulthood. As Patroclus narrates their story, it’s difficult not to become more and more attached to the characters as they fall more and more in love with one another.

I adored Robinson’s novel Gilead, so when I picked up Home, I knew I was in for a treat. But I possessed no real understanding of what I was about to read. Home features Jack, the wayward son of a Methodist minister. Robinson’s characters shine, captivating readers on every page.

Zadie Smith’s debut White Teeth launched her career as a major talent, and On Beauty solidified her place as a literary star. On Beauty follows an interracial family in Massachusetts. The novel paints a complex reality for the family, each character possessing their own dreams for their future that often conflict with their family members’ ideas of what the family should be.

Small Island follows a group of characters whose lives weave together and intersect. Hortense Joseph and her husband Gilbert try to make a life together after WWII, but the systemic racism of Britain essentially makes them second-class citizens.