[ad_1]
This book is rooted in your anger at the structural hostility towards people with disabilities. Can you tell us how an advanced technological society succumbed to the study of this anger?
Science fiction is perfect for exploring marginalization, inequality and our relationship with technology. I wanted to highlight how access to technology affects people with disabilities, how our lives can be improved through this access. But technological and digital poverty means we don’t have equal access, even though we’d probably benefit the most from it. Technology is not neutral either; it is made by humans and our prejudices become part of our creations. Algorithms can perpetuate racism and c HellSans some cyborg personal assistants do not consider HellSans to be allergic [those made sick by a ubiquitous typeface enforced by the government] to be human.
Body horror and bodily agency are vividly expressed throughout HellSans; can you tell us what inspired you to explore body horror in this book?
My experience with ME and fibromyalgia came into play HellSans, but my eczema and food allergies also heavily informed the novel. One of the HellSans Allergic (HSA) reactions to the font is vomiting; I spent my childhood vomiting because I was allergic to many foods. This has a profound impact, especially when something that is supposed to be nourishing is poisonous to you.
Your skin is the boundary between you and the world, it should offer some protection; like HSAs with their peeling skin and open sores, eczema compromises this boundary and protection. Body horror is a very useful way to explore these kinds of embodiment anxieties.
Bodily agency is something I am keenly aware of as a disabled person because control over our bodies is often inhibited. I personally approach this from an intersectional animal rights perspective (touched on in the novel), as our society is built on violating the bodily autonomy of non-human animals.
The Seraphim [the HSA’s governing body] rejecting a cure interested me. Does society and fiction focus too much on “cures” instead of empowering society?
Society has an obsession with healing narratives. It’s very binary: people with disabilities get treated or die. There is no in-between, no (happy) life with disabilities or the chronically ill. Through the different points of view in HellSansI wanted to show some complexity around it.
One aspect of the novel that struck me was the conflict within the HSA community over who they embrace. Was it important for you to draw attention to the need for intersectionality in the disability community?
Ableism can exist in disabled communities and I didn’t want to sanitize that. Intersectorality is also important; some people experience ableism differently if they also face homophobia and/or racism.
Jane, one of your characters, remains a morally gray character throughout, despite her experiences. How did you approach the issue of giving a fanatic character a redemption arc?
I didn’t want a redemptive arc for Jane. I think it would be too easy to take someone like Jane, put her down and make her see the error of her ways. People are much more complicated than that. So despite the tone of triumphalism in Jane’s narrative, her choices remain morally suspect.
Do you feel your work with Julie Farrell on Onboarding Guide has been met by the industry with a desire for change? And your accessibility experience with the release of HellSans different from that of your first book, Goblin?
Yes and no. We’ve had great responses from many organizations who are enthusiastic about improving access. Conversely, many disabled authors and audience members have seen organizations neglect access when returning to in-person events. We hope to Onboarding Guide will encourage these organizations to provide better access, alongside the brilliant #KeepFestivalsHybrid campaign by Penny Batchelor.
I am more confident in advocating for myself and now there is more support with different groups popping up. These fantastic booksellers’ disability issues also matter.
Finally, if you were an HSA, would you join the Seraphim?
The Seraphim are the governing body of the HSA who rule the HSA Ghetto and have a military faction. They are, depending on your point of view, freedom fighters or terrorists – or perhaps both. After much hand-wringing about the moral issues, I’m going to say no, mainly because I’m not a carpenter and I don’t have much respect for “authority”.
[ad_2]
Source link