[stylist] New Book, blindness on TV

Fri Feb 14 23:16:43 UTC 2014

Donna, yes, this is really a difficult decision and it has to be a personal 
one.  I know for sure that by putting into my bio that I am blind, etc., I 
will be closing many doors to exhibitions of my work - and for me, it is all 
about my work and not me personally. It is my work that I want to have out 
there and standing on it's own.  When a juror is looking at the art when 
putting together an exhibition, that juror knows nothing at all about the 
artist. The work has to grab her attention and be solid - and no work would 
never be chosen because the artist has sight loss - not ever!!!!  An artist 
has to learn early on that it is the work itself that has to speak to the 
audience, and not the artist who made the work.  I think writing is very 
similar.  The written text has to be so powerful that there is seldom a 
thought of the author when reading it.

After I am juried into an exhibition, then I will let them know I have sight 
loss eventually.  Being blind has nothing at all to do with my art work, it 
has only to do with how I create it - but the work is about universal themes 
far beyond my own personal challenge in creating it.

Lynda
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Applebutter Hill" <applebutterhill at gmail.com>
To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, February 14, 2014 3:48 PM
Subject: Re: [stylist] New Book, blindness on TV

> Jim,
> I keep pushing it further into the bio. It's surprising how little people
> actually read. For instance, in my Linked In and university campaigns, I'm
> forever getting e-mails asking if the book is available in print. Near the
> end of my letters, I mention that information about availability is below,
> and I even use a heading to make it stand out, but so many people don't 
> seem
> to look or comprehend, not sure which.
>
> If I removed all references to blindness from my bio, well I just don't
> think I can do that. I suppose I could still mention being published in
> Behind Our Eyes: a second look or the Braille Monitor, and let them 
> wonder,
> but I just  can't bring myself to do it. Being the first legally blind 
> child
> mainstreamed in our local public school is such a part of who I am and who 
> I
> am not that it just doesn't feel right. I have made an effort to reduce 
> the
> word count about it though.
>
> I think my hubby would like me to drop it all. If they don't know I'm a
> blind writer, then they have to assume a sighted writer wrote this stuff,
> which might make it more palletable.
> Donna
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Homme, 
> James
> Sent: Friday, February 14, 2014 11:57 AM
> To: Writer's Division Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [stylist] New Book, blindness on TV
>
> Hi,
> I'm going to play devil's advocate. What if you took references to 
> blindness
> out of your bio, then hit them with that aspect of you at some later 
> point?
>
> Jim
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Applebutter
> Hill
> Sent: Wednesday, February 12, 2014 6:40 PM
> To: 'Writer's Division Mailing List'
> Subject: Re: [stylist] New Book, blindness on TV
>
> Chris,
> I hope so too, and the fact that the writer had a blind father is
> encouraging. He also said he didn't want it to be a portrayal of blind
> people in general, which I don't really know how to interpret - since when
> are any TV characters that generalized?
>
> I also hear you about the mainstream publishing industry. Blind is a dirty
> word. I have spoken with other blind women who say they were actually told
> that their blind female characters were "unrealistic." We're supposed to 
> be
> helpless and carry our burden of sightlessness with a quiet dignity.
>
> I actually removed any mention of it from my book descriptions online. 
> I'll
> probably get some flack for that, but the truth is that "blind" doesn't 
> sell
> books, and if you are a blind writer, one of the biggest hurdles is 
> getting
> someone to review the book like they'd review any other. It takes a lot 
> for
> people to get past how amazing you are for being a blind writer.
>
> My hubby has really been trying to get me to think about the reality that
> the book isn't all about blindness. I do, of course, talk about it when 
> I'm
> targeting niche markets like education professors, blindness rehab
> counsellors, schools for the blind, etc. But for the general public, I 
> don't
> think it works at this time.
>
> Maybe someday soon, people will see blind as the new black and want to 
> hear
> our stories, but my experience is that you really have to back-door the
> issue, and that's not an easy thing to do. I just hope people will find 
> the
> description interesting and not read too far down into my bio.
> Donna
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Chris Kuell
> Sent: Wednesday, February 12, 2014 8:47 AM
> To: Writer's Division Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [stylist] New Book, blindness on TV
>
> Donna,
>
> I'm generally skeptical by nature, but I really hope they do a good job 
> with
> this show. It's exactly what we've been talking about here--an opportunity
> to crush the stupid stereotypes and let the public see a guy who is
> interesting, and just happens to be blind. If it does a good job, and if 
> the
> public enjoys it, it could open the door to more blind characters in the
> arts. Personally, I feel certain that the reason books like yours and mine
> aren't getting read by agents and traditional publishers is because we 
> have
> blind protagonists. An agent, or more likely, an agent's assistant reads 
> my
> query and thinks--a blind protagonist? Nobody is going to buy that. It's 
> too
> outside mainstream experience.
>
> Hopefully, the times, they are a changing.
>
> chris
>
>
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