[stylist] writing about blindness

[Atty Rose]

One afternoon my sister and I are having lunch. I told her I was working on 
a story, the one that I sold to Breath and Shadow, as it were, and she says, 
"You should write about being blind and blindness."

I bristled at this. I said "Why is that?"

She said, "Cause it is interesting and you know all about it."

I said, "I didn't think it was all that interesting and I didn't know all 
about it at all."

She said, "You should do it.'

I said, "that is like me saying you should write about blonds and being 
blond, cause you have been that way a lot longer than I've been blind."

She didn't see what I meant but she dropped it. LOL

Sheesh...

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bridgit Pollpeter" <bpollpeter at hotmail.com>
To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, March 20, 2014 10:57 PM
Subject: Re: [stylist] bios and cover letters


> Yes, and sometimes, the focus becomes about blindness. If all you write
> about is blindness, than maybe, but most of us write about a lot of
> things.
>
> Once people learn I'm blind, they tend to want me to write only about
> it. I don't mind this, but I have a lot of other things to say, to write
> about, and I don't want to be pigeon-holed.
>
> And when you think about it, need we state other things about us? My
> name may be a clue, but do I need to say I'm a female writer? Do I need
> to say I'm a mother or wife who writes? Unless it pertains to a
> guideline or subject, I say less is more.
>
> Bridgit
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
> Applebutter Hill
> Sent: Thursday, March 20, 2014 10:07 PM
> To: 'Writer's Division Mailing List'
> Subject: Re: [stylist] bios and cover letters
>
>
> Atty,
> Some of the blindness and disability publications want you to include
> something about it, but other than that, I am trying to say as little as
> possible about it. I decided to leave something in on my LinkedIn
> profile, because I am trying to connect with people in the blindness
> professions and activists. But, that said, I still push it down into the
> text as far as possible. Blindness is part of who I am, but I want
> people to know about some of the other parts of me before they find out.
>
> I wouldn't personally say that I am a blind writer. I'm a writer and
> write about this that and the other thing. I was the first legally blind
> kid mainstreamed in my school district. That way they don't pigeonhole
> your writing yet they find out you're blind in a way that keeps it in
> perspective. Just my two cents. Donna
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Atty Rose
> Sent: Thursday, March 20, 2014 5:28 PM
> To: Writer's Division Mailing List
> Subject: [stylist] bios and cover letters
>
> Hi gang,
>
> When you send a bio to a magazine, they want cover letter, brief bio,
> that sort of thing, do you write that you are a blind writer working
> blah blah, living blah blah....
>
> In other words, do you mention your blindness? I did for Breath and
> Shadow but none of the other ones.
>
> What are your thoughts on the matter?
>
> Atty
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