Signs+Wonders: Special Crossover Episode
It's a bit of a strange task to write a newsletter when there is already so much news, and it is almost exclusively terrible. So rather than reinvent the wheel, I've decided to share some other things I've written this month, as well as a few bonus links, which I hope will be of use or interest in the current moment.
"Can Art Save the World?" For Writing CoLab's 100 Days of Creative Resistance
When my first novel was released in 2015, I found myself living out what now feels like something from another lifetime—a book tour, which my publishers helped plan and pay for (!!). It was at turns thrilling, overwhelming, and deeply embarrassing, and a crash course in talking about myself, my work, and art’s Big Questions.
One night, as part of a panel with two other debut authors, I found myself quite literally in the middle of an argument. As I sat on a stool between my fellow writers, ping-ponging between their faces in a somewhat desperate attempt to lipread them, I found that the tone of the conversation was rapidly devolving. The impetus had been an audience question, something about the purpose of books and art, and one of the writers said pragmatically that she had no illusions that her work could ever change the world. The other took the statement to heart, responding defensively that art absolutely could change the world, and if it couldn’t there would be no point in making it.
(Or at least, that’s what I think they were saying. This book tour, as it turned out, would also be a crash course in self-advocacy for accessibility, but that’s a story for another day.)
The panel ended icily, and we went our separate ways. As for me, I still felt somewhere in-between, and not only because of where I’d been sitting. Read the rest and subscribe for more letters from Writing CoLab>>>
What Dismantling the Department of Education Means for Kids With Disabilities: Interview with Vox's Anna North
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been doing a lot of reporting on the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the Department of Education. The news on that front has been chaotic — a draft executive order to close the department was leaked, then walked back by the Trump administration, and newly minted Education Secretary Linda McMahon has pledged to guide the department through its “final mission” without providing specifics on what that mission is or how it is final.
Then, on Tuesday, the department announced the firing of more than 1,300 workers, bringing the department staff to about half the size it was before Trump took office.
Amid the upheaval, one thing is clear: Any plan to shut down the Education Department — and, indeed, the cuts and layoffs that have already happened — will disproportionately hurt students with disabilities. That includes kids who receive special education, but also those in general education classrooms who get supports or accommodations to learn, from speech therapy to sign language interpreters to counseling. Any kid who has an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 plan through their school could be affected by what’s going on at the Education Department. Read more>>>
30 Lonely But Beautiful Actions
In the leadup to the budget vote, I had been trying to maintain pragmatic action items for myself and the disability community--sharing information online, writing scripts for contacting representatives and attorneys general, calling my own officials. After the Democrats ceded perhaps their last chance at negotiating, I was floundering. I still am, a little, if we're being honest. But I'm pivoting. I hope you will, too. I found this list of Garret Bucks' 30 Actions really helpful in re-grounding myself for the fight ahead. Most of our organizing will necessarily be decentralized and hyper local, and that can feel lonely sometimes. But if it helps to know, I'm over here doing it, too.
And yet...we still feel joy
There are a lot of uncomfortable parts of the book publishing process, but hands down one of my favorite parts is seeing the book reach audiences abroad, and particularly seeing other artists' interpretations of the work for their audiences in the form of foreign book covers. So, in an enthusiastic brag on behalf of the team at Wisdom House, may I present a work for which I can claim zero credit but thoroughly enjoy: True Biz, Korean translation.
ID: black book cover with pink spine. True Biz in the ASL manual alphabet, and colorful English bubble letters on the front, with Korean writing in a white speech bubble in the cover center.
Incoming! Keep an eye out for more info on the following events!
Deaf World Lecture Series, Boston University, MA. 7 April, Time [More info coming soon!]
Shore Lit at the Academy Art Museum, Easton, MD. 11 April 6PM
The Big Read, Owens Community College, OH. 24 April, Multiple events.
Keep up to date at sara-novic.com/site/#events