Industry Insider – Neurodiversity, disability justice, and writing in Wales

This session on neurodiversity and disability will spotlight the work of Sofia Brizio, an Italian writer, translator and editor based in Wales. Sofia lives with cerebral palsy and writes about disability rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and trans-inclusive intersectional feminism. She is currently a PhD researcher in Media Diversity at Birmingham City University.

Chaired by Francesca Sobande, a neurodivergent writer and reader in Digital Media Studies at Cardiff University, this session will include discussion of the interlinked nature of different inequalities and their impacts on authors. 

This event is in conjunction with the Society of Authors Cymru

Online Industry Insider events – free for all + donation

All donations made go towards the Society of Authors’ Access Fund. The fund is to help provide authors support for travel, subsistence, childcare or access needs for events, residencies, and retreats. If you would like to make a donation with your booking, please do so when registering for the event below.

What will this session cover?

Focusing on Sofia’s writing and research in recent years, the event will highlight matters related to:

• Disability justice
• Creativity
• Writing
• Social media
• And the cultural industries in Wales and beyond. 

Programme

• Welcome, introductions and housekeeping from Francesca Sobande (3 mins)
• Panel discussion chaired by Francesca Sobande with Sofia Brizo (60 mins)
• Comfort break (5 mins)
• Q&A with audience (20 mins)
• Summary and closing comments (2 mins)
• This event will be moderated by Emma Boniwell – Head of Membership & Author Communities, SoA

The Line-up

Francesca Sobande

Francesca Sobande is a writer and reader in digital media studies at Cardiff University. She is author and co-author of books published by 404 Ink, Bloomsbury, Palgrave Macmillan, SAGE, and University of California Press. Her recent writing includes the free self-published zine, Black Life in / and “Alt” Music Subcultures, and an essay on “Echoes: Soft Space and Solidarity in the Legacy of Hardcore Punk” (Folding Rock). Francesca is currently working on a self-published comic, Balsamic Night, and illustrated poetry collection, Haar.

Sofia Brizo

Sofia Brizio is an Italian writer, translator and editor based in Wales. Living with cerebral palsy, Sofia writes about disability rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and trans-inclusive intersectional feminism. She is currently a PhD researcher in Media Diversity at Birmingham City University.

About the Society of Authors Cymru

The Society of Authors Cymru is a national group of the Society of Authors. Established in 2018, we provide professional advice and support for Welsh writers at all stages of their career, whether they write in English or Welsh.

We organise regular events and host socials across the year via a volunteer steering committee and local groups. Join us to meet authors across Wales, find out what’s happening in your area and be a part of your local Society of Authors community.

Find out more here

Send us your questions

If you would like to send questions in advance, email EBoniwell@societyofauthors.org with ‘Neurodiversity, disability justice, and writing in Wales’ in the subject header. We will prioritise questions sent in advance and answer as many as we can from the audience on the day.

Accessibility

• Attendees will have the option to turn on the live transcript, to watch with subtitles
• If you require BSL interpretation for this event, please email events@societyofauthors.org

Booking

Please either use the form titled ‘Register – no donation’ or the option of the different ticket options with a donation amount depending on how much you would like to donate towards the Society of Authors Access Fund.