Neurodivergence vs Ableism Inside and Outside the Academy
Dr Louise Tondeur will be in conversation with Sam Meekings about how the academy can better serve neurodivergent writers, in particular through the lens of the social model of disability. They will discuss ableism in the world of creative writing, rejection sensitivity, procrastination, and ways in which neurodiversity effects and informs Lou’s creative process.
Dr Louise Tondeur is a freelance writer and Creative Writing lecturer, currently teaching part-time at the University of Brighton and The Open University. Lou is widely published in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, including academic work on writing practice, disability, and cultural theory. She has written two novels and a short story collection with a second collection, Invisible, due in 2025. Lou got a diagnosis of dyslexia and dyspraxia in her forties and has spoken widely about being a dyslexic writer. Lou has self-diagnosed as neurodivergent after being on a waiting list for assessment for several years. Inclusive practice is at the heart of her teaching and she believes that inclusion involves both staff and students. She lives near Brighton with her wife, her son, and their two black cats and is a big fan of Golden Age crime, Doctor Who, and Red Dwarf.
Sam Meekings is Associate Professor of Creative Writing at Northwestern University Qatar. He is the author of Under Fishbone Clouds and The Afterlives of Dr Gachet, and is the co-editor of The Scholarship of Creative Writing Practice (Bloomsbury, 2024).
This page was last updated on 15 March 2025
