What do Jackie French, Dav Pilkey and Agatha Christie have in common?
Yes, they are all well-established and popular writers.
They also all have dyslexia.
And they are featured in Brilliant Minds: 30 Dyslexic Heroes who Changed Our World, written by Shannon Meyerkort and illustrated by Amy Blackwell.
Shannon initially wrote her book Brilliant Minds for her daughter, who is dyslexic, to showcase the people who used their imagination, followed their dreams, developed their entrepreneurial skills, found a job they loved or simply made others laugh – all while growing up and living with dyslexia. You can read more about how and why Brilliant Minds came to be (and a glimpse into the diverse range of people she has written about) on Shannon’s website.
You can also read an interview I did with Shannon when her book was first published, as well as some discussion questions about Brilliant Minds.
Shannon and fellow authors Jackie French, Sara Foster, David Whish-Wilson, Kylie Howarth, Sally Rippin and Adrian Beck – who are either dyslexic themselves or have a close connection to a young person who is – have joined forces to form #AuthorsForDyslexia during October, which happens to be Dyslexia Awareness month.
During October, these authors will be raising awareness of dyslexia and neurodiversity by sharing reels and answering questions such as:
- What books about dyslexia do we recommend for families?
- What are our favourite dyslexic characters in books or on TV?
- Who are we inspired by?
- Why are we part of #AuthorsForDyslexia?
So go and check them all out on Instagram and/or Facebook, including a short video introducing the authors involved.
Coincidentally, I recently had a friend tell me her son was worried about not being able to get his creative ideas out of his head, specifically an imaginary world. He also has dyslexia and messy handwriting, but he enjoys writing and drawing.
I love encouraging and supporting into young writers, so I’m attempting to create a series of creative prompts to help him articulate and develop the world he’s creating as well as some related to his characters and story lines. I will gradually post these onto my blog for others to use; however, I’m not an expert on dyslexia and other learning challenges, so I will be open to suggestions for ways I can do that better.
Over to You
Are you dyslexic or love someone who is?
What’s your story? And what’s your preferred way of expressing your creativity?
