Hello everyone!
Thank you for your interest in the QND Writers’ Network, a UK-based organisation that seeks to highlight, celebrate and bring together neuroqueer writers of all stripes and allow us to create a voice for ourselves, by ourselves. It’s me (Jorik, he/him/homosexual) and Seonaid Weightman (she/her, as a producer). Together, we are creating the space we’ve always desperately needed but never found. Since our first meeting in June 2023, our network has grown to over 100 people, including a hard core of about 15 who attend most, if not all, QND writing sessions.
We meet every other Tuesday night over Zoom, 7-9pm, but we aim to record and share each meeting afterwards so if you’re in the ‘wrong’ time zone, you can still see what we’ve been up to. We welcome anyone to join us, wherever they are, as long as they identify as neurodivergent/neuroqueer/lgbtiaq+/neurospicy. Our sessions include discussions, readings from members, writing prompts to a theme and a biweekly check-in. They are run by me (Jorik) and a variety of guest facilitators. As members of QND, you are in charge of us, we are here for you. That is why our decision-making process is based on what you need. We are committed to increasing accessibility in whatever way we can.
We send out a monthly newsletter to inform our members of everything that’s going on at QND. This is on top of our hosting a Whatsapp group and a Discord server, where we can interact outside of the hours of the QND meetings. If you want to, we will add you to either or both – but never without your express permission.
QND Network is free for all ND queers, neuroqueers and neurospicy writers and will remain so for as long as we are around.
With Mainspring Arts, we are running a QND Mentoring programme, which saw over 100 applications from the UK for 6 mentoring places. Please look forward to our plans for 2025.
Lastly, we are planning to collect some of the best pieces from QND Network members in an anthology, of sorts, to be released in 2025.
We are in the process of applying for Arts Council funding, so currently we are working for free. Please bear with us while we traverse the hellscape of funding applications.
If you want to join the QND Writers’ Network, please email me at jorik.mol@gmail.com to be added to the member’s list. This will mean you subscribe to our monthly newsletter also, as well as access to our previous meetings, slides and our closed whatsapp/discord groups.
If you want to give us a pat on the back for what we’re doing, please use Jorik’s Ko-Fi page.
Lots of love, and neuroqueer joy on the page or off it,
Jorik + Seonaid!
