Hi- I personally feel like it is a great idea for an anthology and definitely worthwhile considering how marginalised disabled people are in both real life and in fiction. It seems to me like you are picking it apart too much and overthinking all the details in a way. Even if you do not have 100 percent diversity in the writers themselves it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t go ahead with what you have collected as publishing this book will open more doors and create more discussion which will encourage more writers with disabilities to come forward with their stories through a creative medium.

My partner suffers from debilitating mental illness and is a diehard Steampunk fan. She was super excited to come across this anthology idea as publications of this type are limited. Plus, the media is currently ablaze with conversations about representation of all types, not least the arguments surrounding things like an all-female Ghostbuster crew.

While having stories written by aneurotypical and disabled people themselves is important, yes, it is even more important to focus on the stories themselves, the characters in them which will be an inspiration to readers who are disabled and those who aren’t alike!

Even if a writer is an able-bodied and neurotypical, they may have been affected in life by a person close to them that has a disability. They also deserve a voice and need to be heard.

You have written about the fact that some people may feel that writing about disabled people when they are not disabled is a form of ableism. I do not agree with this, for in that vein no one should ever imagine themselves in anyone else’s shoes which undermines the very basis of fiction, not least its use in schools and through childhood to help children develop their empathy and emotional skills. As when any writer is including a character from a minority, research is paramount and the representation much be honest and stripped bare of tropes and traditionally spewed or romanticised visions.

In terms of the 90000 vs 60000 word issue? Well, it really is quality and not quantity that matters with the stories.

To the author that withdrew their story and the commenter above who was off-put by the submission criteria, these issues lie solely with them. It is their choice whether they want to submit, and their responsibility to imagine and create a story that fits the anthology.

I just ultimately feel that this level of scrutiny and fear surrounding doing something like this only goes to highlight the fact that it needs to happen, because that is the only way that the dialogue can go forward as you said. To back out now would in my mind only solidify the stigma and isolation surrounding disability.