Lemniscate Updates: Poems and Discussions

Hello! In this Newsletter we will be sharing poems by the author Cristan Williams-Diaz and inviting you to take part in a discussion about NeuroGender.

Blog Post

In our most recent blog post, we shared two poems by Cristan Williams-Diaz! Cristan Williams-Diaz is the author behind TimetoEnjoyFiction.Wordpress.com, where adults and young adults are encouraged to read. They're a writer, hiker, an avid reader, singer, and animal whisperer, and they prefer using the pronouns they/them but also answering to she/her. They've always been a creative soul a writer since joining the Poetry Club in the 9th grade, these are their first published poems, and they plan to share more of their work. Cristan is the product of a Germanic/South Slavic mother and an African American father that grew up in the intersection of race, culture, generational trauma, and mental health in Los Angeles, California, with a unique insight into the experience since researching and self-diagnosing ASD and ADHD in the last few years. They're married and have no children except for Candace, a nine-year-old fur kid.

These poems are about the mixed experience (What Are You) and difficulty figuring out who you are after a highly codependent upbringing (Questions).

We strongly encourage you to check out all of this author's amazing work! If you would like to submit your own work to be published on our blog and newsletter, you can do so via email at lemniscatenewsletter@gmail.com, through our Facebook or Instagram accounts, on our Discord server, or through the form on our Linktree. Links to our social media pages, the blog/newsletter, and the form can be found here: https://linktr.ee/lemniscateblog

This image shows an open book laying flat on a white surface. There is a red heart on top of the book in the crease between the two pages.

Discussion Forum: NeuroGender

We’re trying out some discussion topics to invite folks to share their thoughts on different topics. Our first topic will be NeuroGender.

According to Gender Wiki (https://gender.fandom.com/wiki/Neurogender): Neurogender is an umbrella term to describe when someone's gender is somehow linked to their neurotype, mental illness, or neurological conditions. There are many different neurogenders related to most, if not all, neurodivergencies. For example, AutiGender is a NeuroGender identity in which one feels their gender is connected to their autism. Because those with autism may have difficulty understanding societal interactions, this can change their understanding of gender, making it difficult to describe.

What do you think of the concept of NeuroGender? Have you heard of this before? Does this have a part in your own gender identity? If you want to join the discussion, you can type in the chat here or put your thoughts on this padlet: https://padlet.com/mkane0767/autigender-neurogender-discussion-v2hbgdg6edyjgkfc

Here's another article by the Substack creator NeuroDivergent Rebel that talks a little more about this topic and AutiGender if you would like more context:

Autism Gender? Explaining NeuroGenders: What do AutiGender and NeuroGender mean?

Submissions

If you want to submit your own work to us, you can do so by emailing us at lemniscatenewletter@gmail.com, messaging us on Substack, Discord, or Instagram, or using our Submission form (the button for that is below). You can find links to everything here. We also have some submission prompts below if you would like to use them for inspiration!

Visual prompt:

Dark-haired femme presenting person laying on green leaves that are covered in blue, brown, and yellow birds. The person is wearing a dress covered in clouds while the pantyhose-covered feet appear to be connected to a zipper revealing more clouds and sky.

Written Prompt:

“They stepped outside and the lightning struck the ground right in front of them.”

If either one of these inspires you to write a poem, short story or create a piece of artwork please submit here: