I’m pretty fortunate that I have three jobs which complement each other. I am an author, a bookseller and a journalist for School News magazine (note, this is a job title not a qualification).
Every now and then, the three jobs collide like the perfect storm, much like Red Velvet Cake (chocolate, cream cheese and Red).
I meet authors through my work as a bookseller, and then interview them for stories that I can share with educators and teachers through School News.
I met Sara Foster, best-selling crime writer, many years ago when I attended a talk of hers. She was in conversation with her friend and fellow author Natasha Lester, and in the course of the chat, casually mentioned she homeschooled her daughters, both of whom had dyslexia. At the time, my own daughter had just been diagnosed and I was keen to speak with someone – another writer! – who had similar experiences.
I barged up to her in the book signing line and began asking questions, not about her book, but about her children, which was probably a bit rude, but when you meet a fellow parent of a child with dyslexia, the rules of etiquette sometimes disappear.
Just like a child with dyslexia often feel as they are the only one, being a parent of a child with learning difficulties can also be a lonely journey.
Sara was incredibly supportive during the years I was trying to get Brilliant Minds published and we made a loose promise that one day we would do something together for Dyslexia Awareness Month.
Earlier this year, I sat in the audience at the WA Premier’s Book Awards and cheered as children’s writer Kylie Howarth won the Western Australian Writer’s Fellowship. Then the bombshell, her sons had dyslexia. Their frustration with school readers had inspired her new graphic novel, Kev and Trev. Another link in the chain.
Dave Whish-Wilson was already known to me as a West Australian crime writer and uni lecturer when he came into the bookshop one day. I was surprised when he bought a copy of Brilliant Minds, but then he said his teenaged son had dyslexia. He later told me, the book was one of his son’s favourites, he’d dip in and out of the stories, inspired by the incredible people and their amazing contributions.
Sally Rippin was well known to me an author whose books Billie B. Brown helped my daughters learn to love reading. Their pride in reading a whole chapter, and then a whole book by themselves is something I remember vividly. I hadn’t realised then that she wrote the books the way she did because of her own son, who had dyslexia, but when her memoir Wild Things came out, about their journey with his struggle with reading, I felt like every word could have been my own. I was able to interview Sally for School News, and even got to share the brand-new news she had been chosen as the 2024-2025 Children’s Laureate.
After talking about it for ages, in July this year over a piece of lemon slice, Sara and I finally met to discuss what we could do for Dyslexia Awareness Month. We were both authors. We were both parents of children with dyslexia. We both knew others in similar positions. Perhaps we could share our stories, get others involved. She told me about Adrian Beck. I knew him as a very funny children’s author. I didn’t know he also had a child with dyslexia.
Six authors. Six parents. Six people who had spent years fighting for their own kids. We would be the #AuthorsForDyslexia and share our stories in the hope of raising awareness with a new audience.
The reels are out there on Instagam under the hashtag #AuthorsForDyslexia and being shared on our own pages (find them with the distinctive red covers on my page @shannon_meyerkort)
Not everyone is on Instagram. Not everyone can be bothered watching reels, so I was thrilled when my editors at School News said I could write an article about #AuthorsforDyslexia and consolidate all the poignant stories, the funny anecdotes, the inspiring moments into one place.
You can find it here: https://www.school-news.com.au/news/authors-raising-awareness-for-dyslexia/
Other articles you might find helpful:
Novels for Kids with Neurodivergent Characters
Why Your School Library Needs Brilliant Minds: 30 Dyslexic Heroes Who Changed Our World
shannonmeyerkort.com 