While there is no shortage of the number of literary magazine startups, the distinction with Nerve to Write: A Magazine for Disabled, Chronically Ill, and Neurodivergent Writers is the essential nature of its existence. This isn’t just another lit mag driven by want, but rather Nerve to Write is a magazine our community needs. “Many disabled, chronically ill, and neurodivergent people feel alienated and isolated and are searching for community and connection,” explains Nerve to Write Founder and Editor-in-Chief Sarah Fawn Montgomery. “We hope the literature and art in our magazine can be that community and connection. We hope readers who come across our journal will discover something of themselves reflected in our digital pages, while also learning about other disabled experiences and identities, as we weave together many perspectives into a complex web of acceptance and access.”
Finding Our Nerve to Write
Nerve to Write is an open access, online annual publication of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, hybrid writing, art that came about after the publication of Montgomery’s craft book Nerve: Unlearning Workshop Ableism to develop Your Disabled Writing Practice. “I wrote this textbook,” says Montgomery, “because my own disability led to several severe spinal injuries and permanent nerve damage in all four of my limbs, which made it very difficult to engage with reading and writing and the larger arts community. I struggle with constant nerve pain, and it took a lot of nerve to rebuild my reading and writing practice. The overwhelming support I received from this book — which is one of the only craft books that addresses the disabled, chronically ill, and neurodivergent experience — made me realize just how necessary this perspective was to talking about the arts. I then decided to create this journal, bringing on other editors and graduate students to start building a larger community. Because my craft book was the starting point, the magazine is titled similarly, a reminder of how painful the disability experience can be and how important it is to find our nerve to write, submit, and engage with activism.”
It’s still a gamble to start a new publication, but Montgomery asserts the place for Nerve to Write, “It is no surprise that there are hundreds of literary magazines available, but very few focus on the disabled, chronically ill, and neurodivergent experience. And those that do are often edited by people working in healthcare, some of whom do not identify as disabled and thus do not have direct knowledge about these experiences. Similarly, literature about disability, chronic illness, and neurodivergence can be hard to find in literary magazines, and often when it is published it is written by family members or caregivers rather than by actual disabled people. We wanted to make a space for marginalized voices where their knowledge is centered rather than articulated by those outside of the experience. Disability is often left out of conversations about social justice, and our motivation and mission has always been to enter this conversation with purpose and passion.”
Experienced Masthead
In addition to her landmark craft book, Montgomery is the author of Quite Mad: An American Pharma Memoir, which The Atlantic says, “Exemplifies a nuanced approach to life with mental illness” and The Paris Review describes as “The wakeup call we need.” She is also the author of the essay collection Halfway from Home, winner of a Nautilus Book Award for lyric prose, the flash collection Abbreviate, and three poetry chapbooks. Fathom, her poetry collection about chronic pain and invisible disability is forthcoming from the Propel Disability Poetry Book Series. She is an Associate Professor at Bridgewater State University, where she teaches creative writing and disability studies.
Joining her on the masthead are Assistant Editor Mialise Carney, a writer whose stories and essays have appeared in swamp pink, Booth, Washington Square Review, and other places. She is a PhD student in creative writing and literature at the University of Cincinnati, where she reads for The Cincinnati Review and teaches writing. And Assistant Editor Daniel David Froid, the author of My Home Is Not There, a chapbook published by Bottlecap Press. His stories appear in Lightspeed, Nightmare, Black Warrior Review, Post Road, and elsewhere. He lives in Arizona. Other editors include a rotating team of graduate student interns from Bridgewater State University.
Eager to Voice Necessary Perspectives
For writers considering submitting works to Nerve to Write, Montgomery encourages, “We are a space for work that has been overlooked by other publishing venues. It is no surprise there is a lack of equity in publishing, with disabled voices erased or ignored. Nerve to Write is a space for this work, a space for the work that other magazines have said is too raw or painful, that writing workshops have misunderstood, or work that is close to your heart and therefore feels vulnerable to submit for publication. We are open and receptive to this work, eager to voice these necessary perspectives. We also celebrate emerging writers and are careful to make space in every issue for writers publishing their first creative pieces and emerging into the literary landscape.”
In terms of the process, every submission is read by a team of graduate student interns at Bridgewater State University. Because the magazine operates as a collective, each piece gets read by 5 to 10 interns who weigh in on each piece in writing and during staff meetings. In addition, all pieces are read by Nerve to Write editorial staff. Every piece accepted for publication goes through a copyediting process with the editors, who work individually with each author. Prior to publication, authors also receive digital galleys for approval. The average response time is 6 months; there is no individual feedback due to volume.
Showcasing Disabled Innovation
For readers curious to know more about the content, Montgomery assures they can expect to find work about a range of disabled, chronically ill, and neurodivergent experiences. “We aim to include not only the best work, but also work that showcases a variety of perspectives. We do not shy away from work that expresses the heartbreak, isolation, and rage of these experiences, but also the community, creativity, and joy of these experiences. And while we publish work that reflects on disabled experiences, we also publish work that has nothing to do with disability, chronic illness, neurodivergence, in order to remind readers that while these identities inform our writing, they are not our only plot and purpose. The writers and artists we publish each issue reveal the immense possibility and potential within our communities, and so each issue reflects a range of topics. Our main goal, however, is always to showcase disabled innovation and community.”
Recent contributors include Shahd Alshammari, Emma Bolden, Jacqueline Doyle, William Fargason, Jeannine Hall Gailey, Sonya Huber, Jill Khoury, Sandra Gail Lambert, Rita Maria Martinez, Gabe Montesanti, Zach Powers, Sumitra Singam, and Brenna Womer among others.
Outpouring of Support
Reflecting on the start-up experience, Montgomery reveals, “The most important thing we’ve learned is how necessary this publication is for the disabled, chronically ill, and neurodivergent community. We opened for submissions about six months before our first issue launched, and from the start, the response was overwhelming. We were also overwhelmed by the number of submissions we received from countries across the globe, and we continue to be amazed by the traffic coming through our site each day. We knew there was a need for this magazine, but the outpouring of support has been a wonderful reminder that what we are doing has broader personal and political implications.”
Nerve to Write is just the beginning, as Montgomery explains there are quite a few future plans for the magazine, including publishing book excerpts, book reviews, and author interviews. “We will also begin rolling out creative writing prompts for writers looking for inspiration, as well as more multimedia offerings like audio and video recordings. And, of course, we are hoping to eventually become a paying market.”
