Grab a hot drink and a snack because it's time for a huge 2024 catch-up episode with Emily! (who only realised as she was recording that it’s been an entire YEAR since she did a solo episode?!)

Things I cover (with timestamps):

Things I mentioned:

Brilliant books from lovely 2024 guests:

My Links:

​21andsensory on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.instagram.com/21andsensory⁠

​@21andsensory on TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.tiktok.com/@21andsensory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

​21andsensory on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.youtube.com/c/21andsensory⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

​21andsensory Blog: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠21andsensory.wordpress.com⁠⁠

​@21andsensory on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠twitter.com/21andsensory⁠

I am super excited for today's episode as I have special guest Dr Harriet Axbey on the show. Harriet Axbey is an autistic early career researcher at Swansea University. She is a research assistant on the “Autism from Menstruation to Menopause” Wellcome Trust Funded project within the Faculty of Medicine, Health, and Life Science. This project aims to look at the reproductive health experiences of autistic people with wombs across the lifespan.

Harriets areas of expertise include:

• ​Autism
• ​Neurodivergence
• ​Neurodiversity
• ​Diffusion Chains
• ​University Accessibility

Harriet is on the show today to share more about her recent book that’s been published which is called: University: The Autistic Guide. This informative and friendly handbook is a guide to starting university for autistic young people, covering the entire process from applying, packing and financial admin to mental health support, dealing with burnout, finding your people and experiencing new opportunities. 

• ​Harriet Axbey (@axbey) / X
• ​Jonathan Raiseborough ✏✨ (@jo_raiseborough) / X
• ​Home | portfolio (jonathanraiseborough.wixsite.com)
• ​University: The Autistic Guide: Everything You Need to Survive and Thrive - Pavilion Publishing (pavpub.com)
• ​Understanding Others in a Neurodiverse World: A Radical Perspective on Communication and Shared Meaning - Pavilion Publishing (pavpub.com)
• ​University – The Autistic Guide: Everything You Need to Survive and Thrive: Amazon.co.uk: Harriet Axbey: 9781803882543: Books
• ​My Brother Tom Has Superpowers : Axbey, Harriet: Amazon.co.uk: Books
• ​My Brother Tom Has SuperpowersHarriet Axbey | YouCaxton Publications

Follow Harriet on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/draxbey.bsky.social

On today’s show I have the lovely Esme Jay, who is also known by the nickname Pixie. Esme is a queer autistic writer-turned-content creator living with PTSD and anxiety.

They run @pixiesbigwhy over on Instagram which has almost 18,000 followers at time of recording (now over 19k as the podcast goes live!).

Esme shares their life including content around lifestyle, fashion, autism, mental health and chronic illness. 

Trigger warning: mention of domestic violence, homelessness and abuse

Things mentioned:

Esme's Links:

I am super excited for today's episode as I have the wonderful special guest Elle McNicoll on the show. Elle is a bestselling and award-winning novelist and screenwriter. She is an advocate for better representation of neurodiversity in publishing, as an autistic and dyspraxic novelist. Her debut, A Kind of Spark, won the Overall Waterstones Children's Book Prize in 2021. It was also voted number 75 in The 100 Greatest Children's Books of All Time in 2023.

She is a three-time Carnegie-nominated author and was also honoured in the US with the Schneider Award, 2022. Her first novel has also been adapted for television by the BBC, and McNicoll was head writer on the project. The adaptation was described in the press as 'groundbreaking' for its inclusion of autistic actors and crew (and you might remember when Ella Maisy Purvis was on the podcast, who played Elinor/Bonnie in the show!)

I reached out to ask if she might like to come on my podcast to chat a little more about her latest book which is Elle’s YA debut 'Some Like It Cold'. I was kindly sent a copy to review and read earlier this year by the lovely team at Pan Macmillian so I have been very fortunate to have read the book. It will be published on October 1st (US) and October 3rd (UK), which is today!

Buy Elle’s new book ’Some Like It Cold’:

See Elle on tour:

Elle’s social links:

Watch ‘A Kind of Spark’ on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/p0f7q3rv/a-kind-of-spark

On today’s show I have the lovely Jess Chandler. Jess is an advocator and activist in the Neurodivergent and Disabled Community. Jess also spreads awareness about Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and educates others on the impact that invisible illnesses can carry.

Now you might know Jess from her fab instagram and TikTok accounts @thejesschandler (where she has almost 34,000 followers and @the.neurodivergent.witch which has almost 13,000 followers! So I’m very excited for this chat!

Links to find Jess:

My 21andsensory links:    

Today I have special guest Professor Janet Harbord on the show. Janet is a professor of film studies at Queen Mary, University of London. Recently she has worked as a principle investigator (alongside Steven Eastwood) on a five year Wellcome Trust funded project called  ‘Autism through Cinema’.

Autism Through Cinema was a collaborative investigation into the relationships between neurodivergent thinking and cinematic creation. Janet is on todays episode to chat about her work directing a video essay called ‘Autism plays Itself’ where she asks how films made in clinical settings have contributed to how autism has been medically imagined and defined across the past seventy years. Janet takes one such clinical film and works in collaboration with autistic respondents to reframe the footage from an autistic perspective. 

Mentioned:

• ​Edinburgh Festival link: https://www.edfilmfest.org/film/out-of-competition-shorts/
• ​Toronto hot docs BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT DOCUMENTARY: https://hotdocs.ca/industry/conference/awards
• ​Trailer link: https://vimeo.com/919231648
• ​BBC Shortcuts hosted by Josie Long: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00224h3

Autism Plays Itself, Credits:

• ​Director: Janet Harbord - https://www.qmul.ac.uk/sllf/film-studies/people/academic/profiles/harbord.html
• ​Editor: Sasha Litvintseva - https://www.sashalitvintseva.com
• ​Sound Designer: Tom Fisher - https://tomfishersoundportfolio.com

Respondents: 

• ​Ash Loydon: https://x.com/AshtonLamont
• ​Sophie Broadgate: https://pikaiafilms.co.uk
• ​Ethan Lyon: https://letterboxd.com/dz1ga

On today’s episode I have the lovely Zara Beth as my special guest, she's back on the podcast for a catch-up episode! Zara is an 18 year old content creator, writer, musician and disability advocate from the UK. She shares her experiences as a neurodivergent, queer adult navigating life with neurological disabilities and chronic illness.

@21andsensory on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.instagram.com/21andsensory⁠

On today's episode I have the lovely Charli Clement as my special guest. Charli is an activist, speaker, writer, creator and lived experience expert. They are proudly autistic, ADHD, dyspraxic, and chronically ill, and particularly passionate about discussing the intersections of these conditions.

Charli works with the NHS and other organisations around psychiatric inpatient care, human rights and autism. Charli’s first non-fiction book around autism and chronic illness was published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers in December 2023 and is called ‘All Tangled Up in Autism and Chronic Illness: A guide to navigating multiple conditions'

Charli has previously been a keynote speaker for the British Medical Association and given talks to NHS boards and staff, universities, city councils amongst others. They have also had bylines in outlets such as the Independent, the Metro, the Daily Mirror and VICE.

Charli's links:

linktr.ee/charliclement_

My 21andsensory links: 

On today's episode I have the lovely Emily Katy on as my special guest, who you might know from social media as @itsemilykaty.

Emily was previously on episode 51 of the 21andsensory podcast but I shall of course reintroduce her...

Emily is an autistic woman with ADHD and OCD. She is a blogger, author and advocate, and works with neurodivergent children and young people.

Emily is a Trustee for the Autistic Girls Network and Former youth participation council member and Former Public Governor for her NHS Trust. She is also a #NotAloneTalk Host on Twitter. Emily has given talks in many different health settings and written many articles on her own experiences.

So listeners might be thinking - oh Emily Katy is back on your podcast?! But that’s because Emily has some very exciting news - she is now a published book author!

Buy Girl Unmasked here: linktr.ee/girlunmasked

Twitter: twitter.com/ItsEmilyKaty

Instagram: instagram.com/itsemilykaty

www.authenticallyemily.uk