NDAF

A conversation with medical historian and NYTimes bestselling author, Dr. Lindsey Fitzharris, talking to us from England about her books - including "The Butchering Art: Joseph Lister's Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine," "The Facemaker: A Visionary Surgeon's Battle to Mend the Disfigured Soldiers of World War I", about Dr. Sir. Harold Gillies, and her latest, the wonderful "Sleuth-Hound: The Case of the Real Sherlock Holmes," about surgeon Joseph Bell, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's acknowledged model for his famous detective. Given that so many traits associated with Sherlock Holmes have become the basis for over a century's worth of autistic-coded detectives, Dr. Fitzharris speaks about whether there's any reason to believe if a case for Holmes's neurodivergence might have any basis in historical fact.

A conversation with writer, producer, and legendary editor of countless bestselling and award-winning genre novels, Jacque Ben-Zekry, joining us from Colorado. We discuss everything from her early influences, to her work on statistical analysis at Amazon which led her to becoming one of Amazon Publishing's first editors, as well as her current screenwriting and producing on Apple TV's DARK MATTER, and how her ADHD has affected her creative process, for good and ill, every step of the way.

A conversation with writer, producer, and legendary editor of countless bestselling and award-winning genre novels, Jacque Ben-Zekry, joining us from Colorado. We discuss everything from her early influences, to her work on statistical analysis at Amazon which led her to becoming one of Amazon Publishing's first editors, as well as her current screenwriting and producing on Apple TV's DARK MATTER, and how her ADHD has affected her creative process, for good and ill, every step of the way.

A conversation with actor, artist, and podcaster, Phil Gonzales, talking to us from Minneapolis about how his neurodivergence not only influences how he assembles his popular Fringe Festival pieces ahead of time, but also how he performs them in the moment. We discuss everything from his popular and long-running Berenstain Bears podcast, how his experience of neurodivergence in high school impacted his grades and social life, and his evolution from performing the work of others to being his own writer, director, producer, and performer.

This week, please join us for a rollicking and wide-ranging conversation with Assistant Professor of Philosophy & Data Science at UNC-Charlotte, Dr. Damien P. Williams on the past, present, and future of Artificial Intelligence, separating fiction and tech-bro hype from the reality in all its fascinating and flawed glory. Along the way, we discuss other reality-shifting technologies in recent history, the importance of Williams's own early access to computers and programming, and his life-long love of mind-bending science fiction.

This week, we're speaking with underground comic artist/cartoonist Hermit, author/illustrator of RENDEZVOUS WITH THE DEVIL and the forthcoming ADVENTURES OF PRINCESS KAYA, in collaboration with his musical creative partner, Kitten. Hermit takes us from his earliest doodles, his wide-ranging influences from STAR TREK to comics pioneer Dwayne McDuffie, and up through his leap into professional work including a longtime collaboration with NDAF show host, Mark Wheaton.

This week, we're speaking with writer, Vesper Doom, the author of the adult cozy fantasy/folk horror novel, THE BINDING OF BLOOM MOUNTAIN. She takes us from their earliest writing and discovery of Lovecraft to the conception of BLOOM MOUNTAIN and how it became an outlet after their autism diagnosis. We also get an in-depth sneak preview of Vesper's next book, METROPOLIS DOWN, currently in its final editing stages, and set to be the first of a multi-part, science fiction epic.

This week, we're talking to the wonderful poet and short fiction writer, Caroline Hung, who joins us from Manila, the Philippines, to discuss her writing processes, the stories behind her many dark and unsettling tales, her interest in folklore, and how her neurodivergence affects her creative output. She also performs for us a pair of poems, including the premiere of a new piece, LUNA.

This week, we're talking to genre filmmaker extraordinaire Andrew Kasch, as he takes us through his filmmaking career beginnings at SCAD in Savannah, Georgia, and his days as a reporter, then graduating into directing and editing everything from behind-the-scenes documentaries on the great horror franchises, work across the DC TV Universe on THE FLASH, TITANS, BLACK LIGHTNING, GOTHAM KNIGHTS, and LEGENDS OF TOMORROW, to his own terrifying and hilarious shorts - all while navigating the positive and negative sides of ADHD.

A conversation with author support specialist and longtime book publicist, Sarah Shaw, formerly of Thomas & Mercer, currently of BookedOnSocial, discussing innumerable strategies and tips for social media-averse creators across any space, particularly those—like NDAF's host and a couple of our guests so far—who have found it difficult due to aspects of their own neurodivergence to best connect with readers both online and in person.