Editor asks me: Will you review That Pandemic Antho?

I say: Maybe. There are a lot of disabled writers in it, right?

Editor: ............

I say: Like, obviously?

Editor: ............

[After a while] Editor: Wouldn't it still be interesting if there were NOT a lot disabled writers in it? Your review could be about that?

Me: No. That's not interesting at all b/c my ideal audience is disabled writers & readers, so that's just like gross.
[I really did say "that's just gross" lol]

Editor: Lemme send you the TOC.

Me: Okay.

Meanwhile, I'm impatient so I just look up the antho b/c it's Big and Famous and Everywhere.
Here's what The Pandemic Anthology published by @AAKnopf looks like. Now remember: disabled people are the most affected by the pandemic, eg we die the most.

How many total poets? Ok I stopped counting at 100.

How many disabled poets? Oh boy. Are you ready.
1 radical disabled activist. Name spelled incorrectly in the TOC

1 not radical at all disabled writer. Most acceptable disabled writer to nondisabled literary establishment b/c this writer "doesn't make a big deal about it," as I have been told
[Just put on the song "Once in a while" by Paul & The Tall Trees b/c this is the vibe. The Pandemic Anthology is singing to me "Have mercy, have mercy, go easy." But no. I cannot.]
"She's really nice tho," they say about this disabled writer. Oh good, I'm so glad that while she is fighting not-at-all for us she's being really nice about that.
1 disabled writer who is pretty fame and newly disabled and doesn't know anything about disability consciousness yet and needs to catch up. Like fast. If at all possible.

1 disabled writer who is only disabled in her books. Her books are like "yeah I'm totally dis." However--
She has never in any interview/anywhere said the phrase, "I am disabled." You read the book. You go "she's totally disabled!" You go to her talks. You go, Oh idk maybe she's not? Why is she hiding? She has already won most of the awards including NBCC
1 writer who uses a cane so you're like "hey buddy you're disabled, right?" but that writer also has never said, "I am disabled" so like this is very confusing. Can we say it? Or are we not saying it? Orrrrrrrrrr
1 disabled writer who doesn't know how to be out & proud disabled yet so that writer is like disabled-in-the-comments-on-FB but like not really anywhere else

1 disabled writer who is disabled I know this only b/c I published him in the NYT so definitely cheers!
So by my math -- which is admittedly sketchy AF b/c I don't like math -- we have a total of TWO out & proud disabled writers in This Pandemic Anthology. What is TWO out of ONE HUNDRED does anyone know? Percentages?

More from Book

I've gotten a few questions about this, so let me clarify and provide as much helpful information as this medium will allow.

To begin, both of my parents are MBA's and are assertive. They taught us four kids to be assertive. 1/x


Honestly, what's the worst a publisher can do, say no? If the worst that can happen is a rejection email (and believe me I've gotten ALOT), then it's pretty "safe" to at least ask.

But there were tricks that I learned about getting books from publishers. 2/x

The 1st was to request exam copies. I was a very part-time adjunct faculty for an online-only seminary in the UK. I designed two classes for them and requested books to consider as assigned reading for the classes. I still do this, since I'm full-time teaching/administrating. 3/x

The second was to become an approved/recognized reviewer for journals--it doesn't matter which ones. Thanks to a previous professor I'm a reviewer at the website for a research center. And through nothing but email, I'm a frequent reviewer for 3 journals (JESOT, JHS, RRT). 4/x

This is a helpful approach. When you know exactly where the review is going to be submitted and you know that the journal's review editor wants the review, then (in most cases) the review editor's job is to contact the publisher and make sure you get the book. That's it. 5/x

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