For Eli, belonging is personal. Their relationship with disability began at 16, when they developed intense, unexplained pain.
After years of appointments and tests, a rheumatologist finally diagnosed Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), a connective tissue disorder affecting their joints. “My back, neck, shoulders, wrists, hips, knees, ankles – pretty much everything,” Eli said.
Their EDS comes with fainting episodes, legs that sometimes give out, and constant pain. “There’s no medication for my type,” they explained. “I use the whole pain management set – low-inflammation diet, physio, strength work, acupuncture, low-grade painkillers. You name it.”
Later in life, they were diagnosed with autism and ADHD. For Eli, it was a positive way to help them understand how they think and work.
It also shaped their writing.
“I almost can’t write neurotypical characters as a neurodivergent writer,” Eli laughed. “People always read ADHD or autism into my characters even when I don’t mean to. It’s just baked in.”
Instead of fighting it, Eli embraces it.
“I want disability and neurodivergence in my stories where it’s just part of the world. Not trauma or a plot device. The same goes for queerness, gender diversity, polyamory, all the communities I’m part of. They deserve to exist on the page without explanation.”
But Eli said confidence didn’t come easily at the start.
“At my first public reading, I came off stage and just burst into tears,” they said. “I was so anxious, but I did it and kept going.”
Eli now directs Trans Book Festival and is completing a Masters of Writing and Literature.
They recently received a Varuna Fellowship for their fantasy manuscript No One Without the Other. “I was honestly shocked, being recognised felt huge,” they said.
They credit others for lifting them up, especially writer and disability advocate Jasper Peach. “Jasper told me, ‘You’re a writer, and people need to read your work.’ That changed me. Sometimes you need someone to name it before you believe it.”
Over time, Eli has built a community. They get involved in literary workshops and community events, helping shape creative spaces that prioritise both connection and access.
“Workshops, festivals, events – that’s where people find each other,” Eli said. “That’s why it’s so important for these spaces to be welcoming and accessible.”
Eli plans on expanding on their fantasy portfolio in the future.
“I grew up in a big Lord of the Rings family,” they said. “The thing about fantasy is that readers are already primed to suspend their disbelief, to put their preconceptions aside.
If you can accept magic or space travel, then queerness, disability, gender diversity, even polyamory – none of that should be a stretch.”