Fragments of us

Fragments of Us is creative thesis accompanied by a critical exegesis. The creative thesis is a young adult speculative fiction story-sequence that explores (dis)abled and mad bodymind experiences. Narrated through multiple focalisations, the creative draws on Western socio-historical constructions, perceptions, and understandings of (dis)ability and madness to interrogate and reimagine representations of bodymind variance. Chapter One of the exegesis examines (dis)ability and madness throughout Western history, including considerations of fictional representations. Chapter One also discusses Disability Studies scholarship, which forms the primary lens through which my praxis and research was undertaken. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the key Disability Studies concepts that had the most sustaining influence on my creative praxis. Chapter Two discusses the chosen genres of my creative praxis. I outline relevant concepts of young adult literature scholarship for this thesis and put forth that the genre of speculative fiction can enable the reimaging of (dis)abled and mad futures or worlds. I also consider posthuman theory, and how figurations of the posthuman link with representation of atypical bodyminds. Lastly, the chapter includes the textual analysis, primarily through a Disability Studies lens, of three young adult speculative fiction novels and two short stories to consider how they represent (dis)abled and mad bodyminds. The final chapter of the exegesis is a reflection directly on my own creative praxis. The chapter begins with me storying my fear of appropriation, which includes an explanation of the liminal space from which I write. I explain my methodology of being a practice-led researcher and research-led practitioner, which led to my engagement with multiverse theory, the concept of heterotopia, and the use of multiple narrators. Ultimately, Fragments of Us is a creative and critical exploration of bodymind variance representation within young adult speculative fiction, and a consideration of how these representations can be reimagined.