Artificial Divide

by Randy Lacey

Step into a world of rogue screen readers, Braille in fantasy worlds, a friend meeting an acquaintance after several years, and more.
This #OwnVoices anthology features fiction by Blind and visually impaired authors showing readers how they thrive, hurt, get revenge, outsmart bullies, or go on epic adventures. Artificial Divide is an own-voices story collection that captures the many layers of Blindness and, for once, puts visually impaired protagonists in the driver’s seat, letting us glimpse their lives.
When we think about it, we're not really divided.

Genres: Short Stories, Disability

167 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 15, 2021

About the author

Born at a very young age in Ottawa.
Kicked out of the house at 16 to fend for myself.
At 18 thumbed my way to Vancouver BC.
From 1983-87 thumbed back and forth from Ottawa to Vancouver 20 times gaining many life experiences to write about.
From 1987r92 severe addictions developed.
In 1992 i was able to re-enter society as a 'normal' functioning contributing human being.
In 1996 my fiance was murdered on Valentines Day.
Now as a visually impaired person I live in small town Alberta doing the things I love best, writing, blending spices, and creating hot sauces.

Reviews

[Nathan Frechette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I narrated the audiobook for this volume and some of these stories touched me so deeply I had to do multiple takes because I got too emotional. This is a wonderful anthology, and I strongly encourage you to read it!

[Erin Crane]

I picked this one up because I’ve enjoyed some other collections focused on reframing disability in stories from the perspective of people with disabilities. But the other collections I read were SFF, and this is slice of life. I have a really hard time engaging with stories like that.

[Robert Kingett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a blast editing this anthology! I hope you have as much enjoyment reading it as I had creating it

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always struggle a bit with the sprawl of an anthology and wish for more time with each author, but I mostly enjoyed this collection of a wide diversity of stories. Some fantastical, some deeply painful, these stories span genres and topics, but make an exciting collection bound together by their Blind and visually impaired characters and authors. My favorite story was my most anticipated, Inspiration Porn Star by M. Leona Godin (whose book, There Plant Eyes, was a favorite last year), a story about a blind woman comedian whose screen reader begins talking to her. Other favorites included Catgirl, Heart and Skin by Melissa Yuan-Innes, about a blind woman DJ obsessed with a stripper in a world where metaphors and similes have started coming true, and Noa and the Dragon by Jameyanne Fuller, about a young girl learning to navigate the world after going blind and the book beside her along the way.