This post was written by NCTE member Jennifer Slagus, reprinted with permission from The CLA Blog.

As an NCTE first-timer, there are so many interesting and inspiriting artifacts I have brought back—infused in my thoughts and praxis—which have already impacted my doctoral research and librarianship. CLA made that possible, as I was a recipient of a Vivian Yenika-Agbaw Student Conference Grant that enabled my attendance and offered access to those invaluable insights and new connections. Among all the positives, two takeaways impacted me most:

First, I met and learned from three scholars—Dr. Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, Dr. Amy Stornaiuolo, and Dr. Josh Coleman (recipient of the 2023 CLA Research Award and CLA Early Career Award)—whose work has shaped my dissertation on restorying neurodivergence in middle grade fiction. In their panel we discussed creating a restorying network and research community which I greatly look forward to!

Second, NCTE reinspired me to conduct a research project I have thought about for over two years. I was thrilled to attend multiple panels centering neurodivergent and disabled authors and educators. Throughout I heard mentions of editorial feedback claiming neurodivergent characters are “unlikable,” among other stereotyped critiques. That is exactly what others mentioned on my scholarly podcast, In the MIDst: A Kid’s Lit Podcast. Since leaving Columbus, I have begun developing a survey/interview study to document the voices of neurodivergent authors as they move through publishing in the post-#OwnVoices landscape. Since no other scholar is researching this, I know I need to, and I thank CLA and NCTE for the encouragement.

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