Underground Bookshelf

Graphic novels and comic books have long carried lessons of inclusion, fighting for what's right, and compassion for others hidden within their pages, but the books listed below make a point of teaching history, social justice, and activism to their readers. For more on this topic, visit last week's resource. In keeping with the theme, the resources below help you learn how to make your own comic book or graphic novel.

It’s an epiphany when you realize for the first time that the white stick-figure on the blue parking sign is you. That's you. Now you can park in that fat sirloin of a spot. Now you are “the disabled.”

We all want to be seen, understood, and accepted for who we are. Coming off the backs of LGBTQ (June) and Disability (July) Pride Months and starting Transgender History and Muslim Appreciation and Awareness Months (both in August), this seems like a good time to invite submissions that focus on the theme of FEELING SEEN.

Graphic novels and comic books have long carried lessons of inclusion, fighting for what's right, and compassion for others hidden within their pages, but the books listed below make a point of teaching history, social justice, and activism to their readers. Next week's resource will be more of the same! In keeping with the theme, the resources below are infographics related to activism, protest, and social justice. Scroll down to view the list of twelve graphic novels and comic books that feature protest, activism, or social justice.

This memoir is a partner piece to "In the Space Where a Name Was Erased."

Many thanks to those who submitted their work to the July contest! Disabled voices continue to be missing from many spaces -- including reading, writing, and publishing spaces, so I look forward to sharing more from disabled writers next month, including writers from this contest!

Today's essay from Joey Paul is a throwback to 2014! While she has added discussions on disability in relation to writing to her repertoire -- her Spoonie Writer series is a great resource for disabled writers everywhere -- many of her discussion points in this article remain true.

I write to appease thatchild in me who never sawthemself on the page.

A poem by Laura Browne-Lambert, "Mantra" discusses the inherent ableism in the cultural expectation to never waste a second of time on something mundane, to always be working, adventuring, and creating. As a disabled artist and writer, Browne-Lambert often struggles to allow herself to rest and recover between activities. Inevitably, her body forces her to rest when it is unable to keep up with the demands placed on it. Her poem is a message to herself and others like her that rest is productive in its own way by allowing you to be rejuvenated.

Once again, I'd like to thank Joey Paul for sharing one of the posts from her "Spoonie Writer" series in which she offers advice and personal experiences from working as a disabled writer. Paul is a prolific young adult writer who crosses the crime, mystery, paranormal, dystopian and urban fantasy genres. This post was originally shared on March 3, 2025, at Bug Books: Joey Paul Online.

Q: Please introduce yourself! Share your name, pronouns, and something fun, interesting, curious, or important (take your pick) about yourself that you would like our audience to know about you.