Autistic Culture | Where Autism Meets Identity! Writing Unmasked: The Art of Unmasking - Weekly Writing Contest
Part of our 12-Week Writing Series for autistic creatives and late-diagnosed adults.
In this episode of Writing Unmasked, Dr. Angela Kingdon explores how writing supports unmasking and identity integration after late autism discovery. From poetic processing to oral storytelling traditions, Angela dives into how expressive language can unlock joy, agency, and self-trust for neurodivergent writers.
Plus, she announces this week’s new writing prompt — a call to craft fables rooted in autistic truths — and reveals the winners of our sixth writing contest!
🎧 What You’ll Learn
- How writing can help process the identity shock of late diagnosis
- The emotional cost of masking and the creative joy of unmasking
- What makes a fable powerful—and how autistic storytelling reclaims the oral tradition
- Updates on Angela’s upcoming book, Am I Actually Autistic?, and the Neurodivergent Voices Live event in June 2026
- Reflections from our latest haiku-based writing contest
- A live reading of the winning entries
🏆 Week 6 Winners
🥇 First Place:
Lindsee Garlock-Thornton
– “Sparkly Brain”
– “Knowledge Thirst Trap”
– “Sensational Senses”
– “Visual Disturbance Rumination”
– “Call Me Sal”
– “Welp, Found My People”
📸 Follow Lindsee on Instagram: @haikuwouldntyou
🥈 Runner-Up:
Allyson Hogan
– “Comfort Episode”
– “Spin Reemerging”
– “Play the Song Again”
👏 Congratulations to our featured writers, and thank you to everyone who submitted! Want to see their full entries? 👉 Read their stories here.
Neurodivergent Narratives Presents: ‘Moral of the Story’ Contest
Prompt: If you were to write a fable in the style of Aesop’s fables about friendship, what would the moral be?
🖊️ Open to: Everyone
🗓️ Deadline: Wednesday, June 25 at 12 PM ET / 5 PM UK
💷 Prize: £10 per winner
📘 Publication: Winners featured on Substack and in the Neurodivergent Narratives anthology
✅ Submission Rules
- Max 500 words
- No plagiarism, hate speech, or explicit content
- Submit as many entries as you like
- No subscription required
📢 Share with hashtag #MoralOfTheStory
Resources:
🎙️ Matt shares the Wind and the Sun parable at 10:43 on the Neurodiversity Podcast
📗 Angela’s Book: Am I Actually Autistic? (Substack)
Related Episodes:
Writing Memoir with Alethea Shapiro (Episode 138) - Writing Prompt #30
Neurodivergent Creative Cycles with Sol Smith (Episode 140) - Writing Prompt #31
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🌐 Learn more at www.autisticculturepodcast.com
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