I think it is a feature of many forms of neurodivergence that we are in a constant battle to be understood
Rick Dove's (neurodivergent) notes on writing
I’m so happy to be interviewing Rick Dove as the very first poet featured on this Substack! I came across Rick’s work through Effable, an upcoming anthology by queer crip poets, where Rick is a featured poet. I think there’s something about poetry that can be particularly inviting to many ND brains as there’s so much freedom to play and experiment. And at the same time, there’s so many forms from different literary cultures (some of my favourites are haikus, ghazals and sonnets) to try out if you want more structure and rules. Rick talks below about how the form of writing can mirror thoughts which I think is fascinating.
I massively related to Rick’s advice about having a routine and sticking to it! It doesn’t work for everyone and took me a while to figure out but as Rick says it is now ‘sovereign’. Rick also works in bursts like me but I know some ND artists who much prefer longer stints! I’ve put a little poll at the bottom for you to say whether bursts or longer stints works for you!
Hey Rick! Tell us a bit about you and your work.
I am a working-class, disabled, queer, black man who grew up in south London in the 1980s and got a degree from Durham in the 1990s, I was a clubber and major festival goer in the noughties, and finally arrived in poetry in 2015. For me, some identities are seen as political regardless of whether the people themselves are or not, and over the years (it will be 10 years in May 2025) I have become more political with my work, on the page, on the stage, and behind the scenes because of that expectation.
I decided to lean into it all, do my political bits with intention, and be seen as the committed intersectional anti-capitalist that I am, rather than have something else foisted on me. I still like to write poems on all subjects (I find it helps me process complex emotions and ADHD has me hyper-fixating on random subjects ), but as I have witnessed more and more inequity in both poetry and the wider world, I have felt more and more compelled to speak up. Poems about squirrels and skinny dipping in Thailand all have their place but I have a platform and with that comes a responsibility.
Does being neurodivergent impact your creative process? And if so how?
My neurodivergence has a few flavours, which can make things hard to manage, but I have developed coping mechanisms over time (and a lot of trial and error). There are the "To-Do" Lists, which are hit-and-miss, but at least help keep track of deadlines. And I tend to lean into hyperfocus if it is being productive - since going freelance this has been much easier than it was.
But the most reliable process hack I have found is working in bursts. I will set arbitrary timescale deadlines "15mins for a free write", and "edit for 30mins", and then if I overrun because of getting carried away or because of time blindness, at least I get a task done.
It is better than looking at something and failing to start because it feels too big. Basically, nothing I do ever feels big when I start it. I have worked hard at tricking my brain into this process and so far, it works. I am even writing a novel in this piecemeal fashion (once the first draft is done I may have to edit/rewrite differently, but I will cross that bridge...)
How is neurodiversity a theme in your work?
Sometimes I will reference it directly, and be overtly political about it, and sometimes I mimic my thought processes, their shapes, their chains, their spirals, in the writing, and sometimes I combine the two.
My poems will often contain random facts or reference thought experiments or quantum or cosmological phenomena because I recently tumbled down a research rabbit hole and thought "Oooh, that is cool, I should include that in something". I am like a magpie in a sunshine world made of mirrors, anything and everything can be fascinating and shiny, and I like to share my fascination with these details when I can.
What's one piece of advice would you give to aspiring neurodivergent writers out there?
Hone your process, it will be individual to you, it will take time to perfect, but it is worth nailing down. The routine is sovereign, and I have found that whenever I am not being so productive it is because I have strayed from the tried and trusted routine (normally because life admin has interceded). So, work out what times of day you are most productive and lean into it, work on your hacks, whether that is Loop earplugs, fidget toys, visual learning, to-do lists, whatever. When you find what works, stick with it (unless it is deleterious like drug taking, you are not Hemingway or Hunter S Thompson).
Is there a book (or other kind of art) by a neurodivergent artist that you love and you'd like to draw our attention to?
There are so many neurodivergent artists - I think it is a feature of many forms of neurodivergence that we are in a constant battle to be understood. As we explore best how to communicate so many of us find some art form or other. I think it is worth checking out the work of Connor Sansby, Janine Booth, Kate Fox, Hannah Chutzpah and Kayla Martell Feldman.
What’s one thing the publishing industry could do to make things better and more accessible for neurodivergent writers?
A lot of activists are working on different aspects of accessibility, including contract riders, video submissions, hybrid events, stimming toys at events, etc... There are a lot of very good ideas out there, but the ONE thing the industry could and should do is HIRE NEURODIVERGENT PEOPLE.
There is a phenomenon called "Access Intimacy1" when people just get what you need that is really elusive and hard to quantify, but the way to get it is to HIRE NEURODIVERGENT PEOPLE in marketing, as agents, as readers etc... genuine comfort comes from genuine understanding and I am not sure that neurotypical folks, however empathetic they are, can ever make things truly comfortable.
At this point, I have to shout out Kayla Martell Feldman and Tyrone Lewis, at Process Open-Mic, who have curated an amazing space for poetry and spoken word which is all about Access Intimacy. It is a space you can genuinely unclench and unmask in.
What are you working on at the moment?
At the moment, I am collating new poems for a new project, tinkering with a novel, and performing at a few festivals over the summer (still under embargo).
And lastly, how can readers of the newsletter support your work?
I have a couple of books available with Burning Eye Books and I have my latest projects and appearances listed on my LinkTree (as long as updating it is on a To Do List).
A term coined by Mia Mingus.