Records of the Hightower Massacre and Representation on the Bookshelf (2024)
by Maeva Wunn
I always wanted to be a writer. I remember scanning my bookshelf in college, searching for inspiration. Almost every volume was by a man. My heart sank. I felt defeated. Yes, there were a few works by women. But over the thousands of years of written works I had collected, none of them were by someone like me. In the 90’s, I looked at popular novels, stories, and poetry, and none of it was by someone like me. I was too niche, too abnormal, too far outside the mainstream.
When Andrew and I started writing Records of the Hightower Massacre, we wanted to tell an engaging story and feature diverse characters. I wrote Ash’s portion of the book, making them nonbinary (like myself) but also black and asexual (unlike myself). I can see parts of myself in Ash, but so can a lot of other people. Likewise with Aubrey, who was written by Andrew. As a gay trans man, Aubrey gives representation to another set of voices. When thinking about creating these and other characters, I kept thinking back to those shelves of books. Maybe our book could provide the representation someone is looking for.
Twenty years after I sat pondering that shelf, the internet has evolved, and I once again look at novels, stories, and poetry for inspiration on my own writing journey. This time I find works by people from across LGBTQIA+, people from all over the world with different appearances and languages and ways of life. Seeing oneself reflected in a piece of art has always been an edifying and necessary part of experiencing the world. It helps us with empathy and understanding, fantasy and wish fulfillment, and expanding our horizons. But what do you do when you don’t see anyone like you at all despite searching through books and games and movies and shows and songs?
Write it yourself. And share it with the world. You don’t know how many other people are searching for your voice.
About the Author
Maeva Wunn is a bisexual, non-binary, neurodivergent writer of poetry and prose, crafter, history buff, and music enthusiast living with chronic illnesses. They have been writing poetry since childhood. They spent most of their life in Atlanta, Georgia and moved to the Midwest after meeting their spouse. They currently reside in Iowa with their spouse and cats.