Alice in Wonderland Syndrome Essay at Uncanny

I have been waiting most of my life to write this essay.

For the longest time I didn’t know how, because I lacked the language and the understanding for it. About six months ago I was reading articles on Lewis Carroll and I stumbled on a phenomenon I’ve been trying to explain since childhood: Alice in Wonderland Syndrome. It was a revelation to me.

I decided to write about it. Initially I was simply going to post it online, but I shared the essay with a few friends and they told me I should send it out on submission. My co-editor, Navah Wolfe, suggested Uncanny Magazine, a magazine I love. To my great surprise the editors loved it, and now here it is, online for everyone to read.

“Growing Up In Wonderland” is a deeply personal essay about my experience with Alice in Wonderland Syndrome. In it I discuss the condition, other elements of my disability, fairy tales, and how all of it has affected my career.

I had a bad Alice in Wonderland Syndrome episode last night, as well as a convulsive episode. I slept maybe an hour. These things happen often, but last night it just seemed weirdly fitting.

Uncanny’s podcast interviewer, Deborah Stanish, also interviewed me about the essay. She had some excellent questions, and I was a bit surprised by my responses. I tend not to share all that much about my medical condition online, but writing the essay seems to have made me more comfortable with sharing details about it.

My section starts at 54:00 and I talk for a few minutes about the essay. Navah and I were also interviewed about The Starlit Wood: New Fairy Tales, which starts right after my section. Deborah had some great questions about the book and our process for the project.