How do your write neurodiverse characters with nuance, humour and humanity? Our next Heard Word Featured Guest, Susan L. Edser specialises in helping readers connect with characters who experience the world in ways as original as her sparkling prose.

That’s Monday the 2nd of March 2026 from 5-7pm GMT on Teams.

To get feedback on your work sign up to be one of our presenting writers. There are both 20-minute (1500 words) and 5-minute (700 word “lighting round”) slots available. You can sign up here.

Even if you aren’t presenting, please join us to offer feedback. Here is the link. 

A bit more about our Featured Guest:

Susan L. Edser (she/her) is a neurodivergent, queer writer and the lead facilitator for Mask Off, a creative writing group for neurodivergent women and non-binary people who are comfortable in a space centred on women’s experiences.

She has freelanced for ArtfulScribe for over two years in a variety of roles, including assisting with children and young people’s writing groups, leading an interactive drop-in at the Bournemouth Writing Festival, and facilitating a poetry workshop for adults with learning disabilities and autism.

Susan has achieved success in her flash fiction, coming second in the Oxford Flash Fiction Prize 2024 and being longlisted in the Fish Flash Fiction Prize 2025. She is now writing her first novel that explores late-diagnosed autism in women.

After graduating from Bournemouth University’s Creative Writing and Publishing MA in 2024, Susan formed an alumni group to celebrate achievements and provide mutual support. She hosts monthly meetups, both in person and online.

Before becoming a writer, Susan was employed in community-based project management, therapeutic horticulture, and volunteer training. She continues to garden professionally, so when she’s not at her desk, you will probably find her with a pair of secateurs in hand. Combining gardening and writing stories brings her happiness and harmony.