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Raelke Grimmer is a writer, analogue photographer and linguist living on Larrakia Country in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. She writes creative nonfiction, young adult fiction and poetry. Her debut young adult novel White Noise was published by UWA Publishing in September 2024. Raelke’s creative nonfiction has been published in Australian literary journals Griffith Review, Westerly, Kill Your Darlings and Meniscus, and her poem ‘Burning Two AM Conversations’ was shortlisted in the Poetry Award in the 2023 Northern Territory Literary Awards.
Talking to Raelke Grimmer
In this podcast, Raelke, who has a working relationship with the First Nations people in Darwin, Australia, acknowledges Country for herself and Dark Matter Zine.
Afterwards, we talk about her debut young adult fiction novel, White Noise. This is a coming of age story about a teenager with autism, like Raelke, who has also lost a close family member. The story doesn’t so much focus on autism as focus on Emma, the protagonist who is on the spectrum. Raelke wanted her story to have more of a focus on grief and the white noise it becomes years after loss. Emma’s world is changing and it’s about to change more. We as readers join Emma on her journey.
Thoughts on representation of neurodivergence
I thoroughly enjoyed White Noise, as you can tell from my review. In the future I hope that others will read this story to see themselves as powerful agents in their own lives and not just reduced to a diagnosis or being the subject in a neurotypical author’s and character’s world. Also, I hope that reading White Noise will inform and educate, normalising neurodivergence, helping people realise why they – we – are different, and helping them on their road to self-discovery.
And last but not least, I hope that neurotypicals will also read White Noise for the story first and foremost. But also read and learn. Stop making the same old comments and observations. Raelke and I talk a bit about those comments and people requiring argument, justification and so forth.
Thanks to Raelke Grimmer and how to find her and her book
I thank Raelke, for writing White Noise, for being a guest on this podcast. Also thanks to Raelke for sharing her insights into “being neurodivergent” so the rest of us may benefit. Thanks also to UWAP for publishing this book centering a minority character written by an author who identifies as belonging to that minority group.
You can find Raelke Grimmer on her website. And you can find White Noise on the publisher’s website and wherever excellent books are sold.
