We’re happy to announce a few of our upcoming contributors:

Falanya has lupus and chronicles the life she’s living right now at A Lupie Existence. Lupus sufferers commonly refer to themselves as “Lupies” and, interestingly enough, this painfully crazy disease can provide some pretty loopy moments. It’s those moments that lend a little laughter into an otherwise unfunny existence. Follow Falanya on Facebook.

Michael Hanson is the parent of a 5-year-old son with Type 1 Diabetes, who was diagnosed at 17 months, and a 2-year-old daughter. He has Master’s degrees in both English and Library Science and currently works at a public library in the Pacific Northwest. Follow Michael on Twitter :@michaelhanson22

Rachel Swirsky graduated from the Clarion West Writers Workshop in 2005 and the Iowa Writers Workshop in 2008. She has published more than fifty short stories in magazines and anthologies, and her short fiction has been nominated for the Hugo Award, the Locus Award, the World Fantasy Award, and others. Her work has twice won the Nebula Award. Her second short story collection, HOW THE WORLD BECAME QUIET: MYTHS OF THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE, came out from Subterranean Press in 2013. She only writes poetry occasionally, and is pleased to have a few lines out after taking a break for a few years.

• Grand Jete (the Great Leap) – Nebula Nominee 2015
• If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love – Nebula Winner 2014, Hugo and World Fantasy Award Nominee
• The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers beneath the Queen’s window – Nebula Winner 2011, Hugo and World Fantasy Award Nominee
• Eros, Philia, Agape  – Hugo Nominee
• A Memory of Wind – Nebula Nominee

Maria Deira has lupus, fibromyalgia, sleep disorders, and a long, sad list of other chronic and invisible illnesses. Her fiction has been published in A cappella Zoo, Fiction Southeast, Word Riot, GigaNotoSaurus, and Strange Horizons. Maria is also one of the editors of And Then I Got Sick. You can find more of her work at Writing, Writing, Lupus Fighting.

And then I Got Sick is a realistic look at how we deal – or don’t deal – with the chronic and/or invisible illnesses that have impacted our lives. Too many women (and men) are made to feel guilty if we don’t face our illnesses with boundless wells of hope, positivity, and inspiration porn. While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with having a positive outlook on life and being productive about your health, the expectation that a woman should overcome her illness with grace and courage isn’t always reasonable or fair. Many of us are still trying to manage the basics, deciding if we want our illnesses to be part of our identity or separate from who we are or want to be. Through essays, stories, videos, art, and, of course, humor, we’ll try to balance the positive with the negative. It’s our hope that women with chronic illnesses can come here and learn that they don’t have to feel alone, ashamed, or judged because some days are harder than others.

Publication will begin Summer 2015.

Thank you for reading, participating, sharing, and following!

*We’re currently closed to submissions.