Writers

  • Agatha Christie
    It’s been 100 years since author Agatha Christie created the famous private detective Hercule Poirot and launched her career as one of the most successful authors of her time.
  • Alex Malchow
    This father-son duo have written a bestselling story about having the courage to overcome hardship -- and it was all inspired by a learning disability.
  • Alice Beard
    A now successful author from Kalamazoo, Michigan reflects on her struggles in school and how she overcame them.
  • Amber Lee Dodd, Children's Author
    Amber Lee Dodd incorporates her personal experience with dyslexia into her children’s novels.
  • Andrew Dornenburg’s path to success in the culinary world has been anything but linear.
  • Avi (Edward Wortis)
    Edward Irving Wortis, or known to most by his pen name Avi, is an award-winning children’s book author.
  • Benjamin Zephaniah
    Benjamin Zephaniah holds the title of poet, writer, musician, professor, and holder of 16 honorary doctorates-- he also never received formal education past the age of 13.
  • Blake Charlton
    Blake Charlton learned to cope with his dyslexia by developing humor and making fun of himself.
  • Brad Falchuk
    Co-creator, executive producer, and writer of hit TV shows Glee and American Horror Story, Brad Falchuk has made a career out of his talents despite living with dyslexia.
  • Byron Pitts
    American journalist and author, Byron Pitts has had his own struggles with dyslexia.
  • Upon publishing his first novel, Learning Without Reading: Extreme Dyslexia, dyslexic Casey M Tate realized his dream of becoming an author had become true.
  • Christine Finn, a dyslexia high school dropout, spends most of her working life as a freelance journalist, including for The Guardian and British Broadcasting Corporation.
  • Dale S. Brown
    Both a previous strategic consultant and disability policy expert in Washington DC as well as a senior manager of LDOnline, Dale Susan Brown is nationally recognized as a tireless advocate and spokesperson for individuals with learning disabilities.
  • Dav Pilkey
    "Try to remember that being unsuccessful in school doesn’t automatically mean you’ll be unsuccessful in life. Lots of people who didn’t excel in school still went on to have successful lives."
  • Dean Stalham
    Bueno Key, a short film written and directed by dyslexics, premiered in July of 2015. The film’s screenwriter Dean Stalham is an award-winning writer whose dyslexia wasn’t diagnosed until he was 40 years old.
  • Known for her success as a romance novelist, Debbie Macomber has struggled with dyslexia all throughout her life.
  • Deirdre Silvestri made her dream of becoming an author come true. She is severely dyslexic, and it was well into her adult life until she was able to read well.
  • Dr. Shawn Robinson
  • Fannie Flagg
    Ever since she was six years old, Fannie Flagg had wanted to be a writer, but her dyslexia delayed that career.
  • Glenn Harrington
    Glenn Harrington achieved something he never imagined he would in high school—he is a published author.
  • Henry Winkler
    Read about how the man who played The Fonz co-wrote 17 children's books inspired by his own struggles with dyslexia.
  • Scottish author of fifteen novels, many of which have received critical acclaim, Irvine Welsh didn’t jump right into writing-- he started composing songs as a young man, and then switched to writing poems, until finally graduating to the published author he is now.
  • James Grady is dyslexic. He is also the author of Six Days of the Condor, Mad Dogs, and over ten other adult novels.
  • James Nuttall
    This man earned his PhD, worked with the Michigan Department of Education, and co-authored a book, all despite having dyslexia.
  • Children's author and playwright, Jane Elson, did not imagine herself as a writer when she was a kid.
  • Jeanne Betancourt
    Jeanne Betancourt, author of the children’s novel series Pony Pals, grew up struggling with dyslexia. She found reading and writing difficult as a young student, and never considered herself a good speller or a quick reader-- yet she always enjoyed making up stories.
  • Many of us have favorite books from our childhoods that we think of in times of nostalgia, but when it comes to remembering these impactful tales, we almost always remember the drawings that bring the stories to life rather than the words themselves.
  • Success Story: John Irving
    This renowned author notes that his dyslexia is an advantage in his writing career.
  • Jonathan Mooney
    Despite his early struggles, this dyslexic writer went on to graduate from Brown University, where he received an honors degree in English Literature.
  • Success Story: Keely McCabe
    This young dyslexic is now a published author.
  • Lauren Santaniello
    This dyslexic college student has published her first novel and more are to come.
  • Through the help of a writing competition promoted by BBC News, English native Louise Arnold has stepped into the spotlight as a writer of children’s literature.
  • Novelist Max Brooks comes from Hollywood parents Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft, but his life has been far from glamorous.
  • Success Story: Megan Beland
    The following was written by Megan Beland, a dyslexic author and illustrator who wrote a very heartwarming kids book about her little sister.
  • Success Story: Octavia Butler
    Award-winning author of 13 books, including multiple best-selling trilogies, African-American female Octavia Butler proved her race and gender did not hold her back from doing what she loved-- and neither did her dyslexia.
  • Patricia Polacco
    Dyslexic author/illustrator and Michigan native Patricia Polacco talks about her work.
  • Peter Harrower
    From a young age, Harrower has thought about the world differently. When he found out he had dyslexia as a child, he thought he was being punished.
  • Philip Schultz
    This Pulitzer Prize winning poet overcame dyslexia by inventing a new way to read.
  • Philip Schultz
    Poet and teacher shares his struggle with dyslexia
  • Richard Ford is an American novelist and short-story writer, best known for the novel Sportswriter (and its sequels) and the short-story series Rock Springs.
  • This Hollywood writer wrote and directed Oscar-winning films, such as “Kramer vs. Kramer” and “Places in the Heart,” despite suffering from severe dyslexia throughout his life.
  • This poet overcame dyslexia to pursue her greatest passion: writing.
  • Award-winning author Sally Gardner created a career out of the very thing she called her enemy for years-- words. Gardner is severely dyslexic, and went through years of early schooling unable read or write.
  • A graduate of the University of Portsmouth with a degree in graphic design, Barclay has combined his experiences with dyslexia and his interest in typographic design into I Wonder What It’s Like to be Dyslexic, a book which describes and visually depicts his experience of what it’s like to read. Barclay, using his own experience with dyslexia, manipulates and modifies text on the pages of his book to create a difficult reading journey for its readers.
  • Stephen J Cannell
    Stephen Cannell scripted 450 episodes and produced over 1,500 episodes over the course of his career working in television.
  • Success Story: Tiffany Sunday
    This was written by Tiffany Sunday, a published author and dyslexic individual who reached out to us in June of 2014, eager to share her story.
  • Victor Villasenor
    Imagine dropping out of school in 11th grade unable to read, but with the dream of becoming a writer. That’s only a small portion of Victor Villasenor’s story.