Podcast on Episode 899 for Tuesday the 8th of July 2025.

Broken all my bows and brittle my heart, Written and read by Cat Rambo.

Produced by Eric Valdez and selected by guest editor Devin Martin.

Rated PG with content notes for PTSD, suicidal ideation and body horror.

Good morning, good day, good afternoon and good evening, and welcome to Podcastle, the flying castle of fantasy fiction. I'm your host, Mattovy and it is my privilege to present another disability pride and magic tale for your consideration.

Broken All My Bows and Brittle My Heart by Cat Rambo, narrated by the author themselves.

This story was first published in Unlocking the Magic in 2019, an anthology about changing the narrative on mental illness and telling stories of strength and perseverance of getting help despite the darkness.

Not the myth that getting help will kill creativity and magic, not the story our society tells about mentally ill people.

The art and magic must come from suffering.

I confess the anthology passed me by at the time, though I perhaps wasn't ready to

appreciate it then anyway.

My goodness, what a pitch.

If anyone discovers where you can buy the e-book still, because I can't find it, then

please let me know.

And it's a pitch that aligns remarkably well with their own for this special month of disability

stories. To quote the original post where we put the call out, disabled people, where

we appear at all, tend to be left on the sidelines, or treated as passive sources of inspiration,

or worse, ridicule or disgust. In fantasy we get our difficulties raised with superpowers

or magical cures.

We're looking for stories that defy these trends.

We want to see stories that show the dynamic nature of disability that grapple with ableism,

internal and external, and that ultimately see us as fully human.

...