Sensitivity reading is when a professional reader from a marginalised group provides feedback on a piece of work about people from that group, based on their lived experiences.
An author who's writing outside of their experience – such as a cisgender (non-transgender) author writing a novel with transgender characters – may want the expertise of someone with lived experience to fill the gaps in their knowledge and avoid common pitfalls.
A writer who has some experiences in common with their character might still want a sensitivity reader. For example, a disabled writer from the US who wants to write about disabled people in the UK may need to know about the UK healthcare system.
Sensitivity readers are becoming more common in fiction publishing, but this work isn't limited to fiction. Non-fiction writers can also benefit from sensitivity reading when writing about marginalised people's real life experiences. Meanwhile, TTRPG and larp designers may need a reader who can consider the impact of mechanics and art (in addition to narrative elements and game text).
If you're writing outside of your experience and need someone to make sure you're representing those experiences sensitively, I would be happy to help.
I can consult based on the following lived experiences:
I'm genderfluid and transmasculine. I have been gender-nonconforming since early childhood, realised I was trans as a teenager, and came out in my early twenties (2014).
I was involved in online trans activism in the UK for seven years, and have used my lived experience to inform consultation responses and policy documents for organisations including the Nonbinary Inclusion Project and the Trans Workgroup for the Memorandum of Understanding on Conversion Therapy in the UK (now known as the Coalition Against Conversion Therapy).
I have lived experience of social transition, but not medical transition (although I have developed some knowledge of medical transition and UK trans healthcare systems through my activism work and talking to other trans people in my local community).
I also have lived experience of navigating (non-transition-related) NHS and private healthcare as a trans person, and of transphobia in healthcare settings.
Includes chronic fatigue and pain, Guillain-Barré Syndrome, peripheral neuropathies, dysautonomia, and endometriosis.
I have lived with chronic fatigue and pain all my life.
In 2014 I also developed Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS). This condition gave me muscle weakness and peripheral nerve problems that prevented me from walking unaided for several weeks (and made my existing symptoms worse). The nerve damage in my face affected my speech, vision, and ability to move my mouth. I spent the next several years slowly recovering, with the help of physiotherapy and regular facial Botox injections. I still experience increased chronic fatigue, pain and muscle weakness.
I was also diagnosed with endometriosis in 2022, having lived with the condition for at least 15 years, through a diagnostic laparoscopy.
I use disability aids such as compression wear and wrist supports to manage my pain, and use assistive technology – including dictation software and auto-scrolling apps – to make digital life more accessible to me.
I have lived experience of being hospitalised (NHS, intensive care, and both inpatient and outpatient wards) and navigating the UK healthcare system (NHS and private) as a disabled person.
I'm autistic and was diagnosed in my mid-twenties (2019) through an NHS assessment.
My lived experience includes:
shutdowns (but not meltdowns)
selective mutism
auditory processing difficulties
stimming
special interests
sensory over- and under-stimulation
synaesthesia
difficulty with social interactions.
I came out as bisexual as a teenager (2009). I have had relationships with men and nonbinary people.
I have experienced biphobia and heteronormativity in social, educational and healthcare settings.
I am active in both local and online queer communities.
I have been non-monogamous – and engaged with local and online non-monogamous/polyamorous communities – since 2014.
These descriptions are just a brief summary of my experiences. If you would like more details to help you decide if I'm the right person for your project, feel free to reach out to me.
You can help me to work well with you by telling me some details about what you need in your first email. Let me know:
a description of your project
your intended audience
which identities you'd like help with representing
any specific scenes, characters, or themes you'd like me to focus on.
This will help me judge whether the job is right for me. It also tells me what to prioritise if we decide to go ahead.
The length of sensitivity reading jobs can vary widely, even between two works of the same word count. It will depend on how many issues need addressing and what exactly you want me to focus on. I'm happy for you to set a hard deadline and/or a maximum fee when negotiating our contract. I will then focus on the sections that need the most attention, to ensure you're getting the most out of my work. I'm also open to sliding scale or payment plans for indie creators and marginalised people.
I'm familiar with Microsoft Word, Libre Office, and Google Docs. I can provide my feedback in comments on the document itself, or as a separate list of notes – whichever works best for you. I will also write you a report briefly summarising my work.
"Rowan ... [was] professional, friendly, affordable, and transparent about their process every step of the way, and I found their comments very helpful in making my autistic character much more consistent and authentic. I plan to work with them again on future books, and would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a quality sensitivity read at a reasonable price." – Mariah Norris, Author of Secrets Like Glass
"Rowan was extremely patient in … Using their experience, knowledge and clear analysis to explain the problems with my work and providing some great ideas in how they could be handled more sensitively. … Rowan consistently gave me reasonable timelines for how quickly they could work and was incredibly transparent about their schedule throughout the process … despite my limited budget they provided first class feedback.
I'd strongly recommend Rowan Pierce for any project that you think may require a sensitivity reader." – Liam Macleod, Author
"We found [Rowan] to be an incredibly valuable member of the team ... They particularly understand disability representation both in an individual and structural way but are also able to advocate and design for other elements of sensitivity.
Would highly recommend for ... sensitivity consultation work." – Hazel Dixon and Erin Marsh, Creative Leads for Millennium Bugs at Bobbit Worm Games
"Queerly Represent Me worked with Rowan on a collection of best practice guidelines. Rowan responded to the opportunity promptly, provided articulate and well-informed contributions, and was overall a pleasure to work with. I'd recommend them for future freelance and contract work.” – Alayna Cole, Managing Director for Represent Me (formerly known as Queerly Represent Me)
"Rowan always brings incredible care and precision to their work ... they were able to provide valuable knowledge on LGBTQIA+ issues ensuring we had a balanced and thoughtful final script. They go above and beyond when it comes to their work and are clearly very passionate about what they do. We were extremely lucky to have Rowan onboard for this project and we cannot recommend them highly enough." – Zhang & Knight, Directors of Qweens Speech (2019), produced by Acne Studios for Dazed Magazine
"I had the privilege of working with Rowan (2015-2017) as part of the Trans Workgroup tasked with drafting a Trans Inclusion Statement [for] ... the Memorandum of Understanding on Conversion Therapy in the UK which has been adopted by the psy-professions in the UK. ... Rowan modelled accountability, and inclusive consultation, as they were representing the Nonbinary Inclusion Project.
Rowan was encouraging, patient, reliable, and responsive in all of their communications, definitely qualities which are important when trying to draft a sensitive statement on inclusion under time pressure.
It was a pleasure to work with Rowan, and their collaboration really helped move the project forward." – Kris Black, member of the committee now known as the Coalition Against Conversion Therapy