With millions of followers across TikTok and Instagram, illustrator and content creator Ella Willis is one of our most influential voices on living with autism and
ADHD.
Literally, Ella's first book, is a funny, warm, joyful and incredibly honest guide to life as a neurodivergent person.
Peppered with Ella’s drawings, as well as top tips and fun facts, this is a book that will help autistic people feel seen and understood.
In three clear parts, all underpinned by Ella’s personal experiences, it sets out how to understand your own diagnosis, whether that’s professional or self-
diagnosis, and the systems that surround that process; a guide to living life as an autistic person, covering masking, communication style, relationships, routine
and much more; and a clear-eyed look at the ups and downs – autistic joy and harsh realities.
In their hugely relatable, warm style, Ella also covers biased research, sensory issues, mental health, the queer experience and how to understand feelings through your body.
Literally is at once a joyous celebration of neurodiversity, and a highly readable, peer-to-peer guide to living with autism.
Ella Willis (they/them) is a queer neurodivergent illustrator, content creator, and speaker. Ella has built a significant social media following by sharing their lived experience as an autistic ADHDer and their journey to discover this. As an illustrator, Ella has produced work for ODEON, LNER and Durham University. They illustrated
The Autistic Guide to Adventure (2023), a book that guides young autistic people through sport, hobbies and adventure and founded the CIC ‘Canny Queer
Collective’ in 2021, creating safe and empowering spaces for queer folk in Newcastle upon Tyne. Ella uses their platform and art to advocate for queer and disabled rights, aiming to shift the narrative around autism and neurodivergence to create a more understanding world.
Ella will be in conversation with CJ De Barra: a queer, non-binary journalist, author and historian from Cork, Ireland residing in Nottingham, UK. They are the author of Neuroqueer (Global Words Press, 2023) and Queer Nottingham volumes one and two (Five Leaves, 2025).CJ is also the founder of the NQHA, an oral history campaign recording queer stories from Nottingham spanning from 1790 to 2025.
Please note The Event will be at The Mowbray in Neepsend. This has level access and accessible toilets/ Please let us know of any access requirements you have.