Neuro-Inclusive Storytelling & Living Library

Tuesday 16 June 2026 | 13:00 – 16:00 CEST / Rotterdam time | Rotterdam Central Library

Neuro-Inclusive Storytelling & Living Library is an interactive afternoon at Rotterdam Central Library, bringing together stories, conversation, creativity and lived experience on Neurodiversity Pride Day.

The event invites visitors to meet neurodivergent writers, poets, advocates and community voices who share personal stories of unmasking, self-understanding, difference, visibility and belonging. Through the format of a “Living Library,” people are invited into real conversations: not only reading stories on a page, but meeting the people behind them.

A Living Library offers a powerful way to challenge assumptions. Instead of borrowing a book, visitors can speak with a “living book”: a person with a lived experience, identity or story that may be misunderstood, stereotyped or rarely heard directly. In this neuro-inclusive edition, the focus is on neurodivergent lives, voices and ways of making meaning.

This event connects strongly with Neurodiversity Pride Week because pride begins with being allowed to tell your own story. For many neurodivergent people, unmasking is not simply a personal act; it is a social one. It means moving from being interpreted by others toward speaking in your own voice, on your own terms.

Libraries are natural places for this kind of meeting. They are spaces for stories, learning, access and public imagination. By bringing neurodivergent storytelling into a library setting, this event helps make visible the richness, complexity and humanity of different minds.

Practical information

• Event: Neuro-Inclusive Storytelling & Living Library
• Datum: Tuesday 16 June 2026
• Tijd: 13:00 – 16:00 CEST / Rotterdam time
• Locatie: Rotterdam Central Library
• Address: to be confirmed by the organiser
• Organisers: Bibliotheek Rotterdam / Neurodiversity Collective NL
• Audience: neurodivergent people, writers, poets, advocates, library visitors, allies, families, educators and anyone interested in lived experience and storytelling

What to expect

• An interactive Living Library afternoon
• Personal stories from neurodivergent writers, poets and advocates
• Conversations about unmasking, identity, creativity and belonging
• A chance to listen to lived experience beyond stereotypes
• A cultural and community-based contribution to Neurodiversity Pride Day
• A welcoming library setting for reflection, dialogue and connection

This event may be especially relevant for people interested in neurodivergent storytelling, creative writing, poetry, advocacy, libraries, inclusion, unmasking, identity, cultural participation and public conversations that help reduce stigma.

This event has been suggested as a relevant contribution to the Neurodiversity Pride Week programme by the community. The event is organised independently and may not be exclusively created for ND Pride, see the website of the organizer for details.