Sat 26 September 2026 • 10:30am
Neurodiversity: Childless and Childfree Perspectives
Event details
Part of: Storyhouse Childless
Welcoming you to the weekend is Storyhouse Childless host, Dr Dawn Llewellyn, Associate Professor of Religion and Gender, University of Chester. Dawn researches childlessness and has been part of Storyhouse Childless since its launch in 2019. She’s the festival’s MC, making sure the audience are in the right place at the right time, and providing a wonderful warm welcome to each and everyone of us.
The festival introduction will flow straight into the first panel discussion: ‘Neurodiversity: Childless and Childfree Perspectives’.
Through the connections made during the festival, Storyhouse Childless audiences have often shared their experiences of neurodiversity. However, as content creators and advocates Juli Angelis, Shayonee, and Ali Hall have commented, there’s very little written about the relationship between childless, childfree, and neurodivergence – despite the growing awareness and increase in diagnosis. In fact, try searching “neurodivergence / childless /childfree” and you’ll come up with articles for parents dealing with their neurodivergent kids!
So, we decided it was about time we had this discussion on stage at Storyhouse. This event will feature neurodivergent men and women, sharing their childless and childfree lives, in a world designed for neurotypical parents.
This event is for people who are Childless and Childfree and their supporters.
Events may feature strong language, mention of abortion, trauma, pregnancy, miscarriage, and suicidal ideation. Please look out for yourself and others and please remember you can come and go from any event.
If you have any access needs for example noise sensitivity, mobility or if there is any other support you need, please add yourself to the access register here. We will get in touch with you before the event to chat about we can support you to have the best experience of the discussions group events.
Included in Pass
Individual Tickets: Pay what you can: £5-£12
Storyhouse is a charity, an independent arts centre and creative hub.
Find out more here.
Panelists
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Dawn Llewellyn
Dawn is an Associate Professor of Religion and Gender at the University of Chester. She’s been researching, publishing, and speaking publicly about pronatalism for over 12 years and her current book project examines how Christian women understand and manage their reproductive agency and choice. She co-founded the festival in 2019. Although labels are tricky things, she usually moves between childless by choice/childfree/not a parent/Dawn.
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Nikky Van Leeuwen Briggs
Nikky is a Chester local who received a late ADHD diagnosis two years ago. She has been an audience member at Storyhouse Childless since 2022 and is childless not by choice. Nikky has recently returned to student life in the hopes of embarking on a career change after nearly 18 years working as an Economist in the private sector. Her main interests are travel, music (particularly dance music), reality TV and neurodiversity.
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Mark Briggs van Leeuwen
Mark is the owner of a small independent travel business based in the UK and The Netherlands. Mark has been an audience member at Storyhouse Childless since 2022 and a panellist/contributor since 2024. His main interests are travel (obviously), outdoor sports, mycology, Science/physics and psychology. Childless not by choice, but not always sure where on the spectrum between “childless” and “child free” he sits – and how life like that should look in this society.
Storyhouse Childless: Welcome Gathering
Storyhouse Childless: Birth Rate Panic! Not our problem.