In high school, Michele Kirichanskaya took a trip down a Google rabbit hole that led her to a word that perfectly summed up what she’d been feeling: asexuality.
“Honestly, in terms of figuring out I was ace, it was relatively easy,” the queer Jewish writer and proud child of immigrants says. “I know this isn’t the case for a lot of aces who grow up thinking they’re ‘broken’ for being who they are.”
Which is why Kirichanskaya decided to focus on asexuality — the experience of not having sexual attraction toward individuals of any gender — in their writing.
They explain that their passion for writing started in high school, “just writing some notes and story ideas in notebooks when I was bored, or when I saw something about the world that seemed interesting and wanted to get it down.”
It was during internships in college and work experience drafting copy for websites that Kirichanskaya realized they liked having an audience to write for. And after developing their writing skills, they decided to tackle a subject close to their heart: writing about asexuality.
Their book, Ace Notes: Tips and Tricks on Existing in an Allo World, came out in March. It’s a guide for asexual people and covers coming out, how to explain asexuality, and examines different attractions and relationships. As the book’s description reads, “this is the ultimate arsenal for whatever the allo world throws at you.” (Allo referring to allosexual, or someone who experiences sexual attraction to others.)
Ace Notes came from Kirichanskaya wanting to go beyond “Ace 101.” Kirichanskaya experienced a variety of misconceptions about asexuality, from aces being called “immature” or that asexuality is inherently “wrong.” The book was also inspired by their own experience spending years researching what being ace meant.
“I figured why not write a book about it so that the next asexual person doesn’t have to spend as much time digging for information as I had to,” they explain.
For now, Kirichanskaya wants to continue writing and connecting with readers.
“I hope that people can find comfort and maybe affirmation from the words I write.”
'Ace Notes' by Michele Kirichanskaya is now available at all major booksellers
